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
Here's one. Unit moved from Bamberg to Baumholder. As a single E5 the Army moved my stuff and paid me $53.00 for gas to drive the 3.5 hours to the new post. My buddy who's an E6, married with 1 child was moved by the Army and paid $2800. Now, I'm all about the Army recognising the cost to move a family but almost 300% more? Nah, the Army/DOD is out of it's mind. And, nothing worse than being forced to stand in line and wait to eat subpar food because your pay is being legally stolen by the Army. Currently there's 3 married NCO's with DUI's and various legal issues living in the barracks. But here's my "never been in trouble" behind still living in a place with no AC. And, I'm way older than most folks here [46]. Yeah, I joined late.
PO2 Devrie Paradowski
Mileage is separate than moving expenses. You can have your stuff shipped for free or move it yourself for reimbursement. Perhaps your married friend took some option you either didn't have or didn't consider.
SSG (Join to see)
Correct, not saying he made the extra $ on mileage. He made it because of the topic of this thread. Dependants mean a lot of extra money
The age old question. It's Federal Government mentality. Why does the marrow red soldier get to deduct the spouse and kids on their taxes? Why does that same married soldier not have to pay the added benefits costs for the spouse and kids? Why do you get more BAH for having kids? You are right; it's not fair. It's culture. Now organizations like NCOA should be lobbing Congress on this issue.
In your case, why are you enlisted instead of a WO or Officer? Does it have anything to do with college reimbursement? Have you talked with you NCO Support Channel to see if the Co will have an NCO billeting / bunking policy? It may be a good thing. I bet if you went to the BOQ's LT area it would look one step better than a dorm room.
In your case, why are you enlisted instead of a WO or Officer? Does it have anything to do with college reimbursement? Have you talked with you NCO Support Channel to see if the Co will have an NCO billeting / bunking policy? It may be a good thing. I bet if you went to the BOQ's LT area it would look one step better than a dorm room.
i can agree with just about every point your argument brings up. my issues with the barracks wasn't so much about money.
my barracks room was literally the size of a jail cell with a closet. we had no kitchen in the room or common areas; just a microwave. we made that work, though. no big deal.
the major issues i had were with how we were treated or disregarded. like not being able to shower after pt because maintenance was scheduled to begin at 8am and they had to cut the water off. or not having hot water for three months and fsbp saying there's nothing that could be done about it. or my csm telling me to buy everything i need to put my own screen in my first floor window because i'd been asking for one for over a year. or being forced to do staff duty or cq when the weather's bad. and not to mention being forced into a meal card when i never ate at the dfac for dietary reasons. i even went as far as to purchasing my own mattress, and when i tried to turn in my issued one fsbp refused to take it and said i had to keep it in my room.
but i never complained. i just made the choice to move out on my own. i knew i didn't have to live that way so i went to live how i wanted. best decision i ever made.
my barracks room was literally the size of a jail cell with a closet. we had no kitchen in the room or common areas; just a microwave. we made that work, though. no big deal.
the major issues i had were with how we were treated or disregarded. like not being able to shower after pt because maintenance was scheduled to begin at 8am and they had to cut the water off. or not having hot water for three months and fsbp saying there's nothing that could be done about it. or my csm telling me to buy everything i need to put my own screen in my first floor window because i'd been asking for one for over a year. or being forced to do staff duty or cq when the weather's bad. and not to mention being forced into a meal card when i never ate at the dfac for dietary reasons. i even went as far as to purchasing my own mattress, and when i tried to turn in my issued one fsbp refused to take it and said i had to keep it in my room.
but i never complained. i just made the choice to move out on my own. i knew i didn't have to live that way so i went to live how i wanted. best decision i ever made.
I don't disagree with this and never looked at it like that. Nice article Solider!
Also, Reserve and National Guard Officers, as well as full time staff in the Reserves and NG, also get discriminated against in regards to having to pay for their uniforms. If you're regular Army, you get a healthy stipend at the beginning of each year to pay for uniforms. But when new uniforms come out, such as what's happening now, these Soldiers now have to pay much more than $400 for the full sets, boots, and PT uniforms.
But I can also relate to the meals the army provides. Officers and AGR in the reserves also have to pay for their meals, oftentimes those meals are not up to par with the healthy eating lifestyle I currently practice.
