Is not paying rent, food, utilities, etc., a benefit received while on active duty (in addition to your pay)?

SGT Norman Cillo - SGT Norman, if you think officers run anything in the Army, then you missed a lesson at PLDC or WLC. NCOs should always push the limits of those parameters you mention. That's what good NCOs do. And they don't dismiss a problem because that is "officer business". Taking care of Soldiers is Always NCO business and wouldn't you agree that good chow is the number two way you take care of Soldiers? Number one being good, hard, realistic training.

Having spent years as an NCO and having served as an officer dedicated to the well being of the Army, it is my right and responsibility to "slam on NOCs" when I see the need. When was the last time you talked to the 1SG or CSM about the DFAC? That's your job!

To your final point. BAS is a benefit just as free food is. And both must be included when comparing our pay to civilian pay.

SSG Joseph Gross

PO2 Joan Feledy - In 1981 and 1984 for Marines, the not having to clean up after was not true. If you ever spent 30 day on mess duty, you would know what cleaning up is. Having to be at formation at 0330, working until they said you could go home, typically around 2100, with 1 day off each week. In 84, I then had to drive 20 miles home and back as I had just gotten married. I did not have the choice of just walking across the street to the barracks. If I ate at the chow hall I also had to pay for it.
I understand that this has changed, and in many locations, they now have civilians performing mess duty.

Sgt Edward Allen when not serving in the mess for 90 days, clean up after chow was fairly simple for the average sailor. Just take your tray up. I cleaned in the mess hall for 90 days and had grueling hours as well and then went back to engineering where our hours were just as bad, but loved it all. Not sure why you chose that part of my statement to reply to, but not having to make the meals and clean up after every meal was more of the point. When TAD to the mess decks, which almost all of us had to do at one time or another (in the Navy) yes you had to do those things, but if you were not a CS or MS you only did that for a short time.

I think the LTC hit the nail square on the head. Good job, Sir.

While in Korea, more often then not we didn't get off till 1900 or later not including all the time in the field. One of the guys I served with (AA in business math) did a estimate based off 3 months then 6 months while there and came to the conclusion that we made about $2-3 an hour with the over time and all other benefits including basic cost of medical, housing and food

work mans comp can be denied.....ie not following saftey proticals or following company polocies

We have some of the best health care and practitioners in the world. That being said,, if you suffer malpractice as a civilian at a local hospital, you have the ability to seek legal recourse whereas as a soldier in a medical center, you are lucky if you can get an apology.

SPC Craig Hill - I agree. I had to do back-to-back 2 week tours in Nam because the other engineer was sick. $105 a month for flight pay came out to about 25CTS per hour. As an NCO we were on COLA and could not eat in the mess hall. At 0400 I went to the club. They had NOTHING. I had a double rum and coke and went out and flew 88 hours. All I heard was "THIS IS A COMBAT ZONE" suck it up.

PO1 Cliff Heath - In every branch, enlisted Servicemembers receive an annual clothing allowance for clothing maintenance. Probably about $400 now.

LTC Joseph Gross - Very true LTC Gross. When I got out of the Marines in 1989, I was offered a computer programming position stating at 72,000. As a Sgt with over 8 years, I was getting 1244 + 350 BAQ + 110 ComRats (no COLA). each month. or 20,044 a year, as a computer programmer. I was also the NCOIC of the shop. Worked a minimum of 10 hours a day. And when in the field, I would due 18.

The last five years of my career I was home eight (8) months because BAH did NOT pay for housing in the Los Angeles area and the housing office told me it would be up to two years to get housing. I therefore moved my family to where my wife would have family support.
As commented elsewhere military works more than 40 hour weeks without overtime. On ship in port you will have duty every 3-6 days. This adds at least 8 working hours a week. At sea watch adds as much as 8 hours a day, with underway replenishment adding 6-8 hours a week.
If there is a fire in port I have seen the time the liberty party fought the fire on another ship for about 3 hours. As I remember we used some 500-800 of our OBA canisters.
This doesn’t begin to touch little goodies such as the need to make decisions that may kill your friends (I have been on both the giving and the receiving.)

I’m not sure when you shopped at the Commissary last, but I can say without hesitation that the Commissary now costs more than going to Walmart. Obama forced Commissaries to raise their prices since he wasn’t able to close them under his watch as President. He k ew by raising prices to the point it is cheaper to shop off military installations that it is only a matter of time before they are forced to close due to lack of participation by service members. He back doored us if you will. As for the Exchange it hasn’t been a real benefit for non deployed troops in decades.