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
Yes, you are a whiner. You're in the Army and whining about walking from a parking lot? While I agree that having your 'home' inspected is a pain, it isn't really your home and you are not really as free as a civilian. Being in the Army means you give up freedoms, such as what goes in your room, where you park, what/when you eat, etc. You are a part of the big Green machine. After you've been in a while you'll gain rank and privileges. That's the way it works. For now, you're still in the do as your told stage. (Which kinda never goes away, regardless of rank...you just get a little freedom). If you want your own place, be a civilian. Or get married. Then you'll see what loss of freedom is all about.
You get a kitchen and a private bedroom!? Shit that's heaven. I had to hide my "kitchen" in an upper locker with a lock on it. Four latrines on two floors, no semi private baths. Our rooms were designed to hold up to four...there were four lockers. Luckily the most in one room were two. WWII bunks and mattresses. Most of us did go out and buy our own bedding. Suck it up buttercup! You got it good!
The money you claim to pay for that wonderful room you get isn't coming out of your pocket. It's an added benefit for those who have to live off base because of no housing vacancies. I did finally choose to move out of the dorm and rent a duplex with my roommate. It was hard to cover all the costs we hadn't thought of over the rent....electricity, water, garbage, phone, heat (if it was other than electric),more gas for the commute. Oh and when I got married and received the BAS and BAQ...it wasn't enough to cover all the costs either. Made it easier but we still had to find the cheapest rental we could.
I will agree with you on one point. Inspections. I did argue that with a married TSgt. Why was my dorm room inspected when his house wasn't, he lived in base housing. All they inspected in base housing was the lawn. He looked kinda indignant and said but that was where he lived. And looked a little shocked and dumbfounded when I reminded him that the dorm was where I lived and I didn't appreciate my bedroom being a showcase for visiting brass.
The money you claim to pay for that wonderful room you get isn't coming out of your pocket. It's an added benefit for those who have to live off base because of no housing vacancies. I did finally choose to move out of the dorm and rent a duplex with my roommate. It was hard to cover all the costs we hadn't thought of over the rent....electricity, water, garbage, phone, heat (if it was other than electric),more gas for the commute. Oh and when I got married and received the BAS and BAQ...it wasn't enough to cover all the costs either. Made it easier but we still had to find the cheapest rental we could.
I will agree with you on one point. Inspections. I did argue that with a married TSgt. Why was my dorm room inspected when his house wasn't, he lived in base housing. All they inspected in base housing was the lawn. He looked kinda indignant and said but that was where he lived. And looked a little shocked and dumbfounded when I reminded him that the dorm was where I lived and I didn't appreciate my bedroom being a showcase for visiting brass.
Sgt Eric, don't think it is a bed of roses for married folks.
My father was military and we lived in base housing through out all of his career. I joined the military when I was 17. I lived in base housing when I was in Germany. The rest of my career I spent off base. When I was a young airman with a child, I always wondered why higher ranking individuals got base housing and I could not. Living off base meant I did not have the option of walking or riding a bike to work. I had to have a car. Why is it that a E-5 gets base housing while an E-1 to E-4 has to live in a junk trailer somewhere in a bad neighborhood? My father was a 1stSgt his later years in the AF and they required him to live on base. I get that. But housing should be provided to the younger people first, not the NCOs. Make apartments for small families and make them use them before taking quarters off base. Most of them would be living in much better conditions.
When I was an E-3 it cost me more for rent in a piece of crap than the AF was providing. I was a married E-3 with one child, I applied for food stamps and could not get them. An E-5 living on base with two children was getting them. SERIOUSLY?
My father was military and we lived in base housing through out all of his career. I joined the military when I was 17. I lived in base housing when I was in Germany. The rest of my career I spent off base. When I was a young airman with a child, I always wondered why higher ranking individuals got base housing and I could not. Living off base meant I did not have the option of walking or riding a bike to work. I had to have a car. Why is it that a E-5 gets base housing while an E-1 to E-4 has to live in a junk trailer somewhere in a bad neighborhood? My father was a 1stSgt his later years in the AF and they required him to live on base. I get that. But housing should be provided to the younger people first, not the NCOs. Make apartments for small families and make them use them before taking quarters off base. Most of them would be living in much better conditions.
When I was an E-3 it cost me more for rent in a piece of crap than the AF was providing. I was a married E-3 with one child, I applied for food stamps and could not get them. An E-5 living on base with two children was getting them. SERIOUSLY?
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....Facebook, you got me (posted on my feed). Just noticed the thread was initially started May 18, 2014. I think the Facebook/Rally Point wanted to re-visit this for some reason.
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^ That explains the sudden bombardment of notifications I got.
Every time I read one of these I am thrilled to have left the Army and joined the Navy.
