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Jim Seida / msnbc.com
Hermes Corcuera, seen here with his wife Amber, in Gig Harbor, Wash., spent six months in Iraq and a year in Korea during his five years of military service. Now he's looking for a new career.
Hermes Corcuera joined the military because he wanted to give back to a country that has given him so much.
But now that he’s done his duty, the 25-year-old Cuban immigrant is finding himself in a position that could be familiar to many soldiers in the coming months and years: Out of the military, and out of a job.
The move to withdraw troops from Iraq and Afghanistan and potentially cut military spending significantly over the next 10 years is translating into pocketbook worries for many military families.
"For a lot of individuals, it's going to be very difficult, especially if they have families," said Joe Sharpe, director of economics for The American Legion, one of the most prominent veterans services organizations.
A new survey finds that middle-class military families are more likely to be setting stringent savings and spending goals this year, as the military gears up for some major cost-cutting of its own.
The First Command Financial Behaviors Index, which tracks the finances of families with income of $50,000 or more, found that 49 percent of military families were planning to cut back on excessive spending in 2012, compared with 42 percent of nonmilitary families.
In addition, 47 percent of military families said their goals for 2012 included getting out of debt, compared with 38 percent of nonmilitary families. The military families who responded to the monthly survey also were more likely to say they planned to do things like learn to budget responsibly and improve their credit scores.
First Command also found that just one in four of the military families they surveyed think there are enough jobs out there for unemployed veterans.
Corcuera, who immigrated to the United States as a young child, said he is glad to have been in the military.
"It is a very rewarding job,” he said. “I get to serve my country.”
After training as an interrogator and community liaison, Corcuera spent six months in Iraq and a year in Korea. A Specialist E4, he was most recently stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington state.
He said he enjoyed the work.
“It’s another way of saving lives,” he said.
But as the military works to withdraw troops from the Gulf, he said there was not nearly as much need for interrogators and community liaisons. Although he was offered the option to re-enlist, he said the available jobs would have been a step down from his current position, and a foot injury left him ineligible for some of the available positions.
He left the military on Jan. 4, after five years of service.
He is applying for police department jobs, but he said it will likely be months before he hears back. He said many of his colleagues are looking at contract intelligence jobs, but he would rather be a police officer because he likes the idea of working with the community.
“I want a stable career, and for a family that seems like the best option,” he said.
Meanwhile, he said his initial claim for unemployment benefits was declined so he’s sorting out the paperwork for that.
His wife Amber, 31, is hoping she can pick up more personal training work to keep the family afloat until Hermes lands a job. She said the couple, who have two children from Amber’s previous marriage, didn’t have much time to prepare financially for the change.
They are especially nervous about keeping up on their bills because they know a ding in their credit score could affect Hermes’ job prospects.
“We’ve done some things that save us a little bit of money, (but) all in all it’s just a matter of, ‘Hey, I guess we’re broke now,’” Amber said.
The couple said they don’t think they could afford for Hermes to go to school, even with military aid, because they need income to support the family. Amber said they’re struggling to figure out what other options and support systems are out there for veterans.
“As long as you’re in the military, it’s a great career to have. But because it’s a lifestyle rather than just a job, when you’re out, you’re out,” Amber said. “There aren’t a lot of avenues, realistically, for a military person to take.”
Such worries are legitimate, said Sharpe of the American Legion.
Sharpe noted that the unemployment rate for veterans of the most recent Gulf war efforts is already quite high at 13.1 percent. The comparable, non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the general population is 8.3 percent.
Sharpe expects joblessness among veterans to become an even bigger problem now that the military has withdrawn from Iraq and is working to reduce its presence in Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, the military is being asked to reduce defense spending by $487 billion over 10 years as part of the government’s effort to keep the deficit in check. The tight federal budgets also may mean that there are fewer government jobs available to veterans, Sharpe said.
Sharpe also said military personnel don’t necessarily have the certifications or other training they need to do private sector jobs that are similar to their military training. And although the nation's employment picture is improving, the competition for jobs is fierce.
“It’s going to be extremely difficult,” Sharpe said.
