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?
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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
http://www.militarypay.com/MilitaryPayCharts.php
Posted in these groups: 
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Military Pay
Money Military Pay
Edited 5 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 282
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Shit still makes cry inside. Always broke , yet single with NO bills to speak of. Things are better now for the troops. My son just grad'd OSUT ( 11B) with some $ 4K in the bank.
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$375 twice a month as an E-1 with a family. Rent was $375. Interesting times I can tell you. No jobs for my spouse either. 3,000 applied for the single opening at a local fast food place.
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I'm not sure we had LESs in 78 when I came in, but I don't have one. We got paid in cash at my first duty station Japan. I found a site with old pay scales and it appears base pay for PVT in 78 was $397.50. So, assuming about 20% for withholding, SGLI etc. that should have left $318/mo net, or $159 on 1st and 15th. Seems about right and it was a lot of money for me at that time. A haircut was about $1.50, a beer at the club about 50 cents. We had a meal card and free lodging, so other than uniforms and misc. spending it left plenty of cash. Definitely a lot more than my Dad got in WWII with 1st ID, $50/mo. It gets worse before then, 1922-1940 at $21/mo.
https://www.navycs.com/charts/1978-military-pay-chart.html
https://www.navycs.com/charts/1942-military-pay-chart.html
https://www.navycs.com/charts/1922-enlisted-pay-chart.html
https://www.navycs.com/charts/1978-military-pay-chart.html
https://www.navycs.com/charts/1942-military-pay-chart.html
https://www.navycs.com/charts/1922-enlisted-pay-chart.html
1978 US military basic pay charts reflecting a 6.2% raise effective on October 1, 1977 and continued to be in effect until September 30, 1978.
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620.40 was gross pay in 1985 bring home was around 450.00 I was so glad to get on flight status after ait. Was a nice 110.00 pay raise.
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I have every jumps statement I ever received. One of the things I was told from the get-go was "Hang on to these - don't lose 'em! The army has a habit of "losing" stuff and if you want to retire you may have to prove you were even here and this is the best friend you've got!" Well, it was good advice and at the time the army calculated my retirement points they had "lost" about 6 months of my career from '75 - '76. These came in real handy and the points were restored.
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In 1960 I had to PAY the Navy $89.00 a month to let me serve on ship that was new in the Boxer Rebellion..
Top that if you can ;-)
Top that if you can ;-)
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1961. Ft. Knox. 83.00 a month. Cold cash. Had to have a snappy salute for the pay officer.
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SGT Fredrick Ramm
OK, fellows, let me put his one out: I believe, as an E-1, I got paid some where south of a $100 in 1969, but hit $350, getting out as an E-5 in April of 72...and it got higher in the later 70s for E-2s...my First Sergeant, who I used to visit, after my ETS, in Fort Knox, used to complain about trainees, leaving money behind, after they left, in the company safe!
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I remember as a young private with a spouse trying to make my $575 paychecks last a month.
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