Posted on May 18, 2014
Why does the Army discriminate against single soldiers?
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First let me say I am biased in my opinion since I am a single soldier. The Army stacks the deck against single soldiers, in a variety of ways. There are standards that single soldiers are forced to obey that married soldiers are not. Purely just because of their marriage.
Housing is my personal biggest area of concern being a single soldier. I am a 27 yr old college graduate. I get the same "rights" in my living quarters that a single 17/18 yr old straight out of high-school would get. If that same soldier is married, they get considerably more freedom, pay, and budget control than I do.
I as a single soldier get no say in where I live. At my current duty station the BAH for my rank and dependent status (Single, E-4) would be $1,068. So I essentially pay $1,068 dollars a month to live in the barracks. The barracks I live in have two separate bedrooms, with a common kitchen and bathroom area. Since there are two soldiers in each little barracks apartment, we collectively pay $2,136 a month for this set up. That is FAR more then what a similar apartment style would cost in the surrounding communities. If single soldiers were allowed to have BAH and live where they choose we could potentially save several hundred dollars a month by controlling our living expenses. That's not including the approximately $300 a month we are forced to pay for the DFACs.
There is also the issue of furniture in the barracks. Again we have no say, we get whatever the Army already has in the room. Personally I would love to have an actual nice mattress, instead of these cheap plastic blue ones.
Barracks inspections. I can't stand barracks inspections. The inspections are completely up to the person doing them and what they "think" the standard should be. One inspection your could be fine, the next one your getting lectured about how to make a bed. Last summer I had to write a 2 page paper for an LT about personal standards in the barracks. All because my bed didn't have hospital corners. (That morning when I get up I tossed my blanket off to the right of me, where it was just sorta crunched up against the wall running the length of my bed.) If I want to know what I am allowed to have and not have in my room, I have to read three different policy letters to find out. Division could allow something, Brigade could say no, and then Battalion have nothing about it at all. I get that lower commands are allowed to restrict privileges as they see fit. I'm just saying it's cumbersome to have to read three different levels policy to find out what is what.
It annoys me that I have to have periodic inspections(currently every morning before PT for my company) while married soldiers receive no inspections just because they are married. I get that they have a family, I just don't see why that should stop a squad leader from making a planned, announced, and visual walk-through of the house of the married soldier. Keeping the same standard of living as a single soldier should be part of the military life.
Meal Deductions. I don't think the DFACs are worth the $300 a month I have to pay. I hate having to "play" the "I am a Meal Card Holder" card to get lunch sometimes during work. It's usually followed by a married soldier saying "I'm working thru lunch, you don't see me bitching about wanting to leave for food". True. However when we miss our lunch it's gone. The money we paid is gone rather we ate that meal or not. Married people if they bring their lunch it'll still be there later. If they eat out, then well that's just money they didn't spend that day. They can use it tomorrow to get twice as much for lunch or eat somewhere more expensive depending on their budget.
We get no say in what sounds good for dinner. It's whatever the DFAC has. Sometimes that means either fried or grilled chicken. If they run out of one thing, it'll be whatever they have left. It's not right. It leaves married people with control over their diet and single soldiers with whatever the Army needed to clean out of the fridge.
The above is just Big Army things, the discrimination continues all the way down to the company level. At my company single soldiers who live in the barracks are not allowed to park in the lot in front of the company. Now our barracks is approximately 3/4 mile down the road. Our motor pool is another 3/4 mile the other direction. I find it silly that an entire parking lot is reserved for married people. Sure single soldiers can drive to work, but we have to park in the barracks across the street. Which is not the barracks we live in. Married people can't park in that same lot if the one in front of company is full? To a point I can understand the reasoning behind this, but single soldiers have to leave and run here and there just like our married counter-parts. Why should they get special parking treatment? I don't see anyone stopping married people from using the barracks washers and dryers to avoid buying their own/going to coin laundry mats. Why are married people allowed to dip their hands in our honey and slap ours away from theirs?