Sharpe is also a reservist at Fort Bragg, N.C., and he said many of the troops he serves with are worried about potential cutbacks. Some are putting off big expenses like a new car and others are planning to use their tax refunds to pay down debt. He said some are even stocking up on items they can get more cheaply at the commissary in preparation for leaving the military.
“There seems to be a wave of panic going through the military community there at Fort Bragg,” he said.
Related:
We are the median: Living on $50,000, military-style
They served, and now they search for work
Leave a Comment:
This is the same for all employees of any company have to do when losing thier job !
This will become a huge burden on our economy when all these defined military cutbacks begin. Hundreds of thousands of jobs will be lost when the military begins its cuts to appease the entitlement conditioned Americans.
As our Unfunded Liabilities grow by the TRILLIONS of dollars every year we think we will somehow ever create wealth in this nation. Our debt will soon be approaching $17 TRILLION Dollars. Our Debt:GDP ratio will soon exceed 120%. Further downgrades will finally throw us into the Depression Obama so envisions.
God Bless and help America.
The title is nothing more than sensationalism. Military pay will not be affect by military cutbacks.
Just wait till the contract sector gets hit by the cuts....from military cuts to general government cuts.
It's ridiculous how much contractors make off the government. It's criminal really.
Sorry there "Freedom" but America remembers who caused the downgrade, the Talibaggers.
Freedom Rings Loud
"the Depression Obama so envisions" ???????
I wasn't aware that President Obama was "envisioning" a depression. Just what kind of math do you use that proves President Obama is responsible for an economy he inherited from G.W. Bush? Bush was handed a huge budget surplus when he took office in 2001 and immediately gave it away to his already filthy rich friends. Your good buddy Bush and his Vice President Satan managed to double the debt by lying their way into TWO wars and doubling the defence budget.... where was you voice then? You people on the right amaze me when you conveniently ignore the truth in order to stick it to the President.......... If this is your idea of FREEDOM RINGING LOUD, I feel sorry for you.
You're Dreaming Freedomrings. Obama didn't get us into this mess for the Millionth time!
George W. Bushes Sub Prime Melt Down did.
Just keeping the Record straight and the Republicans sat on their hands for the past 3 years like spoiled rotten brats just so they could blame the mess on him. Any 10 year old can tell you that!
So go spread your poison somewhere else, people aren't buying it anymore.
Sorry "Jon",
But when is Obama going to own his economy? How did the Teaparty create the U.S. downgrade? They arent even in power. As much as you want to change history, the downgrade happened on Obama's watch and it's HIS.
Yes, it's the same for every company... except that the people in the military are trained for the military. A lot of the jobs in the military have no outside application. What can a missile loader put on a job resume for experience? Unemployment claims will skyrocket, as will the deficit created from the government paying for all of those claims.
Bush increased the debt through war. The rest will increase the debt through unemployment. It's a lose-lose situation... mostly for the military members who lose their jobs so the president can look better.
I guess the soldiers will be feeling the pain that the rest of american workers have been feeling...
time to get off the govt tit, and find a real job.
not that I dont value their service, it's just I dont value killing foreigners as a mean of income.
he has to think outside the box. If he can translate spanish, then go into the translation business. He can also teach Spanish if he has a degree....the problem is a lot of the military don't take advantage of their schooling while in the military.
This is the type of backlash the Ron Paul boys sit around a scratch their heads about!!!! And then start pointing the finger .......
The National Guard use to be a nice financial cushion for a lot of folks before Gorgie boy sent them to fight where they shouldn't have been ... he took their real job ... destroyed their lives and in some cases took a arm or leg!!!
And these Republican FOOLS want to bad mouth Obama ..... a sick bunch!!
Osama Bin Laden is gone. It's time to come home and rebuild our country. Put all these Military people to work rebuilding the US of A! They did their part, now it's time we repaid them with good jobs at Home rebuilding America and not some other Country for once!
Sorry military families but you need to be sacrificed on the altar of entitlements and welfare programs so that Obama can be re-elected. Barack needs your money. Tough luck
Don't listen to this guy Military, he is trying to put Obama in a bad light.
It's time to come home and enjoy a Civilian Life free from Bullets.
You did a Great Job, Osama is gone, Welcome Home!
I am Retired Military and have always managed to find a Job. Jump in the waters fine!
