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

If their is a bill payer then there is a benefit. Are the young folks in the 26th percentile?

That's ridiculous. Military Personnel PAY rent, PAY for food and PAY for uniforms... where do you think that offset in pay comes from when you get married and move off-base? It's the return of cash to you that they are no longer taking from your pay!

The info is out there if you look for it. The only part of a Soldier's income that is taxable is Basic pay and Bonuses. All other "allowances" are tax free. What do Soldiers earn? There is really too much to go into here, but I will try.

The Basics (aside from Pay) are BAS ( Basic Allowance for Sustenance for food), - about $360, and BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing), (which is a variable depending on Duty station, Rank and Martial status)(lets call it $1000 for a single junior Foreman (Sergeant E-5)). BUT- if you are said Jr. Foreman, and you are single, you HAVE to live in the Barracks (equivalent to a College dorm, maybe with a roommate (separate bedrooms, shared bathroom and a really evil Dorm manager that has the right to toss your room if it is not cleaned to standard)) and you MUST eat in the Dining Facility (The Mess Hall) and your BAS is taken.

So what do we have? Living in the Barracks: free dorm room & free food (they pay you for it and then take it away- Bureaucrats). Living off post: Rent paid (up to the limit of your allowance) and food paid (said BAS- you get to keep it).

JFYI, the "Basic Pay" Soldiers get is pocket money. gas, car and civilian clothes, as well as entertainment. Taxable, of course.

What else? Free medical and 30 Days paid leave, $400,000 life insurance for around $30 a month, and a Death Gratuity ($100,000) in case you are killed in combat. Also, the Military gives you a one time per year clothing allowance (for enlisted only, of about $500) to purchase new uniforms- a Uniform costs about $250 (uniform, t-shirt, socks and underwear), and a decent pair of boots around $90.

And one last thing- Retirement. Presently, if you are retiring (after 20 Years of Honorable service), you will get 50% of the monthly average of your last three years of paychecks for the. rest. of. your. life. Taxable, of course, although some states do not tax retired military income.

Balance that against 0300 formations, 2100 quitting times, weeks of living in a tent in the field, 16-18 hour workdays, occasional Deployments, substandard (or no) food and housing on occasion, Bag lunches (MREs), no showers, hot water, no time for personal hygiene, doing your business in a porta potty the middle of the night in a thunderstorm in 30 degree weather and there is no toilet paper- and a multitude of other really nasty or uncomfortable living, working and social situations and conditions. Or a combination of all of those, and some very difficult people to work with on top of it all.

Is a Soldier underpaid? Let me ask you this: How much is your life worth? As a Soldier, the government can demand that I risk my life in the performance of my duty, in combat or not.

jumping out of airplanes for a living and getting paid for it - and while on active duty, my California Drivers License never expired, and while not stationed in CA didn't pay CA income tax - and on pay day to look at my LES while with everybody who lived off post with families and say "Look at all of this beer money!" I never came closer to death.

Posted this on FB and here is the response from a friend I served with. Brings up a point, what is the value of a serviceman(and woman). What is the true value of your service? When permanently disabled because of combat or training? Or the value of those who pay the ultimate sacrifice? Or the value of those wounded but not disabled? Or the value of those with shattered minds? Or just simply the value of service of those who chose to serve willing to give it all but who have not? Here is the response from retired LTC Timothy Gauthier

Let's start by saying that the Army isn't a charity and no matter what they say, any of these "free" benefits have been weighed and measured to ensure that it is a benefit to the Army. They are QOL and retention tools that don't even begin to match the sacrifices soldiers make, even in peacetime. Name another job where you must be available 24/7 fit to deploy and fight to the death if necessary. You more than everyone can attest to the pain, loss of function, employability, and lost years due to combat wounds. Anyone who would imply we're getting over needs to pull their head out of their ass. Believe me, the Army is getting a great deal. I usually don't dismiss criticisms out of hand but the false comparison of civilian jobs and military service is a nonstarter.

I retired in 2005 and have a decent paying job in the area I live in. If I add my wages and my pension together it still is only about 70 percent of my active duty pay in 2005. This does not include the tax break or tricare.. Of all the things I miss the paycheck is near the top.