Should military families be compensated?

Question

Military families often struggle financially when the bread winner is deployed overseas. Wouldn't it be nice if oil companies offered free gas for the immediate families of deployed service members?

At a time when oil companies are making record profits, I think it would be the patriotic thing to do.

Some people brought up interesting points (discounts on gas)

Since much of the price at the pump is tax, how about military families not paying the tax. That would be the governments way of supporting the military families.

I didn't realize there were so many military families out there who feel they are over-paid.

Answer 1

Really I think the ones that struggle with the pay when a husband is deployed is the National Guard family since he has taken a pay cut to go active duty - his family is used to life with his civilian job and then gets a pay cut usually when he is activated. But they expect that and they should be prepared with a good savings - they military has savings programs - so they try to help if we let them. There are also emergency relief people in the military that help you out. right now we are active duty - we don't have excess money - but the world we live in is too materialistic and you are judged based upon the "things" that you own. we live simply, and are very happy and have all our needs taken care of. Would more discounts be nice? - yes - but it is disrespectfull and arragant for us to believe that since we are in the military that we are a special class above everyone else and that we are owed. Let companies give out of the goodness of their hearts, not the military families demand it. We already enjoy many discounts and special things. The greatest thing in our life is when our husbands come home - that is what we should be thankful for.

Answer 2

As a spouse of a service member I don't want any hand-outs. When my husband is deployed, he still gets paid, and actually gets extra pay and no federal taxes taken out. So, no, we do not struggle when the bread winner is deployed. At least not financially, but we do emotionally.

Any military family struggling financially is due to mismanagement of their money. We have been a military family for 11 years and are closing on our fourth house this month. It would have been very hard to even buy our first home in the civilian world, even with a bachelor's degree, let alone four. And I have been fourtunate enough to be a stay-at-home mom since he joined the Army. So we have done this on one military income.

Answer 3

I am the spouse of a sailor and proud. I would however take whatever is being handed out- but I don't need it. We do make a good living and we have excellent benifits. I over heard my cousins talking last week, the bread winner in thier family is a sherrif. They pay $500 a month on medical and dental for a family of three. He makes $34,000. Plus they have a mortgage and all the regular expenses. How do they do it? I dont know. My husband is an E7 and makes about $4900 a month take home pay. We pay $30 a month for dental and we pay nothing to use the naval hospital or get drugs. We get tax free food and products on base. The military pays our housing. And we get paid more if my husband is underway. Not a bad living.
On top of that only a portion is of his pay is taxed and I work to make more money to have fun with. Don't cry for me.
If something happens to him- thats when all the benefits get screwy and veterans are often treated poorly. We will all cry then.

Answer 4

While military families do earn extra money while the military member is deployed, and USUALLY have a lower spending requirement, any and every little bit helps. I don't see the oil companies giving any discounts out, but it's a nice idea.

For those that STILL think that this war is about oil: Why are gas prices going thru the roof if we "own" Iraq?

For the USAF vet that says the military members get breaks with housing and what-not: I didn't live in housing when I was in the Army. I haven't shopped in the PX for over 15 years (about the time the military gave it to the civilians), and how often is the medical/dental used (Tri-care)? Quit being a stick in the mud.

Answer 5

It seems you have no idea what you are talking about. If military families suffer financially when someone is deployed they are suffering when they are home too because they do make way more money when they are deployed than when they are home. Military families are no different than civilain families. There are thousands of military and civilian families that live pay check to pay check and live far beyond their means. Both my husband and I are active duty Navy and when we are deployed we get sea pay, family separation pay, combat zone pay, hostile fire pay and all of our base pay is tax free. How much more extra pay should a person get???? Each of us is only taxed on about $24k of our pay a year, but each of us makes about $75K a year and that is when neither of us is deployed and we are just at home doing our jobs. One E5 and one E6. That is more than enough pay for anyone to live on. Don't give in to the pitty party that makes it look like military people are starving, it isn't even close to being true. We own two houses, and are building our dream house. Plus we have zero debt and twin babies Money is about choices. We have people that are both junior and senior to us that live like money is water. They all drive $50k cars, buy new clothes every week and have all the big expensive toys. It is not the tax payers fault if a military family chooses to make stupid money choices.