Thats completely false. Barracks soldiers and married soldiers arre still held to the same exact standards. The difference is they are married and have a house on or off post. You dont receive BAH living in the Barracks as a single E-4. If you are you are in violation of your benefits, and you need to go correct that with your finance office. Barracks inspections are for your own benefit of having a clean living area. Yes they are annoying, but they are neccessary.
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Married soldiers receive pay composition or BAH, Separation pay, COLA, because of the financial obligations of having a family and of the expenses of the location they are living. Single soldiers don't have a spouse or dependant to sponsor, and they don't have a house. So they get more freedom due to taking care of their families needs and other matters. Thats the difference. They still follow the same regs as you do.
I would advise you to educate yourself on the differences of single vs married soldiers before complaining about a subject you clearly know very little about. Good luck to you.
I would advise you to educate yourself on the differences of single vs married soldiers before complaining about a subject you clearly know very little about. Good luck to you.
Soldier, I have been in the Army for 24 years of those I have been Active duty for 17 of them. I too joined the at 24 yrs old after I graduated from college. I feel the pain. When I came in at my first unit we had 4 people living in a room. So you could imagine what that was like. My second unit I lived in a room by my self in a room not much bigger then a master bathroom in larger house about 300 sq ft. Did I mention I was to maintain a locker and a bunk for a married solder to leave his TA50 there. So I had about 200 SF to myself. Then all subsequent units were pretty much the same.
Unless I was allows to mess separately I was required to maintain a meal card as well. We were not allowed to eat at the hospital unless we had an appointment there.( they had the best food next to special forces and Ranger Bn)
. What I am getting at is that I like many others including alot of officers agree that it is fail but unfortunately it is they of that we operate. Until someone higher up can figure out a WA to maintain a dfac to stay open with minimal operating costs and Joe snuffy E1 who iced Ike a pig with mommy and daddy barracks inspection will continue.
. Now saying that I have seen LTs 21 yr fresh out ofcollege telling enlisted member how to clean their room and they get to live however they want in their choice of living accommodation. Keep in mind all government housing barracks and gov housing is subjected to inspections.
I wish I could vote up this more then once. The battle between privileges that being married vs single. Being allowed to mess separately is bad vs meal card has been going on for a long time
it has gotten alot better. We have kitchens and washers and dryers in rooms now the CQ hey you has gotten better. Keep up the fight.
Unless I was allows to mess separately I was required to maintain a meal card as well. We were not allowed to eat at the hospital unless we had an appointment there.( they had the best food next to special forces and Ranger Bn)
. What I am getting at is that I like many others including alot of officers agree that it is fail but unfortunately it is they of that we operate. Until someone higher up can figure out a WA to maintain a dfac to stay open with minimal operating costs and Joe snuffy E1 who iced Ike a pig with mommy and daddy barracks inspection will continue.
. Now saying that I have seen LTs 21 yr fresh out ofcollege telling enlisted member how to clean their room and they get to live however they want in their choice of living accommodation. Keep in mind all government housing barracks and gov housing is subjected to inspections.
I wish I could vote up this more then once. The battle between privileges that being married vs single. Being allowed to mess separately is bad vs meal card has been going on for a long time
it has gotten alot better. We have kitchens and washers and dryers in rooms now the CQ hey you has gotten better. Keep up the fight.
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Amen on the hospital food. The Special Forces DFAC isn't too far behind. They have changed that regulation, so I was able to eat at the hospital DFAC everyday for lunch, and it was worth the drive across post. The only thing on it now is that you are very limited on what you can get from that DFAC, they weigh everything out and have rules about what is a side and what isn't, and what you can have with different items. At least that is the way it is at Ft. Carson.
As for the Barracks, none of the ones I have seen have washers or dryers in the room, but there are laundry facilities in the barracks. To me this really isn't an issue, not every soldier needs his own washer and dryer. We had our own individual rooms with a shared common area and bathroom. The common area had a kitchen sink, microwave, and mini refrigerator. I did add a cuisine art griddle and I was able to prepare decent meals in my room. I was fortunate because my barracks mate lived off post and simply maintained his room for TA-50 and inspections, so I had the whole mini fridge to myself. That was enough to buy food for a couple of days and have some condiments. I also had my own 8 bottle wine cooler so I could enjoy a glass of wine with my meals. I did this for my own health. I was eating a diet of fresh veggies, rice and either grilled chicken or grilled fish. I mean you aren't going to find shark or tuna steaks in the DFAC. Eventually I was forced to get rid of my wine chiller because as a single soldier I wasn't allowed to have more than 1 bottle of wine in my room, and if I had wine I couldn't have any bourbon. Like you and this soldier I joined later in life after college. I was 31 years old and working on my masters degree in the evenings. I tried to get separate rations due to health concerns, including high blood pressure, and cholesterol. My doctor refused me separate rats stating that as a single soldier I would just spend the money on Mcdonalds. I maintained my own meal program while paying for a meal card because it was better for me. With diet exercise and fish oil I was able to bring my blood pressure and cholesterol down without medication, but the Army didn't care. The fight wages on.