Like I said from the start I'm biased. I look over the fence and see greener grass. Perhaps this is all just one single soldier bitching and complaining.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Update FEB 2019: Since I originally posted this message, I have gotten married. My view on the subject has not changed. I want to respond to some of the overarching themes in everyone responses.
“Quit bitching/whining/complaining.” I feel there is a difference between logically laying out issues and grievances and just bitching about them. The number of leaders who contributions on this post/topic amounted to “quit saying words” is disheartening.
“Get married/Army will issue you a wife.” Saying to get married just to move out of the barracks is a failure of leadership. Those of you (in my opinion) with that mentally should reconsider what you do/did and what your job is/was. As a former Infantry NCO I have dealt with the countless issues that arise when a soldier quickly marries someone for the wrong reason (example: get out of the barracks). The domestic issues, spouse calling in to the Staff Duty, soldier isn’t training because of counseling/FAP/court/Divorce related nonsense, greatly diminishes readiness which the last I checked the Army still considers to be pretty important.
“I had more money/I wish I was back in the barracks/ but but bills! etc.” Bull. I wish I could challenge anyone who says that to actually prove it. As stated, I am married now. I have more money, flexibility, and financial freedom then I did as a single E-4. Now some of that is because I’m a higher rank. Part of it is because I use BAH as intended to cover housing/bills, my BAS for food, and having the control over how much I spend on those two items is very important. Also, my spouse works. I have come to realize that is less than common for married soldiers in the Army. However, I would argue that getting married and not having both spouses working is a decision that you made going in to it. I’m not arguing/stating if it’s the right or wrong choice. It’s what you decided worked for ya’ll. To me it’s the equivalent of a private going out and buying that 23% interest Mustang then complaining about how much money it costs and how he used to have it so much better without that car payment. If you choose (by getting married/having kids) to feed/house/care for additional people (spouse/kids) and yet do nothing to increase your income than yeah…you’ll have less money. That is a very poor argument for what the original post was about.
a. Hopefully ^above^ I’ve made my point clear and concise seems a little muddy to me, I guess we shall see in future comments.
“Move off post.” That’s not an option. Well I guess it is, however single soldiers still have to maintain the barracks room they get assigned, they still wouldn’t get the BAH entitlement, and they would have to still pay the DFAC out of their BAS. Do I need to continue on the ignorance of that statement? Sure, there’s a packet you can submit and ask to receive those allowances, I’ve only ever seen get accepted once and that was when my BDE changed from Light to Armored, only for E-5s, and it was suggested only if they were on orders and would be PCS’ing soon anyhow. They wanted non-PCS’ing E-5s still in the barracks. I don’t recall if I stated it in my original post but that unofficial additional duty of being an NCO at the barracks is crap. “You’re an NCO at the barracks keep everyone in line down there after work and on weekends”, thought that’s what CQ was for. I’ll also comment on the “single people off post would party to much/be late to formation/traffic at the gates/ get in trouble in town more” line of nonsense. It’s ignorant. Along with the “paying dues” comments.
Veterans- I appreciate you are still active in the boarder military community, and recognize that your time in the service paved the way for what we did/do/have accomplished today. However, pointing out how things were worse yesterday compared today and to “suck it up” is lazy. There is no reason we can’t keep pointing out things today to make tomorrow even better. I’m sure there is crap I can’t even fathom that ya’ll dealt with back in the 60s, 80s, and what have you that were fixed because of people continuing to bring the issue up.
Lastly, I’ve enjoyed reading the varied amount of responses everyone has on the topic. If mine come off as aggressive or across the line it was not my intention. When I posted the original stuff above 4+ almost 5 years ago I never expected it to get attention and still receive emails notifications years later. I’m fairly sure I’ve read 90% of the comments because Rally Point sends me an email every time someone comments. No I did not add that picture at the top, it’s the website. Sorry if you clicked on a Rally Point ad somewhere that linked to this post only to see it’s from 2014. I don’t control those. It’s the website. Yes I’m sure there are a few grammar and spelling errors. If you point it out at the beginning of a comment, I’m more likely to see it and correct the issue. Cheers to several more years of being told why I’m wrong.