You are crazy to think that oil companies or anyone self should subsidize the military family with even more money. We get great raises every year and we get outstanding medical and leave benefits. Our medical bills at a civilian hospital when I was pregnant and living in the hospital for three months and my boys were both in the NICU for numerous weeks was over a million dollars. We didn't pay a cent. This is not a story just about our family. ALL military families get paid really well, it is that most military families do not make correct choices for their money and end up with huge debt and no money in the bank.

Do you research before you make blanket statements on our pay and how well we all live. Don't be scammed by the greedy spenders out there.

Answer 6

I think perhaps you have misunderstood some of the answers..I can speak for myself, a Proud Army wife of a Cav Soldier deployed to Iraq. We do get extra pay, sep pay and combat pay in addition to reg pay..all tax free. I can see perhaps some extra expenses while a spouse is deployed since there is one to do the job of two. I for one am not asking for handouts and I don't think there are other mil families asking either. We have wonderful benefits and lots of emotional support from our military community. Financial struggles are across the board, civilian or military...As military, we even have lots of workshops to help with finances. The thought of free gas is nice and of course with prices as they are now..well I don't really have to say more on that do I...But seriously ..other then emotional support from friends and family, we do OK..Thank you for your kind thoughts

Answer 7

That's a good question. If the families of other death victims were compensated, that would be a "yes". Otherwise, it is unfair for people to who didn't get compensated for a similar situation. Both attacks in New York and Oklahoma City are threats to national security; it doesn't matter if its on a domestic or international level.

Answer 8

Military families often strugle, but it's also often due to financial mismanagement. The Army encourages this type of mismanagement by easy-to-obtain credit programs through the local PX...Sad, but I feel it's true...

Anyway, quick comparison:

Rob gets out of the Army, does 5 years of college (on the GI Bill, but still racks up serious student loans, as he is living on his own), graduates and lands his first teaching job in a suburb of a particular big city making $32,000/year.

Rob, on the other hand could have stayed in the Army as an E-4...base pay as an E-4 with 4 years

$22597.20

Housing allowance for area (with dependents, as I'm married) is $813.00/month so...

$9756

Substance allowance for enlisted is $279.88/month so...

$3358.56

Added together, an E-4 in the Army who is married and living where I live (which is a military town) makes:

$35,711.76, which is about $3000.00 more than I made as a high school teacher starting out. Of this amount, $1314,56 is not taxed (as it is allowance and not pay). This individual also gets 100% medical paid for for himself and is enrolled in TRICARE for his family, which is much less expensive than any commercial insurance carrier...



Anyway...My point being that military folks make okay money, even the ones of lower rank. I got out of teaching because it didn't pay enough, and I seriously thought about going back into the military as a way to make more money.

Lots of folks struggle financially...As a teacher, no one gave me free gas. I do recall getting a coffee mug once.

If for some reason gas companies did do something like this, they would just pass the costs off onto the rest of us. There is no way they're eating into their profits, that's for sure.

Answer 9

military families receive free medical care along with dental. our housing is payed for either if we live on or off post. plus soldiers are payed combat and hazard pay if they are deployed to a dangerous area. plus i don't pay taxes on my gas so gas is about 50 cents cheaper for me any ways. there should be no families struggling with fiances when the husband is deployed. if they are that means that the family is Way to much money.


id do not feel that we are over payed one bit. a life is a priceless thing it is the least the goverment can to for a solider willing to risk there life for there country.
i am a wife of a deployed solider it is really hard for me to go broke. because my living is payed for all i have to pay for is my phone and food .

clothing.http://www.seamlesstransition.va.gov/dependents.asp

Answer 10

I totally disagree, and I'm retired Military. It is not like the military does not receive a pay check. They don't do this for free. Plus when a member is deployed they receive additional pay for being deployed. After I retired it took me working in the civilian world almost 10 years before I made what I did as an Active Duty Member.