Quote:
Originally Posted by scooter123
IMO it's time to face the fact that we can't afford the current military pension structure. I had an Uncle who retired with the rank of Captain from the Navy and the "double dipping" that he could do drove my father nuts. . Finally, there is my Brother In Law, who retired as a full Colonel from the Air Force with 32 years in service. He's 57 years old, collects a 95K per year pension.
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Those are the REMF (google it) officers. Most people aren't officers, and even many officers don't have the cushy jobs. Anyone in a combat arms position who is enlisted is going to be essentially broken after their 20 years. Enlisted folks spend a fair amount of time doing hard physical labor.
I know one guy who's only a Lance Corporal in the Marines. His knees are already shot and he's looking at having to have surgery on a leg as a result of wear and tear on his body from deployments. All he knows how to do is to be an armorer and how to fight. What's he got waiting for him when he gets out?
Guys who did their time in duties far to the rear, contracting, and other such things can get lucrative defense jobs sure. But they are the minority.
My wife plans to retire at 20 years. She's already getting to be in rough shape thanks to the wear and tear of Navy life, which isn't even as bad as many jobs in the Marines or Army. What she has to look forward to is an entirely inadequate pittance of a 20 year pension and a lifetime of physical limitations as a result of service.
Pensions for retired soldiers isn't exactly a new idea. The Roman Army did it... Partly because when it isn't done, all those guys who now have a lot of experience with fighting end up thinking what a raw deal they got and pretty soon start to get ideas as to who ought be running things. Thus even 2000 odd years later we know who Julius Caesar - a guy who rewarded his troops - was.