Housing is my personal biggest area of concern being a single soldier. I am a 27 yr old college graduate. I get the same "rights" in my living quarters that a single 17/18 yr old straight out of high-school would get. If that same soldier is married, they get considerably more freedom, pay, and budget control than I do.
I as a single soldier get no say in where I live. At my current duty station the BAH for my rank and dependent status (Single, E-4) would be $1,068. So I essentially pay $1,068 dollars a month to live in the barracks. The barracks I live in have two separate bedrooms, with a common kitchen and bathroom area. Since there are two soldiers in each little barracks apartment, we collectively pay $2,136 a month for this set up. That is FAR more then what a similar apartment style would cost in the surrounding communities. If single soldiers were allowed to have BAH and live where they choose we could potentially save several hundred dollars a month by controlling our living expenses. That's not including the approximately $300 a month we are forced to pay for the DFACs.
There is also the issue of furniture in the barracks. Again we have no say, we get whatever the Army already has in the room. Personally I would love to have an actual nice mattress, instead of these cheap plastic blue ones.
Barracks inspections. I can't stand barracks inspections. The inspections are completely up to the person doing them and what they "think" the standard should be. One inspection your could be fine, the next one your getting lectured about how to make a bed. Last summer I had to write a 2 page paper for an LT about personal standards in the barracks. All because my bed didn't have hospital corners. (That morning when I get up I tossed my blanket off to the right of me, where it was just sorta crunched up against the wall running the length of my bed.) If I want to know what I am allowed to have and not have in my room, I have to read three different policy letters to find out. Division could allow something, Brigade could say no, and then Battalion have nothing about it at all. I get that lower commands are allowed to restrict privileges as they see fit. I'm just saying it's cumbersome to have to read three different levels policy to find out what is what.
It annoys me that I have to have periodic inspections(currently every morning before PT for my company) while married soldiers receive no inspections just because they are married. I get that they have a family, I just don't see why that should stop a squad leader from making a planned, announced, and visual walk-through of the house of the married soldier. Keeping the same standard of living as a single soldier should be part of the military life.
Meal Deductions. I don't think the DFACs are worth the $300 a month I have to pay. I hate having to "play" the "I am a Meal Card Holder" card to get lunch sometimes during work. It's usually followed by a married soldier saying "I'm working thru lunch, you don't see me bitching about wanting to leave for food". True. However when we miss our lunch it's gone. The money we paid is gone rather we ate that meal or not. Married people if they bring their lunch it'll still be there later. If they eat out, then well that's just money they didn't spend that day. They can use it tomorrow to get twice as much for lunch or eat somewhere more expensive depending on their budget.
We get no say in what sounds good for dinner. It's whatever the DFAC has. Sometimes that means either fried or grilled chicken. If they run out of one thing, it'll be whatever they have left. It's not right. It leaves married people with control over their diet and single soldiers with whatever the Army needed to clean out of the fridge.
The above is just Big Army things, the discrimination continues all the way down to the company level. At my company single soldiers who live in the barracks are not allowed to park in the lot in front of the company. Now our barracks is approximately 3/4 mile down the road. Our motor pool is another 3/4 mile the other direction. I find it silly that an entire parking lot is reserved for married people. Sure single soldiers can drive to work, but we have to park in the barracks across the street. Which is not the barracks we live in. Married people can't park in that same lot if the one in front of company is full? To a point I can understand the reasoning behind this, but single soldiers have to leave and run here and there just like our married counter-parts. Why should they get special parking treatment? I don't see anyone stopping married people from using the barracks washers and dryers to avoid buying their own/going to coin laundry mats. Why are married people allowed to dip their hands in our honey and slap ours away from theirs?
