Why do Service Members with dependents deserve greater benefits, entitlements, and quality of life than single Service Members?

Amazed that in all the responses, no one mentioned that the benefits, entitlements and quality of life issues you refer to are the military's way of acknowledging that the pay for a single member is not adequate to support a married or even single living off base lifestyle. All the things you complain about are just a way to attempt to level the playing field for military members who don't fill the single living on base category. As many have mentioned, even with what you refer to as greater benefits, many struggle to make ends meet. A struggle that a single individual living on base never experiences!

Ill start with the general response... It costs more to maintain a family then it does to remain single. With this said we are an all volunteer force. Marriage is a natural step in life in our society. If the Army wants to maintain its force it will provide some sort of incentive (Same as a bonus).

BAS - Every soldier needs to eat. You can think of BAS as separate rations. Normally a married soldier does not have the time to return home to eat. It's the same concept with single soldiers who are unable to get to a DFAC during operating hours. This also maintains the numbers in the DFAC. Can the DFAC support the number of troops that need to eat... Most cases no, they can't get soldiers through the lines fast enough during chow hours. Then comes the amount of money it costs to feed a family. Now for a couple with no kids BAS can usually cover the cost of food. Add kids and it starts to get a little more tough. Refer to my general response.

BAH - Now this one also has to do with rank. As you move up your room usually gets bigger/better. As an NCO (sometimes as low as SPC) you may be given the option to live in single soldier housing or off base (dependent to space on the base). BAH in some areas do not always cover the cost oh a house and utilities so it comes out of pocket in some cases. This takes away from the soldiers base pay. Also with living off base it is unofficially required for the soldier to have a vehicle. This takes up a soldiers time to get on base for whatever reason. Most married soldiers don't even go home during the duty day unlike most unmarried soldiers do during lunch.

Family Separation Pay - This is literally an incentive to keep soldiers in the military. As often as we travel most soldiers and their families wouldn't stay in if this wasn't in place. This goes back to retaining troops.

So to answer your question what makes a single worth less...? Well you're not. You're just cheaper to maintain. Its all about numbers and money to the DoD. If you have an idea on how to improve a soldiers welfare that can save the unit/garrison money and maintain/boost soldier moral, write it up and present it to your commander. If it makes sense and can logically be implemented they might just take you up on it. These are the things Officers look for as bullets for their OER. And it can set you up for success as an NCO.

SGT here goes, when it's just you, you only have yourself to worry about. When you've got a family, the game changes, it's not just you that you're responsible for anymore. It's just like when you became an NCO. You have now been entrusted with the responsibility of leadership and accountability of your troops. The same applies to a service member who is married with a family. They have to be accountable for them. That means that they have to ensure that they have everything that they need. The pay difference is to ensure that they could accomplish that mission, just the same as you make sure your troops you're in charge of have what they need in order to carry out a mission. The only difference is that they are doing it for their relative family and you're doing it for your military family. As far as the whole thing with the barracks are concerned. Single troops are required to maintain a room in the barracks, they don't actually have to live in the barracks. They could live off base but they have to make sure that they are accessible if needed. If they choose to have an apartment off base then it's fine but they have to front the expenses themselves. During my tour I had an apartment off base but I had to front the bill myself (I had a second job) plus I had to make sure that my command could reach me if they needed me. The only exception for the military paying enough for a single service member to live off base is if there's not enough room in the barracks to house them or some other reason.

Now, the purpose of the barracks is that single troops have a place to stay and so they don't have to worry about paying bills except for the ones they make for themselves. As far as your argument of the military valuing a married service member over another, all service members are valued the same. The only reason married service members seem to have more value is because it's not just them, they have responsibilities and those responsibilities by default become the responsibilities of their respective branch of service. I do understand though why you feel that you are not valued as much, I'm pretty sure that all of us would've liked to have our own house or apartment where we could have guests come and stay if we wanted them to but let's be honest here. If the military gave all troops houses on base, there wouldn't be room for training, storage, etc. That's why it has to be limited based on civilian responsibility of that service member.

Enjoy being single, and enjoy have money saved up for when you do get married because on that day it will be your last day having money. I loved living in the barracks and going out no real responsibly. Trust me its a lot easier to pcs when your single.

My man get married so you get the same benefits like the other guy who is married with children. If you're in the situation of the married SM would you like to live in the barracks?. Definitely not so get married and get this problem over with. I was drafted in the Army in 1966 while my dad stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas. I was stationed there too so I requested to live with my parents and my request was approved. I served my two years without going to Viet-Nam. I ETS's in 1968 and got out of the service. It's who you know in the Army. My dad worked for the post commander who is a two star General and even my brigade commander cant say no. Everything in the Army is politics.

I always felt that way until i got married. I actually preferred married life to the barracks.

This has been a question since Bill Clinton started hacking and slashing the Military pay and benefits 23 years ago...

Instead of bi*ching on RallyPoint, why not come up with a solution and present it. You're a Sergeant in the United States Army. Utilize your knowledge of how the Army works and get it done.

To stem the tide of persons that would otherwise leave the service once they get married and produce spawn. Without it the US Military would not have the sizable professional NCO core it has.

Married soldiers pay as they go. Single enlisted get room and board, and have other expenses. Single soldiers get room and board, medical.