As for the Barracks, none of the ones I have seen have washers or dryers in the room, but there are laundry facilities in the barracks. To me this really isn't an issue, not every soldier needs his own washer and dryer. We had our own individual rooms with a shared common area and bathroom. The common area had a kitchen sink, microwave, and mini refrigerator. I did add a cuisine art griddle and I was able to prepare decent meals in my room. I was fortunate because my barracks mate lived off post and simply maintained his room for TA-50 and inspections, so I had the whole mini fridge to myself. That was enough to buy food for a couple of days and have some condiments. I also had my own 8 bottle wine cooler so I could enjoy a glass of wine with my meals. I did this for my own health. I was eating a diet of fresh veggies, rice and either grilled chicken or grilled fish. I mean you aren't going to find shark or tuna steaks in the DFAC. Eventually I was forced to get rid of my wine chiller because as a single soldier I wasn't allowed to have more than 1 bottle of wine in my room, and if I had wine I couldn't have any bourbon. Like you and this soldier I joined later in life after college. I was 31 years old and working on my masters degree in the evenings. I tried to get separate rations due to health concerns, including high blood pressure, and cholesterol. My doctor refused me separate rats stating that as a single soldier I would just spend the money on Mcdonalds. I maintained my own meal program while paying for a meal card because it was better for me. With diet exercise and fish oil I was able to bring my blood pressure and cholesterol down without medication, but the Army didn't care. The fight wages on.
SGT Eric T. I agree with you 100%. I was single on active duty for a long time and I felt it unfair that I got paid less for doing the same job plus... as a single soldier I had to do all of the household shopping etc.
I have heard two schools of thought on this topic in the Air Force. I will say one school of thought I don't 100% agree with.
I have been told that the Air Force tries to get the Dorms at 100% capacity, the intent being that the more people they have stay in them, that is more money to renovate and maintain the buildings. The two bases I have been stationed they make it mandatory for first term Airman stay in the barracks. If an Airman stays on the base long enough, about three years and the rooms are all at capacity, they give the option to move off base. Usually, like everything in military first dibs goes to time in grade and then time on station. It is not automatic. The Airman usually must get a recommendation from a supervisor and it must be signed off by the squadron commander. If someone has been in trouble for drinking incidents, they are less likely to be allowed to move. If the persons finances are suspect that the chain of command does not believe that they can handle paying rent on time or that they will use the extra money irresponsibly then they may not be able to move off. I have also seen where a commander will want to know where the member intends on moving to. If the person looks like they may move to a bad area of town then the commander will not approve it.
Bottom line it is about the money, especially now that the DOD is scraping every penny just to keep readiness levels up. So they are going to do what is in the best interest of the service over the individual. So if keeping barracks at capacity becomes a priority then there will be less opportunities to move off base until you PCS to another station. Now that we are in a draw down force you may find more people being required to remain on base that would normally have been given the option to move off.
I do not agree with the policy, but it is what it is unfortunately.
I have been told that the Air Force tries to get the Dorms at 100% capacity, the intent being that the more people they have stay in them, that is more money to renovate and maintain the buildings. The two bases I have been stationed they make it mandatory for first term Airman stay in the barracks. If an Airman stays on the base long enough, about three years and the rooms are all at capacity, they give the option to move off base. Usually, like everything in military first dibs goes to time in grade and then time on station. It is not automatic. The Airman usually must get a recommendation from a supervisor and it must be signed off by the squadron commander. If someone has been in trouble for drinking incidents, they are less likely to be allowed to move. If the persons finances are suspect that the chain of command does not believe that they can handle paying rent on time or that they will use the extra money irresponsibly then they may not be able to move off. I have also seen where a commander will want to know where the member intends on moving to. If the person looks like they may move to a bad area of town then the commander will not approve it.
Bottom line it is about the money, especially now that the DOD is scraping every penny just to keep readiness levels up. So they are going to do what is in the best interest of the service over the individual. So if keeping barracks at capacity becomes a priority then there will be less opportunities to move off base until you PCS to another station. Now that we are in a draw down force you may find more people being required to remain on base that would normally have been given the option to move off.
I do not agree with the policy, but it is what it is unfortunately.
You make a fair point, however married soldiers often surrender there full BAH in on post housing, and many homes around post often charge rents equal to or greater than the full BAH, as well the 300+ BAS is surrendered every time you go to the field resulting in that loss reflected in your LES and your take home pay that your spouse relies on while you are gone. As well as a married soldier or parent you can still be required to go clean the barracks that you don’t reside in as well as performing CQ in those barracks.
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