Posted on Sep 5, 2015

How Much Did You Get Paid When You Joined The Military? My Take Home Pay Was $457 a Month as a (Army) Private in 1990?

SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL

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How much did you make when you joined the military? Back then I got paid on FRIDAY AND BROKE ON MONDAY!! (was not making too much-no family but me, myself and I). Times have changed since the days of your era. Who remembers the Green JUMPs Statement?(DA 3681-6) and getting once a month pay out the finance cage. Yes you had to salute the payroll officer. I remember in Basic Training getting American Travels checks and the Senior Drill Sergeant/1SG keeping it in a safe. Getting once a month pay(cold hard cash), this was before surepay, it was known as casual pay before direct deposit kicked in before the internet. I am referring to 1989-1990. Much respect to all the Army Veterans (Private Pay) who got $75 dollars a month in 1949. The Private in 2015 makes about $1430 a month(under 4 months). Use the link below if you served in the DOD since 1949.

http://www.militarypay.com/MilitaryPayCharts.php

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Edited 5 y ago

Posted >1 y ago

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CSM Michael Sweeney

Posted >1 y ago

I still have my first LES for January 1970. The base pay was $124. After taxes and the advance pay we received at the first of the month for items required to be bought at the PX, the take home that month was 11 dollars. Which was fine. All I needed was quarters for the pay phone. I was single and that first month I had more money than I ever had up to then. Of course we were marched to the gym where we had to report to the pay officer and get our pay in cash. I got a dollar bill and a roll of quarters. By 1999 when I retired, it was a bit better.

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SSG Diane R.

Posted >1 y ago

I can remember getting $311 as a private E2, this would have been in the summer of 1976.

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SSgt Terry P.

Edited >1 y ago

Posted >1 y ago

SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL My pay as an E-1 in Marine Basic-- January 1968 was $95 it went to $102 July of that year.My pay in combat in Vietnam as a L/cpl was just over $200 including the hazard pay. lol

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CW5 Sam R. Baker

Edited >1 y ago

Posted >1 y ago

$438.00 1987, Private E-1, that was much less than the car payment and insurance on my Ford Mustang GT at the time. I actually took a severe cut in pay as I was making 48k a year in Houston, Texas when I joined this Nation's Army serving.

I have a pay stub in green just like SFC Joe Davis, I will find it.

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Lt Col Jim Coe

Posted >1 y ago

As a 2nd Lt in 1969 my basic pay was about $440/mo along with $100 flight pay. Housing allowance was around $150 if I remember correctly, but we lived on base.

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SFC William H.

Posted >1 y ago

Received about $90.00 gross per month in 1965. Supplemented this by pulling duty for others when possible. If you were poor, there was nowhere to go but up. Thought I was rich!

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PFC John Hopping

Posted >1 y ago

I know I made more as an E1 in 1987 than my dad did as on O1 in 1965

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CAPT Kevin B.

Posted >1 y ago

$144/mo gross and no other benefit. Pinned on E-2 and got a whopping $5/mo raise. That'd be '71. Now in '76 O held two pieces of promotion paperwork. Sign one of them. E-5 at $538 or O-1E at $738. Played Moneyball.

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