No one is going to be sacrificed you mental midget. The military has never had a cut in pay.
According the the way you Obamaites calculate cuts for your entitlement and welfare programs, your statement is a baldfaced lie. Try to be a little more consistent in what you lefties call cuts. And I'm also sure the 80000 servicemen that the Pentagon is going to release might consider being let go a cut in pay. Especially since there are no jobs to come home to. No matter what koolaide your messiah is feeding you about a recovery.
JPSO,
Quit being such a stick in the mud...
the military isn't going to release 80,000. The cuts will be done through attrition. No one is going to be "let go" they will leave of their own accord.
I bet when they do cutbacks government contractors will still get billions while soldiers suffer. It's sick.
The number of sarcastic remarks in this thread towards the men and women in our military is astonishing.
They'll have to get a real job? My brother is 20 years in the Navy and works harder and more hours than the high majority of civilian jobs. I work 50 hours a week and he works more than I do.
You all need to just go get f*cked. You're disgusting.
What's even more disgusting is all of the welfare crap that these fine men and women are losing their jobs for.
The trash in our country of all colors are the ones that need to get off the government tit and get a job. I hear there's lots of farm jobs in the ag industry with the illegals leaving!
Look. People in the military are still going to get paid. We could cut back until the cows come home, and they will still get the pittance that we pay them. They may pay more in heath care (a recent GOP proposal, forcing military personnel to pay a yearly premium), but they'll still get their 3 pieces of silver to the pound of gold the rest of the bloated complex gets.
Just to put this in a little current perspective, there is a state of the art mega-cruise liner laying on it's side near Italy. Price? About $450 million dollars. Our military spends $2.2 billion (with a big B) for each B2 Spirit bomber. This is a bomber that, at the moment, really has no dedicated mission. You can buy 4.9 of those huge cruise liners for 1 B2 bomber.
Now, tell me we don't have room to cut money?
What isn't being said here is that within a few years the servicing on the debt will be a huge slice of the revenue pie. By the end of this year we will be spending about 10 billion weekly just to pay the int on the money we have borrowed.
For those of you that love to blame Bush, the deficit in 2007 was about 160 billion and the gross debt was under 10 trillion which was awful, but not 15 trillion as it is now after only 3 years. The servicing on our debt NOW comes to about 450 billion which includes all interest paid for debt issued.
But the big problem looming is that the int on this debt is at historical lows. So it is about half the rate of the past which is a bit over 4 percent. When int rates start climbing once the fed stops being a big buyer of debt, those willing to buy will want a bigger return. So future servicing is about to get a lot more expensive.
Where will all the cuts come from? Yes, I know. The rich need to pay more, but even if you took all their assets right now it would barely move the needle of our debt. 15 trillion is a lot of debt. Does anybody think we intend to pay down that debt?
BigAl Las Vegas
YAWN!
Good God I’m getting tired of disproving all this gibberish you limp little Libbies have been indoctrinated with.
Barrack did NOT inherit anything. He knew exactly what he was getting into. If he didn’t, it just proves his incompetence even more. Most of the world saw the economic collapse coming in 2005 when home sales began their free-fall. In 2006 and 2007 Peter Schiff, Nouriel Roubini, Dean Baker among a few others were the only ones that saw the enormity of the Carter/Clinton created collapse of the housing liquidity bubbles. We won’t mention the other disasters Clinton created such as ignoring Brooksley Born and promoting NAFTA and Gramm-Leach-Bliley. Oops, I mentioned them.
Bush was NEVER handed a huge budget surplus. If he did, why did the National Debt NEVER gone down year to year? Clintons “surplus” was just more clever Potomac math. The National Debt consists of Public Debt and Intragovernmental Holdings. The Clinton administration just cleverly manipulated these numbers around to create the illusion of a balanced budget. However, the Debt never came down because it was just shifted from one accounting area to another. The alleged projections of the balanced budget and Debt reduction was, as are all budget predictions, based on supposition and mythical growth. Much of Clinton’s economy was based on the incredible growth created by the Dot-Com bubble. This had absolutely nothing to do with any of his fiscal policy. As Alan Greenspan so aptly defined it, it was “irrational exuberance”. Nowhere in Clinton’s projections did it include the recession Bush “inherited” or 9-11. If you don’t believe me you can read the budgets from 1997 on at gpoaccess.gov/usbudget/.
