Active Military Poll

Gents we have lots of polls and surveys around here about age and have even discussed our professions and that got me wondering...

There are many aspects of our various Acquisitions Disorders that can be very expensive. I remember when I was a brand new Airman Basic (E-1) I couldn't even pay my rent on two weeks pay. Times were very tough and making ends meet was always a struggle. Needless to say life is very different for me now with more than a dozen years in service and an E-6 (hope soon to be E-7) pay grade. I'm not wealthy by any measure but I don't struggle like I did when I was a young Airman.

So my question for our Active Duty members is what pay grade/rank are you? Do you find it difficult to enjoy the various AD's we all share?

If you are military from a country other than the USA please feel free to vote for the Pay Grade you think is closest to yours.

Feel free to post your Rank and/or share any stories below.

E-6/Technical Sergeant
United States Air Force

May I ask what the "E" stands for?

I think it means "Enlisted".

Trendkill said:

I think it means "Enlisted".

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Oh. Thanks.

E= Enlisted Ranks
O= Officer Ranks

Thank you to all our service men and women. God bless you all!

Yes, in the US Military E grades are enlisted and O grades are Officer.

Thus, anything O (O-1) for example is higher in rank than and in most cases earning more money than anything E.

SlagleRock said:

Yes, in the US Military E grades are enlisted and O grades are Officer.

Thus, anything O (O-1) for example is higher than and earning more money than anything E.

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Really? I would have thought that higher ranking sergeants with lots of experience would make more than a wet behind the ears new officer.

--
Bill

As a small tidbit, my father served 28 years in the US army, most of them overseas in Europe. He retired as a lieutenant colonel. Those 28 years are of great proud to him (as they should be). He likes the nice pension and inexpensive insurance too

If you have a minute, visit this website. You can write a small note to a random serviceman or servicewoman, and Xerox will send the card on your behalf and on their dime.

bill_mchale said:

Really? I would have thought that higher ranking sergeants with lots of experience would make more than a wet behind the ears new officer.

--
Bill

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They can. Time in grade can make a big difference, but officer pay is much higher than enlisted pay for the same amount of experience.

bill_mchale said:

Really? I would have thought that higher ranking sergeants with lots of experience would make more than a wet behind the ears new officer.

--
Bill

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You are right Bill an E-9 does make more money than an O-1. Truthfully, I make close to what an O-1 makes in terms of base pay but when you factor in the large housing allowance an O gets they typically make more. Military pay isn't an exact science. Much can depend on where you are stationed as well.

However, for the purposes of this poll I am more interested in who our junior ranking members are around here.

If anyone is curious:

2010 Officer Basic Military Pay Chart

2010 Warrant Officer Basic Military Pay Chart

2010 Enlisted Basic Military Pay Chart

These are base pay only. Housing allowance and Cost of Living Allowances vary by location. Additionally Enlisted troops get a small Basic Allowance for subsistence (food allowance).

E-4 Spe......t
U.S. ARMY

E-7 - Master Sergeant
USAF

Sgt. Marine Corps.

mretzloff said:

May I ask what the "E" stands for?

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Leche said:

E= Enlisted Ranks
O= Officer Ranks

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And W=Warrant Officer Ranks

Enlisted ranks run from E-1 through E-9 with an additional unpublished pay rate for the Senior Enlisted Advisor for each of the services.

Warrant Officer ranks run W-1 to W-5 in all services except the Air Force which does not have Warrants.

Officer ranks run from O-1 to 0-10.

Someone commented that an E-9 earns more pay than an O-1 (heck an E-9 over 22 years of service makes DOUBLE what an brand new shavetail makes). This is not unlike the civil community which is broken down into white collar and blue collar jobs. A non-college but skilled worker at the 20 year mark routinely earns more than his boss, the degree holding new professional.

I recently retired an an Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 (W5 over 26 years) and my pay was higher than the Lieutenant Colonel (O-5 over 16 years) battalion commander who I called boss.

I'm a Lieutenant Commander. That's an O-4 in US speak.

My pay is just fine thanks...... Australia recently changed our officers pay scale to provide pay increases to reflect our qualifications as well as our time in rank. The net effect as an experienced air warfare officer was that I turned up one day making 25 grand more than I did the day before! That more than anything has helped stem the tide of resignations plaguing us over the last few years.

As to the disparity in pay, officers accept much greater responsibility and accountability at a much younger age than an enlisted person. That's why the senior enlisted get paid more than the junior officers, but the senior officers get paid the most.

To give an example, I am responsible (on a daily basis) for over 250 lives, and have been ever since I was 23 years old and driving my first destroyer. Now I'm 33, and I am responsible for the defence of a group of ships against air attack. I think we need to ensure that people with this kind of responsibility aren't worried about how they will make ends meet!

As for the original question, yes, I am concerned that the ADs will break me in the end!!!

michael.scheller said:

And W=Warrant Officer Ranks

Enlisted ranks run from E-1 through E-9 with an additional unpublished pay rate for the Senior Enlisted Advisor for each of the services.

Warrant Officer ranks run W-1 to W-5 in all services except the Air Force which does not have Warrants.

Officer ranks run from O-1 to 0-10.

Someone commented that an E-9 earns more pay than an O-1 (heck an E-9 over 22 years of service makes DOUBLE what an brand new shavetail makes). This is not unlike the civil community which is broken down into white collar and blue collar jobs. A non-college but skilled worker at the 20 year mark routinely earns more than his boss, the degree holding new professional.

I recently retired an an Army Chief Warrant Officer 5 (W5 over 26 years) and my pay was higher than the Lieutenant Colonel (O-5 over 16 years) battalion commander who I called boss.

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WooHoo. My brother is W2 right now (13 or 14 years in). What part of Texas are you in?

Veritas II said:

E-7 - Master Sergeant
USAF

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Welcome to B&B! Be sure to check in at the Shave Clinic and Newbie Check In as well as the Active Duty Roll Call.

Lieutenant Colonel
United States Air Force

So far I'm not surprised by this polls results. Given the median age around here it tends to fall right in line with the E-6 and higher that the poll is indicating. It'll be interesting to see who the newest/lowest ranking military member we have around is.