Also, Reserve and National Guard Officers, as well as full time staff in the Reserves and NG, also get discriminated against in regards to having to pay for their uniforms. If you're regular Army, you get a healthy stipend at the beginning of each year to pay for uniforms. But when new uniforms come out, such as what's happening now, these Soldiers now have to pay much more than $400 for the full sets, boots, and PT uniforms.
But I can also relate to the meals the army provides. Officers and AGR in the reserves also have to pay for their meals, oftentimes those meals are not up to par with the healthy eating lifestyle I currently practice.
CSM Mike Maynard
1LT (Join to see) - Enlisted Soldiers in the ARNG/USAR are provided uniforms through their supply. They are not required to pay for uniforms, they are issued uniforms and authorized to DX them. Officers, no matter what component (ARNG, USAR, Active) do not receive uniform allowance.
Pretty simple. Most Lifers who make the rules are married. If they don't get their way they raise Holy Hell with the politicians. You should have seen how bad it was 50 years ago.
If it were fair and easy, everyone would be doing it. The Army has its flaws, most of which reside on the enlisted side of things. You can be a champion for change. Join BOSS. Lobby the command to change the policies about parking (perhaps incentives for carpooling from the barracks). You can be the hero the single enlisted soldier needs.
Getting married has always been the "easy" way for Private Joe to improve his or her immediate quality of life. Dual military is also a great way to go. Maybe find a friend that can keep a secret and get married? Bad advice, but it does happen.
Getting married has always been the "easy" way for Private Joe to improve his or her immediate quality of life. Dual military is also a great way to go. Maybe find a friend that can keep a secret and get married? Bad advice, but it does happen.
CW3 (Join to see)
I went to BNCOC with someone that was in a sham-marriage with another soldier just for the benefits. They weren't interested in each other romantically, but they held similar MOSes, and didn't mind being assigned together. Plus, they'd scope out girlfriends/boyfriends for each other.
closest I ever came to death - they handed out our LESs, as a single guy in the barracks I said "Wow, look at all of this beer money!" if looks could kill - the faces of all of the married guys
Soldier-- I agree with you on some points but allow me to counter a few from a Air Force perspective.
#1. Housing. A married Airman (E and O) living in housing has an inspection. Specifically if they have a yard with grass. There are weekly yard inspections on EVERY Air Force base... They will be ticketed for weeds, lawns not mowed, dog poo in the yard etc.. These tickets are fowarded to leadership. Accumulate 3 tickets and you're out of family housing at you're expense. Furniture-- A young Airman newly married may not have his own furniture yet. Guess what? He gets the same crappy furniture the barracks guys get!! Even the shitty blue mattress...
#2. You're getting $300 for the DFAC!?!?! His BAS might be about $250-275!! Depending on the job not all married guys get to leave for lunch. For example ... Flight line maintenance folks. I do agree that patrons of all DFACS should have a say in what they're being fed.
#3. Parking? You're complaining about parking??!!? As an E-7, sometime I had to park further away and walk to my building. That's just how it is. The only legal designated parking spots in the Air Force is the Commander, Chief, First Sergeant, Deputy Commander and handicap, unless the Wing commander authorizes any more. It's ok that you're asking(I won't say complaining). Just enlighten yourself on the bigger picture and don't assume it's all cherries and blossoms for the married folks.
#1. Housing. A married Airman (E and O) living in housing has an inspection. Specifically if they have a yard with grass. There are weekly yard inspections on EVERY Air Force base... They will be ticketed for weeds, lawns not mowed, dog poo in the yard etc.. These tickets are fowarded to leadership. Accumulate 3 tickets and you're out of family housing at you're expense. Furniture-- A young Airman newly married may not have his own furniture yet. Guess what? He gets the same crappy furniture the barracks guys get!! Even the shitty blue mattress...
#2. You're getting $300 for the DFAC!?!?! His BAS might be about $250-275!! Depending on the job not all married guys get to leave for lunch. For example ... Flight line maintenance folks. I do agree that patrons of all DFACS should have a say in what they're being fed.
#3. Parking? You're complaining about parking??!!? As an E-7, sometime I had to park further away and walk to my building. That's just how it is. The only legal designated parking spots in the Air Force is the Commander, Chief, First Sergeant, Deputy Commander and handicap, unless the Wing commander authorizes any more. It's ok that you're asking(I won't say complaining). Just enlighten yourself on the bigger picture and don't assume it's all cherries and blossoms for the married folks.
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