Granted, the Iraq and Afghanistan wars were longer and costlier than expected. However, 87% of Americans agreed to our intervention. Madeleine Albright, Bill Clinton, Howard Dean, Sandy Berger, Nancy Pelosi and many other DEMOCRATS supported the intervention because of weapons of mass destruction and growing terrorism in those regions. Of course, as is typical for democrats, they’re for something if it benefits their politics and against it when those politics begin to fail. Then, just as the 14 Democrats in Wisconsin’s Senate, they flee.
You people on the Left amaze me when you conveniently ignore the truth because you just don’t know what the truth is.
I feel sorry for you.
Let these vets look for jobs like everyone else, these military entitlements have to be cut back.
How? By not approving the increase to the Debt Ceiling until AFTER the downgrade. They were warned by the credit agencies but dragged their feet to make a point...well they made it and will be remembered this election.
Really? Well since the top 1% control 40% of GDP, are you telling me that an increase of 40% of GDP toward the debt would "barely move the needle of our debt"? ...Really?
What we need to truly end the Great Recession is exactly what ended the Great Depression, massive employment by the GOVERNMENT, for a period of about 4-5 years, combined with MASSIVE TAX INCREASES, followed by MASSIVE GOVERNMENT SPENDING (housing, college, small business) ... followed by the largest increase in GDP by every possible measure ever considered,
Gee when did that work..... 1942-1949. look it up.
so much for government spending does not help the economy or create jobs.
Yeah, I know, it was WWII, but that was still government spending and government hiring which created.... government jobs (being in the military IS a government job.) Now we just outsource the government jobs to offshore mercinary companies (can anyone say X E, I knew you could.)
Since most of the people in the military are from middle or lower income levels, the cuts to the military approved by the GOP House just go to prove that, yet again, the GOP is out to hurt the middle and lower class.
"The National Guard use to be a nice financial cushion for a lot of folks before Gorgie boy sent them to fight..."
You should be more subtle about soaking the taxpayer for doing nothing.
Careful, Dirp101, you're pointing out the great, "consensual immersion in socialism" experiment of the 1940's. It might cause right wing heads to pop, especially since it worked so well. The war forced us to nationalize everything, albeit through a sort of propagandized campaign of patriotism. When we were finished putting people back to work, we called in all the markers and raised taxes, creating the middle class in the process. What a disaster that was - for conservatives. Since their whole goal in life is to keep the lower classes from getting uppity, they must have been horrified when those lower classes actually liked a taste of a decent life, and they've been trying to take it all back ever since.
Just remember: the most successful remedy to a massive collapse in American history was socialist nationalization of industry and service jobs.
I know, this will be up about 5 seconds before the people that don't want anyone to know this collapse the post, but there: I said it.
Maybe they should all talk to Newt and he could teach them how to work harder and "own their job."
This is just another man-made bubble.
To FreedomRingsLoud. Ditto!!!!!!!
Sorry folks, but a lot of you sound as if you should be politicians. You refuse to recognize the benefits you do have, not through the auspices of those same ignorant jackasses in Washington, D.C., but through the blood these same soldiers have shed, just so you can sleep at home, in your comfy little world, where you can say and write what you wish, and not through, once again, poilitical auspices, but the blood and sweat and tears of those, and again, airmen, soldiers, sailors, marines, and coast guard.
Most of these young people joined the military for a sense of national pride, and something your heroic idols in Washington know nothing about, a sense of honor. Granted, some may have considered educational benefits, or other consideration, but that, in most cases was secondary.
Now, those same hypocritical bigots in Washington are doing what they do best, screwing people that actually serve a useful purpose for THEIR nation, and proving, once again, that "nothing good goes unpunished."
unemployed military,middle class,poor the rich and their puppets the united states goverment have a message for you"LET THEM EAT CAKE"hahahahaha.
long live free trade/job exporting!
vote republican and watch fox news for the new truth
There is plenty to do for US military here at home, like protecting the US borders. Most of the military cost is not in salaries but in insanely high cost of RUNNING WARS OVERSEAS!!! One missile costs several millions of dollars, fuel delivered to bases in Afghanistan costs well over $100 per gallon and even ordinary ammo is very expensive. A simple firefight in Afghanistan can easily cost a few million dollars if helicopter gunships are involved.