Like I said from the start I'm biased. I look over the fence and see greener grass. Perhaps this is all just one single soldier bitching and complaining.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Update FEB 2019: Since I originally posted this message, I have gotten married. My view on the subject has not changed. I want to respond to some of the overarching themes in everyone responses.
“Quit bitching/whining/complaining.” I feel there is a difference between logically laying out issues and grievances and just bitching about them. The number of leaders who contributions on this post/topic amounted to “quit saying words” is disheartening.
“Get married/Army will issue you a wife.” Saying to get married just to move out of the barracks is a failure of leadership. Those of you (in my opinion) with that mentally should reconsider what you do/did and what your job is/was. As a former Infantry NCO I have dealt with the countless issues that arise when a soldier quickly marries someone for the wrong reason (example: get out of the barracks). The domestic issues, spouse calling in to the Staff Duty, soldier isn’t training because of counseling/FAP/court/Divorce related nonsense, greatly diminishes readiness which the last I checked the Army still considers to be pretty important.
“I had more money/I wish I was back in the barracks/ but but bills! etc.” Bull. I wish I could challenge anyone who says that to actually prove it. As stated, I am married now. I have more money, flexibility, and financial freedom then I did as a single E-4. Now some of that is because I’m a higher rank. Part of it is because I use BAH as intended to cover housing/bills, my BAS for food, and having the control over how much I spend on those two items is very important. Also, my spouse works. I have come to realize that is less than common for married soldiers in the Army. However, I would argue that getting married and not having both spouses working is a decision that you made going in to it. I’m not arguing/stating if it’s the right or wrong choice. It’s what you decided worked for ya’ll. To me it’s the equivalent of a private going out and buying that 23% interest Mustang then complaining about how much money it costs and how he used to have it so much better without that car payment. If you choose (by getting married/having kids) to feed/house/care for additional people (spouse/kids) and yet do nothing to increase your income than yeah…you’ll have less money. That is a very poor argument for what the original post was about.
a. Hopefully ^above^ I’ve made my point clear and concise seems a little muddy to me, I guess we shall see in future comments.
“Move off post.” That’s not an option. Well I guess it is, however single soldiers still have to maintain the barracks room they get assigned, they still wouldn’t get the BAH entitlement, and they would have to still pay the DFAC out of their BAS. Do I need to continue on the ignorance of that statement? Sure, there’s a packet you can submit and ask to receive those allowances, I’ve only ever seen get accepted once and that was when my BDE changed from Light to Armored, only for E-5s, and it was suggested only if they were on orders and would be PCS’ing soon anyhow. They wanted non-PCS’ing E-5s still in the barracks. I don’t recall if I stated it in my original post but that unofficial additional duty of being an NCO at the barracks is crap. “You’re an NCO at the barracks keep everyone in line down there after work and on weekends”, thought that’s what CQ was for. I’ll also comment on the “single people off post would party to much/be late to formation/traffic at the gates/ get in trouble in town more” line of nonsense. It’s ignorant. Along with the “paying dues” comments.
Veterans- I appreciate you are still active in the boarder military community, and recognize that your time in the service paved the way for what we did/do/have accomplished today. However, pointing out how things were worse yesterday compared today and to “suck it up” is lazy. There is no reason we can’t keep pointing out things today to make tomorrow even better. I’m sure there is crap I can’t even fathom that ya’ll dealt with back in the 60s, 80s, and what have you that were fixed because of people continuing to bring the issue up.
Lastly, I’ve enjoyed reading the varied amount of responses everyone has on the topic. If mine come off as aggressive or across the line it was not my intention. When I posted the original stuff above 4+ almost 5 years ago I never expected it to get attention and still receive emails notifications years later. I’m fairly sure I’ve read 90% of the comments because Rally Point sends me an email every time someone comments. No I did not add that picture at the top, it’s the website. Sorry if you clicked on a Rally Point ad somewhere that linked to this post only to see it’s from 2014. I don’t control those. It’s the website. Yes I’m sure there are a few grammar and spelling errors. If you point it out at the beginning of a comment, I’m more likely to see it and correct the issue. Cheers to several more years of being told why I’m wrong.
