Posted on Dec 1, 2015
Did you know that Military members used to be paid in cash?
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I searched online for an article about how the military used to get paid, but could not find one.
I was having diner with my father tonight who came into town for the night. Somehow we started talking about Military history and he told me that when he first joined the Air Force way back when that he was paid in cash. He would receive a voucher and then have to stand in line for ever to get up to the table where cash was handed out. Not in an envelope, but just cash...handed to you.
My father also said that Officers were paid on the 15th and last day of the month and enlisted were paid??? Can't remember what he said, but I'm sure there are many RP members who can fill in the blank for me.
My father said that it wasn't till he was stationed in Japan that he started receiving checks and when the Military started paying by check the pay dates changed and both Officers and Enlisted were paid on the same day.
I would find it weird and inconvenient to be paid by cash.
I prefer direct deposit.
I was having diner with my father tonight who came into town for the night. Somehow we started talking about Military history and he told me that when he first joined the Air Force way back when that he was paid in cash. He would receive a voucher and then have to stand in line for ever to get up to the table where cash was handed out. Not in an envelope, but just cash...handed to you.
My father also said that Officers were paid on the 15th and last day of the month and enlisted were paid??? Can't remember what he said, but I'm sure there are many RP members who can fill in the blank for me.
My father said that it wasn't till he was stationed in Japan that he started receiving checks and when the Military started paying by check the pay dates changed and both Officers and Enlisted were paid on the same day.
I would find it weird and inconvenient to be paid by cash.
I prefer direct deposit.
Posted in these groups: 
Military History
Military Pay
Military History Military Pay
Posted 10 y ago
Responses: 75
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I was paid in cash initially when I first started in the Air Force in 1994. There was a lag time for them to get you set up with a direct deposit so they had you go to finance and collect your first pay check in cash. Usually took on pay period to work out the direct deposit issues but some took longer.
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I enlisted in 1983 and we were paid in cash until you got to your first duty assignment. And then you put in the paperwork for direct deposit which took about 3 months to kick so you still had to stand in the for pay call, get cash, go to the bank and get cashier's checks to pay your bills. That's why we had Payday activities. To pay bills. Only got paid once a month.
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Trace it further back, and once we were paid with promissory notes. Keep going far back enough and I'm sure it was little bags of gold ;)
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Back in the day, we had to report for pay.
You'd go to the gym in class A's and wait in line for an officer to dispense the cash.
Chances were, the troops in the barracks would have it all blown by the end of the weekend.
Only us old Soldiers remember these days, but for you younger ones, this is where the tradition of "pay day activities" comes from. Soldiers would work a half day so they could get to the bank, pay bills, and run errands.
The Commissary and PX were nuthouses on pay day.
You'd go to the gym in class A's and wait in line for an officer to dispense the cash.
Chances were, the troops in the barracks would have it all blown by the end of the weekend.
Only us old Soldiers remember these days, but for you younger ones, this is where the tradition of "pay day activities" comes from. Soldiers would work a half day so they could get to the bank, pay bills, and run errands.
The Commissary and PX were nuthouses on pay day.
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I remember back in '85 we were paid in cash during basic. Stand in line with ID card in hand waiting to get called. Pay Officer calls you forward, verifies information and you sign for your pay. report to cashier and receive your pay, all under the watchful eye of armed guards. Then report outside and get into formation to march to the PX / Shopette. Get needed items, pay for them and then head to customer service counter to exchange the rest of your cash for a money order, except for a few dollars. Then, march back to barracks and write a letter to parents and mail money order home. Thankfully once I got to AIT, they started making direct deposit available.
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Well yeah they did get paid in cash, they didn't have direct deposit or places to cash checks back in Vietnam... I wasn't there just making a joke. I have no idea when the change was made though...
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Sgt Kelli Mays
My days aboard ship in the 70s the crew was always paid in cash. Disbursing had the paper list of money available to every crew member come payday. Some, including myself a time or two, would keep money on the "books" from one payday to another...came in handy when deployed.
Not sure if this "cash payday" aboard ships is still practiced with today's technology, but I sure appreciated not having to stand in lines to cash a government check like so many others at naval bases.
My days aboard ship in the 70s the crew was always paid in cash. Disbursing had the paper list of money available to every crew member come payday. Some, including myself a time or two, would keep money on the "books" from one payday to another...came in handy when deployed.
Not sure if this "cash payday" aboard ships is still practiced with today's technology, but I sure appreciated not having to stand in lines to cash a government check like so many others at naval bases.
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Yes. According to my Dad, a favorite trick for Commanders when the money plane didn't arrive on time, was to begin a 3 day alert. No one could leave the base and no one got paid till it was over. As you can imagine, this put a huge strain on young airman with kids who were living from paycheck to paycheck.
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Not I, but my dad and several relatives. My understanding is that right after you left the pay Officer with your fresh green money, you got to run the gauntlet of charities/unit fund/etc. .....
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Yes, I remember being paid in cash after reporting to the pay officer Sgt Kelli Mays.
Of course way back then we were paid a lot less.
Of course way back then we were paid a lot less.
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