Shouldn't we be more pissed they'd rather leave the soldiers out to dry over putting less money into R&D and everywhere else?
Sorry about the military service... but joint the real world.... Police department? Good chance since in most Civil Service areas you will get 10 point veterans preference added to your test scores (that's why almost nobody gets hired in police forces unless they military background)...
That goes for most federal jobs these days.
vets get five points, unless they are rated with a disability from the VA, or is a purple heart recepient. And that goes for all federal jobs. Unless you are applying for a job that requires an advanced degree, it is almost impossible for a non-veteran to get federal employment.
Kevin Bitz - join the real world? When you're stationed in Iraq, Afghanistan, along the DMZ in Korea, on a ship at sea in the Arabian Gulf, it's as "real" as it gets. Just like the "real" world, servicemen and women get killed every day, have families to support, and lives to live.
The draft ended in the 1970's. It's what the American people wanted. To get enough volunteers, the services had to not only recruit single people from our society, but family men and women as well. That costs more money. In general, an all-volunteer force costs more money. I speak from experience - 20 years in the Navy - your Navy. With a family. With 3 overseas tours in 4 years on average, most days and nights spent at sea in between working up for those deployments, and 2 shore tours lasting just over 3 years each.
Sucking on the govt tit? I don't think so. You want it cheaper? Bring back the draft! No? Otherwise, I'd just as soon you said thank you and went on your way.
@Ken,
Or maybe the U.S. could stop policing the rest of the world and invading countries that it has no right to invade.
"I'd just as soon you said thank you and went on your way"
Good Jack Nicholson quote from A Few Good Men, but he ended up being the bad guy if you remember
Dem,
When the USA did not police the rest of the world we got drug into two World Wars. Isolationism isn't an answer to anything and only creates more problems.
You also have to remember, the military people don't make policy they go where they are sent, when they are sent.
If you don't like that, take it up with your Washington representatives and stop trying to cut these people off at the knees for your own political agenda.
I'm concerned that criminal enterprises may be recruiting these combat vets. If their families face hard times and no one else hires them, the temptation may be too great to resist.
do you think this is Mexico?
Yeah... no. Who the hell do you think they put into the military? The implications you're making are astounding, and I can bet more people would be offended at what your saying than would support it.
Well yeah,I imagine some will get jobs with the TSA.
Actually, more and more members of gangs are former military. they go into the military to get training. your tax dollars teaching the gangs and cartels how to kill.
Have any proof Jon? ...or is another orifice speaking?
"Actually, more and more members of gangs are former military."
Alex, I'll take 'Things That Janet Napolitano Would Say' for $500.
Your ignorance is amazing. You live in your tiny little bubble and think the world follows your beliefs. You both need to read. This has been a problem since before the first Iraq war. You want proof, just go find the decades of news articles about it.
It was also made known that many white supremicist groups were sending younger members into the military to get training. When you thinking about it, being trained to kill isn't very applicable in the real world. Maybe we should blame the morons who sent our vets into a useless war in the first place.
Are there gang members in the military, yes. Is it as big a problem as the media makes it out to be, No. Back ground checks get the majority of them out before they join.
I guess they're going to have to get a job like the rest of us.
We have a job, a job that 99% of Americans don't want to do.
It is offensive that cuts are hitting our soldiers but the bloated budget/cost overruns will continue... proof positive that the little guy pays the bills while the offensively rich runs UP the bills.
As a veteran who was able to pay for graduate school largely because of the GI Bill, I say to any veteran out there that they can be very competitive against their civilian peers if they obtain the proper education. Most companies will bend over backwards to hire a veteran, as their experiences, leadership skills, and work ethic can translate nicely.
Very true...education, experience, integrity and work ethics are the keys to gainful employment.
I disagree, if you get a human resource manager or forman who has no knowledge of military service, then you get nowhere fast. I've been looking for work for a year now and still nothing.
They have no right to feed at the trough.