Posted in these groups: 
Barracks
BAS
Marriage
DiscriminationBetter Opportunities for Single Soldiers (BOSS) President
Barracks BAS Marriage DiscriminationBetter Opportunities for Single Soldiers (BOSS) President
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 488
Ok. I've been on both sides of this, so I'll defend the service, but only a little bit.
On housing, understand that barracks life is not a punishment; it's the default. Alas, the military is forced to allow some to escape since they can neither put spouses in barracks nor force members to wait until they're NCOs to get married (shakes fist). That being said, junior service members were meant to stay in barracks (or on the ship) to continue to build discipline et al. Not sure if it actually does any of that, but that's the intention.
On meal passes... yeah, that one sucks. But imagine this situation. We kill the meal pass. Airman Timmy is very happy, because the galley consists of mostly rejected prison food. But AN Timmy sucks at managing his money and runs out of food money before he runs out of paycheck - let's say on the 7th of the month.
Now, a hard-ass could say that he'll be awfully hungry. But would the command really want to be on the cover of Navy Times because they're forcing a Sailor to starve for a week? Is there a solution that will work out?
On housing, understand that barracks life is not a punishment; it's the default. Alas, the military is forced to allow some to escape since they can neither put spouses in barracks nor force members to wait until they're NCOs to get married (shakes fist). That being said, junior service members were meant to stay in barracks (or on the ship) to continue to build discipline et al. Not sure if it actually does any of that, but that's the intention.
On meal passes... yeah, that one sucks. But imagine this situation. We kill the meal pass. Airman Timmy is very happy, because the galley consists of mostly rejected prison food. But AN Timmy sucks at managing his money and runs out of food money before he runs out of paycheck - let's say on the 7th of the month.
Now, a hard-ass could say that he'll be awfully hungry. But would the command really want to be on the cover of Navy Times because they're forcing a Sailor to starve for a week? Is there a solution that will work out?
Okay so i am coming into this late, but i have to point out a few things:
First i commend you on realizing that as a single soldier in the military, you have "perks" that a civilian doesn't have. i.e. no rent or utilities, and if you include those perks you are making, as an E-4, generally close to 40k a year, way more than the average civilian with your skill set.
Why you do not get that it is CHEAPER for the military to keep single soldiers in the barracks, just floors me. It used to be you had to get permission to be married, this was to make sure that the soldier getting married was mature enough to handle the added responsibility of off post life, and the financial responsibility of supporting a family, it used to be a PRIVILEGE to be married in the Army.
Anyone who said, we did not get paid like you do today, that is fucking BULLSHIT give me a date and time, and i will prove how you were getting paid the equivalent of today. A private in the civil war was paid 13 dollars a month. That during a time when the standard hourly wage for laborers was 10 cents an hour. 80 cents a day, 4 dollars a week or 17.20 a month; and again they did not pay for food, rent, or other "bills", not that there were many bills back then, but people did have to buy seed and hire labor ( 10 cents an hour 17 dollars a month) to help plant, and do other work on the family farm, unless they ad 20 kids, and then they had to feed all those kids. Military life has always been an easier life, money wise, than civilian life. And do not get me started on fucking down time.
You seem to have the ability to financial plan, that is a skill not many people have, civilian or otherwise, and that is why you see it the way you do. But, trust it serves a cost function for treating single soldiers the way it does. How many married soldiers have you seen come in late to formation? Need to miss work because of a sick spouse or child? Hell we just had a soldier on this forum crying they were going to send him to the field because his wife had lupus, was in week 36 ( an average of 38) of her pregnancy, and it was "high risk". That is a point you missed. When you live on post the Army can try and limit the stupid crap you do that can interfere with you not being able to do your job. I am not sure how your post runs transportation, but when i was on AD their were buses on post that took us from the barracks to our work place, we did not need a car.
