Does serving in the military have a negative impact on the earning potential of Servicemember's children?

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 16 Jan 2016 04:24:51 -0500

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/01/15/a-major-new-finding-about-the-impact-of-having-a-dad-who-went-to-vietnam/

Research suggests children of those drafted to serve in Vietnam earn substantially less than children of those who weren't. PTSD is identified as a potential contributing factor. Is this relevant for today's Iraq and Afghanistan veterans?

While we obviously aren't using a draft, PTSD is a major issue.

A major new finding about the impact of having a dad who was drafted to Vietnam

A surprising long term effect of having a dad who went to Vietnam.

Response by PO1 John Miller made Jan 16 at 2016 6:01 AM

PO1 John Miller — Sat, 16 Jan 2016 06:01:33 -0500

Whoever conducted this research didn't ask me! My Dad was a Vietnam era vet, though he enlisted and was not drafted. In fact he was a veteran by the tine the draft was instituted and got a deferral.

Anyway, to make a long story short, my earning potential has NOT been adversely affected. I make a very comfortable salary along with a couple of other sources of income.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 16 at 2016 6:17 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 16 Jan 2016 06:17:53 -0500

The article headline and the actual study parameters don't match. Thr study actually just looked at people born on the birthdays that were draft eligible, bur made no attempt to determine if they actually went into the Army at all, much less servrd in VN. Then it states that only 13% of the group as a whole (not necessarily the individuals in the study) was drafted anyway. So there conclusion doesn't claim to have any connection to serving in VN. Plus, the methodology is horrible, and the article basically admits they have no clue as to any causal connection at all.

Response by MCPO Roger Collins made Jan 16 at 2016 11:11 AM

MCPO Roger Collins — Sat, 16 Jan 2016 11:11:29 -0500

In general, no. My two children were far more adaptable when encountering new situations than kids that had been in the same schools due to all the moves. They and their Mom became independent since they were missing the male figure much of the time for leadership and discipline. I could go on, but you get the picture from my perspective.

Response by Cpl Jeff N. made Jan 16 at 2016 11:29 AM

Cpl Jeff N. — Sat, 16 Jan 2016 11:29:46 -0500

Could very well be another correlation without causation issue. This research looked at those eligible for the draft not those that were drafted. So only the mere fact that someone might have been eligible for the draft has created an income disparity 30 years later. I guess the mere "stress" caused by registering and possible being drafted has caused income inequality now. It might have more to do with the fact that many in the lottery might have been from lower income families to start with and that has now moved to the next generation.

Well, my Dad actually served in Vietnam I guess I have no chance at all. Oh wait, I did pretty good, never mind. Why don't we study things that might mean something. Even if it were true, so what? What would you do about it or differently? Nothing.

Response by Capt Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 16 at 2016 3:38 PM

Capt Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 16 Jan 2016 15:38:20 -0500

Sir, I'm sure that if they were able to look at who was actually drafted instead of draft eligible the results would be even more striking. The military was able to draft people and did not have to pay them competitive wages. This means that for however long they served they made less money than their counterparts and when they finally finished serving they started several years behind their counterparts. Studies show that a childs income quintile is tied to their parents income quintile. So the parent being set back during the Vietnam era most likely sets back the child. In addition there could be other factors such as the parenting not being as good do to PTSD and the like.

Response by Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 17 at 2016 11:33 PM

Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 17 Jan 2016 23:33:59 -0500

Military child here, son of a military member who served in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as Somalia. I've not seen my earning potential go down at all as a result of my father's service. Instead the lifestyle has instilled me with a sense of self respect and confidence that I doubt many civilian children have. If I wasn't joining the military after college I would be entering a field with a starting salary of 70k per year according to latest statistics. In addition the majority of my high school graduating class are also attending college which increases earning potential. While I can't speak for Vietnam era draftees children my experience with the current generation of military children leads me to conclude that we have higher earning potential.

Response by PO2 Richard C. made Aug 21 at 2017 7:12 PM

PO2 Richard C. — Mon, 21 Aug 2017 19:12:03 -0400

My initial reaction was piffle and balderdash - partly driven by the personal impression that the Washington Post has slightly less credibility than Chinese (which they are not) fortune cookie fortunes. Then I reread the article several times and came to a slightly different conclusion - they're only part of the problem. Goldman and Isen had so many exclusions, exceptions, assumptions, presumptions, floating variables, side-steps, etc. in a study narrowly limited to fathers born in a 2 year time span (1951-52) and sons' earnings for only one year (2013), that they were almost able to prove exactly what they wanted to prove. Did they consider and allow for economic conditions in 2013 compared to other years and adjust accordingly? They didn't even know who in their study 1) had or had not served in Vietnam or 2) how many of them were, in fact, not draft eligible irregardless of the fact that they were age eligible - two criteria critical to supporting their hypothesis (if they actually had one). This whole thing was quack analysis of the worst kind. Give me this kind of leeway and I can prove that the worst thing that ever happened to this country was winning the Revolutionary War.

To answer the question from another post - NO, the Vietnam War is not over as long as liberal idiots like these two (and the WP) want to use it to try to further their political agenda and turn our country into a socialistic state. Reread the last paragraph! "I swear to .... defend my country against all enemies, foreign and domestic." 'Nuff said!!

Response by LtCol Robert Quinter made Aug 22 at 2017 1:52 PM

LtCol Robert Quinter — Tue, 22 Aug 2017 13:52:26 -0400

After reading the caveats and basis of the study I'm prone to dismissing it as a theory rather than anything substantiated. The closest thing to a reasonable conclusion was that in the years studied, the draft eligible's income was generally lower than their contemporaries. The economic situation of the family has been proven to be an important contributor to any child's performance in school, thus their preparation for a successful college or trade school education is less potent and, due to lack of education, they could end up in a less lucrative employment situation. This could be said of any child raised in poverty or an environment where parents have to emphasize providing the basics for their children rather than having the time to emphasize the importance of education or buy some of the helpful "accessories" that assist a child in learning.

Response by SSG Nathan Bryant made Sep 4 at 2017 4:46 PM

SSG Nathan Bryant — Mon, 04 Sep 2017 16:46:20 -0400

In today's society, I personally do not feel that serving in the military does not have a negative impact on the earning potential of Service member's children. I can understand how the sacrifices of military service can possibly have negative impacts on Families versus those Families who do not encounter those same sacrifices. But, to suggest that military service of a parent is a determining factor in a child's earning potential doesn't quite make sense to me. If anything, I believe that for those Families who take advantage of available resources, as well as the diversity of people, locations, and experiences that a 'military brat' may encounter, the earning potential should be equal, if not greater, than those who do not possess the same factors . . . . in my opinion.

Response by Sgt Wayne Wood made Sep 4 at 2017 5:59 PM

Sgt Wayne Wood — Mon, 04 Sep 2017 17:59:43 -0400

I'm a vet... my parents are both vets... my grandparents are vets.

I can see where if i had access to the same drugs as the WaPo and authors of the "study" had the might be earnings issues.

Otherwise... nope!