I'm retired from the military and I frequently shop at the local base. Believe me, there is no shortage of military folks driving new trucks, luxury SUVs and Harleys; and buying Ipads, Iphones and flat screen TVs. Other than catastrophic events that might befall any citizen, any financial problems a military member have are a result of fiscal irresponsibility. The military sacrifices a lot; but they are relatively well paid.
Max-335867 totally agree with you, so many over extend and wear out their credit cards as well. Military is relatively well paid and has been for years.
Judy, I don't know what you consider "relitively well paid" but the military isn't one area that is. I retired as a SSG, with 20 years of experience from the Army, with all my allowances and other benefits, I was making a little over $60K a year. I walked right into a GS-12 position, doing the same thing I was doing in the Army and started out at $73K a year.
@ Raddave - I'd like to see you get that GS-12 (what step are you?) position without the retirement preference. An overwhelming majority of civil service positions are held by military retirees! Don't get me wrong, I'm not campaigning against the fact, but surely you must realize that your previous experience has enabled you to work for that $73k loaf of bread.
And while we're on the subject, "relatively well paid" is indeed a relative term. How you handle what kind of money you make is a huge factor in determining what kind of value you put on those earnings. For some people, $30k can go a lot further than the $60k you were previously earning.
I'm happy you have an establish GS-scaled job! Hopefuly the RIF doesn't get you, it's already started here.
We are a nation on the decline - there is no denying it. Our standard of living has been declining for years and will continue to decline. With outsourcing and automation, there will be fewer jobs available. No matter who we elect in November, the die has been cast. Cuts in the military are only the tip of the iceberg of cuts to come.
at least his wife is hot!
I couldn't get past him looking @ her boobs. Reminds me of my ex- who was quite hot too, but not much brains. Still, I miss her.
Uncle Stupid can no longer afford to be the world's policeman. Why are we still defending Japan, Germany and S Korea? They're some of our biggest lenders, as well as enjoy the biggest trade surpluses with us. They need to start paying us for these services and/or we get out of their countries and let them start defending themselves.
Hey Hermes and Amber.....
Hermes: Go to school! Yes, you can afford it and Washington state has some of the best programs in the nation. As a family, you can get family housing and as a vet, you can get a ton of support. We did and it helped us get on our feet and do great after we got out. We paid back our "gifts" 10x through taxes.
Amber: Network on the forums at bodybuilding.com. Their forum is one of the most used in the world for weightlifting enthusiasts and a way many people get a job. I know several personal trainers in my area earning $50k plus who network hard and work with a private gym. If you're Latino, then that's an edge you can work to bring more business.
You guys can do this! This monkey is rooting for you!
My family did it as well with four sons, my husband spent 21 yrs in the. U.S. Navy and when he got out we lived in a small house near to where we both grew up. He went to college full time on the GI bill and took a job as a janitor on the side and I worked as a secretary for our local church. We got by, had a roof over our heads, food in our belly and healthcare. No extras to be sure, even could not afford a christmas tree, yet my sons understood that it was steps we were taking to a further path down the road. We survived with one vehicle as well, even all the time we were in the military. So many I feel in this day and age do not know how to cut expenses nor are truly willing to.
If you husband served 21 years, then he got a 50% retirement unless he was dishonorably discharged, it gets even higher with each year after 20 served. Military retirement is one of the best retirement deals out there. So apples and oranges to the situation these kids are in. Your story of sacrifice is nice, but not relevant to unemployment with no long term income source.
Amused In The Midwest - Perhaps for the uninformed you should mention, that's 50% of Base Pay. That doesn't include Separate Rations, BAQ, Clothing Allowance, Hazardous Duty Pay, Special Duty Pay...etc. For my 20-1/2 years, retiring as an E-7, I receive the astronomical amount of $1250/mo. I'd be getting $1500/month but I pay for my own VA Disability...bite me!
I'm a USN veteran who has been actively looking for better employment for the past five years, and I hold the opposite opinion as the one above--thanks to a lot of bad press (PTSD, criminal veterans like the Iraq veteran in Orange County, etc.), veterans are NOT as desirable as they used to be or should be. I've been up for jobs where those on the working level are all for hiring vets, but on the executive level, they "don't want no trouble." Someone who is smart, trained, knows about OSHA and employment laws (i.e. how long and frequent their lunch breaks should be), and knows what they're worth isn't necessarily wanted in an economy where employers want minimum-wagers who'll come in, do everything they're told without question and work overtime upon demand, without even the general courtesy of being asked.