Barracks inspections serve a purpose, they are designed to keep idiots in the barracks from not bathing, letting fungus grow in the showers, and to prevent them from having pets. I started out in the Navy. We had several sailors who refused to maintain a modicum of hygiene, all discharged. We were allowed tv's radios, couches, and carpet in our barracks rooms. Maybe you think these were not allowed, maybe they weren't, but did you try to get a better mattress? And two to a room? Man that is paradise! We were three and sometimes five to a room.
Finally, if the DFAC runs out of food, that is an offense beyond reason. I would take it to the BN commander EVERY TIME it happens, strait through the CSM, and if it did not get fixed., i would write my congressman, not getting fed is a BIG FUCKING NO NO in the modern army. Shit like that ruins careers. While I was on AD in the Alvy they served a bad Tuna melt, wiped out half the base, that Lt (0-3 in the navy) in charge of the DFAC was gone, history, done. I think you real issue is that at your age and education level you think somehow you are being mistreated. I have a few things to ask. Why did you not go to graduate school? Why are you not using your college degree to get a job? Why not apply for OCS? All of your issues would be fixed as an officer.
First i commend you on realizing that as a single soldier in the military, you have "perks" that a civilian doesn't have. i.e. no rent or utilities, and if you include those perks you are making, as an E-4, generally close to 40k a year, way more than the average civilian with your skill set.
Why you do not get that it is CHEAPER for the military to keep single soldiers in the barracks, just floors me. It used to be you had to get permission to be married, this was to make sure that the soldier getting married was mature enough to handle the added responsibility of off post life, and the financial responsibility of supporting a family, it used to be a PRIVILEGE to be married in the Army.
Anyone who said, we did not get paid like you do today, that is fucking BULLSHIT give me a date and time, and i will prove how you were getting paid the equivalent of today. A private in the civil war was paid 13 dollars a month. That during a time when the standard hourly wage for laborers was 10 cents an hour. 80 cents a day, 4 dollars a week or 17.20 a month; and again they did not pay for food, rent, or other "bills", not that there were many bills back then, but people did have to buy seed and hire labor ( 10 cents an hour 17 dollars a month) to help plant, and do other work on the family farm, unless they ad 20 kids, and then they had to feed all those kids. Military life has always been an easier life, money wise, than civilian life. And do not get me started on fucking down time.
You seem to have the ability to financial plan, that is a skill not many people have, civilian or otherwise, and that is why you see it the way you do. But, trust it serves a cost function for treating single soldiers the way it does. How many married soldiers have you seen come in late to formation? Need to miss work because of a sick spouse or child? Hell we just had a soldier on this forum crying they were going to send him to the field because his wife had lupus, was in week 36 ( an average of 38) of her pregnancy, and it was "high risk". That is a point you missed. When you live on post the Army can try and limit the stupid crap you do that can interfere with you not being able to do your job. I am not sure how your post runs transportation, but when i was on AD their were buses on post that took us from the barracks to our work place, we did not need a car.
Barracks inspections serve a purpose, they are designed to keep idiots in the barracks from not bathing, letting fungus grow in the showers, and to prevent them from having pets. I started out in the Navy. We had several sailors who refused to maintain a modicum of hygiene, all discharged. We were allowed tv's radios, couches, and carpet in our barracks rooms. Maybe you think these were not allowed, maybe they weren't, but did you try to get a better mattress? And two to a room? Man that is paradise! We were three and sometimes five to a room.