First, I would like to say to all the military serving.... Thank you. I served as well but was not faced with what some have had to face. I appreciate all that you do for me and was glad to hear you were coming home. With that being said I would also like to state, I know some are compensated for the areas they serve in (hazard/combat pay). Military families should not bank on that money! It's a compensation for being in areas of danger. One would hope a family would save the extra pay and get out of a dangerous area as soon as possible. I know it can be difficult when a family has received such funds for a few years but think of the the extra pay as overtime pay. I tell you as I would tell anyone here in the states .. dont bank on something that may not always be available and be thankful that your loved one is out of danger. I thank you for your service.
Well said!
Defense cutbacks should worry ALL families. One term and out for this administration of misfits.
Two statements, neither of which are related.
Another person on the soap box.
Really? did you say the same for the Nixon or Ford administrations after Vietnam...or the GHW Bush administration after Desert Storm? Only an idiot doesn't understand that after every war the administration in office conducts a draw-down...yes indeed...only an idiot!
Sorry Truth, but a large professional military was never intended by our founding fathers.
The Pentagon is simply the biggest organized crime syndicate in the world. All controlled by the (MIC) Military Industrial Complex.
-USN/USMC First Marine Division, Vietnam, 1967-68
Those who don't know their history are doomed to repeat it.....Look back 20 years ago and the same thing happened after the first gulf war people. The cutbacks shouldn't be a shock to anyone who is smart enough to plan for their future.
I live in Clarksville Tennessee the home of the 101st Airborne Division (yes I served from 1987 to 1994) and I watch these young soldiers buy homes with no money down on VA loans and three years later when they get orders to go elsewhere the have to borrow money from their parents to pay closing costs and get out from under their home. New cars, trucks and motorcycles fly off the local dealer lots because you have to have a new vehicle every 3 to 4 years even if the last one isn't paid off. With no money down they have little if any equity in the vehicle and now the payments start over again for sometimes as long as 72 months. The military will pay almost 100% of your spouse to go to college while you serve on active duty but most think having kids is more important and I don't mean one or two you should see the families with 4 or 5 kids and the soldier making $30,000 a year. That becomes a real eye opener when you “free” housing on base is gone, no more cheap groceries at the commissary and you are responsible for your medical care. I had more than one young soldier who ruined their credit and lost their job in the military because they thought they had money in a checking account if they had checks. Their parents never even showed them how to balance a checkbook and when they wrote $2,200 in checks one weekend with only $700.00 in the bank the police in Kentucky came a calling. The laws in Kentucky being a commonwealth are stiffer for bad checks becoming fraud over $1,000 even if they were written at more than one business......education......have you parents showed your child how to file their taxes? Don’t worry there are hundreds of companies who will do it for them bit it will cost them in fees and anticipation loans….education……
Education is the most important thing you can get or receive in your life. It makes you into the person you become. I am not talking college mind you but becoming educated, night classes, learn a trade, there are literally thousands of educational opportunities online you can do in your spare time, if you want to.
Personal responsibility has been forgotten and parents don't teach it to their children today they are too busy being their children's friend. The choices you make today can and will affect your life years and decades from now. If you live for the moment and don't plan for the future you can expect some very hard times in your life.
Like John Wayne used to say "Life is hard....Life is harder when you are stupid"…………
Housing on base was never free, I was a Navy wife with 4 sons for 21 yrs. It was a good rental but never free, misconception there. Many I agree go too crazy with spending. Yet many others do not and I was one of those as was my entire family.
You are basing your impressions on a quite limited view from where you walk your steps upon this earth. I lived 21 yrs. as a wife of a submariner with four sons. The government never offered wives nearly 100% free education, have no idea where that came from and never free housing. We always paid for it, along with our utilities, etc. I have lived a number of different places as well across the country moving every three years or less to a new base, new schools, new friends, etc. Moved 13 times in all.