Finally, if the DFAC runs out of food, that is an offense beyond reason. I would take it to the BN commander EVERY TIME it happens, strait through the CSM, and if it did not get fixed., i would write my congressman, not getting fed is a BIG FUCKING NO NO in the modern army. Shit like that ruins careers. While I was on AD in the Alvy they served a bad Tuna melt, wiped out half the base, that Lt (0-3 in the navy) in charge of the DFAC was gone, history, done. I think you real issue is that at your age and education level you think somehow you are being mistreated. I have a few things to ask. Why did you not go to graduate school? Why are you not using your college degree to get a job? Why not apply for OCS? All of your issues would be fixed as an officer.
Living in the barracks as a single, older, soldier was horrible. Having to deal with soldiers 6-7 years younger living away from home for the first time sucked. Also being treated like a child was embarrassing. The way some NCOs would talk to you just because you lived in the barracks was ridiculous. Glad I don’t have to live there anymore.
The Army discriminates against a whole bunch of shit. The list is long and, legal.
Married soldiers are allowed a housing stipend if there is no on post housing much like you would be if there was no barracks room for you.
The trick here is to focus on things that you control. Makes life a whole lot easier. Of course, the ultimate option is always available.....become a civilian and no more worrying about the married guy standing next to you in formation.
Married soldiers are allowed a housing stipend if there is no on post housing much like you would be if there was no barracks room for you.
The trick here is to focus on things that you control. Makes life a whole lot easier. Of course, the ultimate option is always available.....become a civilian and no more worrying about the married guy standing next to you in formation.
Sounds like your company has issues it also sounds kike you are just a whinney baby. If you dont like it that is your problem move off post most commanders will allow NCO'S that option but then it is at your expence grow up you volunteered to serve no one forced you to and you were not drafted so be a man and stop crying
Welcome to the Army. Your Problem is easily Corrected.. (if Permitted) Move off post.. Chances are you'd get in trouble faster doing that because being "SINGLE" you'd have the tendency of Party(ing) Hard, being Late for reveille, Live in a Pig sty( No Leader Supervision) Have Transportation Problems..etc... Trust me.. I had my Share of those... . Also remember.. What you Forfeit is an "Allowance" .. Yes a married Person gets it because he must live at home... Never fails,, a Junior enlisted will always find a way to "B---h" about anything and are Spoiled( remember yo' mama is no longer around) with a lot of easy living, I would've love to have had the kind of Barracks you Guys have nowadays ... I'd grant you, Married people get more time off due to family issues.. Not that I had the opportunity, I was the one in the ARMY, Not My wife Anything that had to do with Family She'd take care of that.. Never had Permissive ( in my Days? What was that.?) TDY, Paternity leave, Take the Kids to the Doctor, We weren't Allowed to BE Off Post in uniform other than TO/FRO Duty place & Home.. Much Less Go to the Mall.. etc. Take your Medicine ..! Again, Move Off Post and BINGO.. Good Luck..!!!! PS.. I've seen Single Soldiers living in Regular Quarter and Fill unused Units.. Now that's an Option. Then you can Still Forfeit in a more Fair way..
I was single the 1st 16 years in the Marine Corps, Pvt - SSgt. My major complaint on this subject is: Guess who usually caught the duty on weekends and holidays? That's hardly a coincidence!
The reason married soldiers get more freedom and control of their life is because they have an advocate outside of the chain of command that can influence the chain of command. How often do soldiers go to E/O or their congressman or some other way outside the chain but up the chain? Rarely, because they would be chastised, browbeaten or intimidated. But how often do spouses complain? Significantly more often. So who does the Army have to keep happy? Spouses. And who benefits? Married soldiers.
A lot sure has changed since I was in the Army. We didn’t have to pay for meal cards , which I think is a crock of shit, and we also didn’t have apartment style barracks. But I enjoy not having to pay rent or grocery shopping like I did when I was married prior to moving into the barracks. It’s may not be fair to have inspections and have barracks GI Party’s but that the cost of being in the Army that we all knew well at least I knew, prior to joining. I would say to you life is never going to be fair for the single soldier but life in general is not fair.
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