There should be some accountability on the part of those businesses around military posts as well. When I served it was very easy to go to a car lot, furniture store, electronics outlet, whatever and buy what you wanted with absolutely nothing down (this was 20 years ago even) because in the military you can pay by "allotment". Basically payroll deduction. These businesses like this for some reason and seem very willing to allow a young troop to just pour on the debt.
Not only that, but they know that with one phone call, they will get their money. Even though it is illegal for them to contact, even a soldiers', place of employment.
FYI: All Military were totally cut off from tax Refund Anticipation Loans years ago. Where have you been? (By the way, I agree with the NoBama 2012 - right on!)
Notice how Congress is not taking a hit . How about cutting Congress full retirement benefits. How about paying back College loans that congress gets . It's a shame that the military who makes less than $50,000 a year are being cut .
Salary of a US president $450,000 for life . Salary of House Senate members $174,000 for life. Salary for House Speaker of the house $223.500 for life . Service of Majority Minority leaders $193,400 for life. Average income for Deployed Soldiers in Afghanistan $38,000. Average Seniors salary $12,000 . Maybe the new President should work for free since they are Millionaires . It;s a shame that they can treat the very people that serves their country badly!
Murielle just one correction. The salary for members of congress once retired are for life but did you know if the congress person dies before their spouse dies then the spouse continues receiving that pension for the rest of the spouse's life.
Soldiers' pay is not being cut. I don't know where you got that idea.
Article is misleading. This isn't about military families--it's about former military families. They chose not to re-enlist.
Put another way, they chose to quit their jobs and now they can't find new ones.
They need to bring the draft back for men and let women volunteer if they so desire. All of Romney's sons need to serve their country just like my father and I had to serve. If the children of the rich and powerful had to serve then maybe there would be more careful considertion before going to war.
Very good, article is totally misleading. I see that now, it is about those who chose not to re-enlist. Yes, quit their jobs in this economy without being sure they could find another.
Obviously you have never been in the military. It is a very stressful way of life and I could not wait to get out and get back home to my family.
J
Jim, you may have hated the military, there were days that I did as well. But, you don't get out without first preparing for it, especially in a weak economy.
Jim: thanks for your service. Several of my relatives served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. They say that the old saying about being in a combat zone is absolutely true, for each week being there, they would have 6 days of total boredom, 23 hours of being on edge (while in the field) and 1 hour of absolute terror. Each one of them would never recommend serving when it is known you are going into combat.
For the time before we went to war, they said the job was like any other: You went to work, did your job, came home at the end of the day. Most of the time you had weekends off and a pretty good life. The real downside was always the potential that "next week you could be ordered to go somewhere and die."
That little potential is why so many do their time and get out.
It's sad these people are once again being used as a pawn not to cut defense spending. You can cut all the defense spending, which is mostly not about payroll and still give them paycheck if you want and you're still cutting defense spending. What they don't want is you cutting their fat chubby contracts worth billions for all the equipment and crap. Tell you what, just stop the spending on everything else and let them keep the paycheck, you'll still save tons of money. Let's see what kind of lame excuse those fat pigs are gonna come up with next.
If I was responsible for hiring... the military men and women would be at the top of my list...period.
1)Yes Yus.
2) They are facing a stiff job market? Welcome to the real world of the middle class out here. I have paid for your military job for quite some time now, and this story tells me that you want some sympathy from me?! Returning troops that voluntarily or otherwise leave the military are facing the rotten economic situation that exists, and most of the economic procrastinators have never mentioned the potential influx of the tens or hundreds of thousands of soldiers coming home. The situation may become even more dire, as many have gained experience after years of duty that does not translate to a peacetime economy. We need to change this with addtitional training upon leaving the military, but since it would only show the true cost of wars I doubt that it will ever be offered. I find the statistics mentioned in the article interesting, "The First Command Financial Behaviors Index, which tracks the finances of families with income of $50,000 or more, found that 49 percent of military families were planning to cut back on excessive spending in 2012, compared with 42 percent of nonmilitary families" Less than half? The military and its soldiers may be living in a bubble that will burst when cuts come. The wording is also awkward as the statement seems to say the FCFB monitors only those with incomes of $50,000 or more and than refers to "49 percent of military families" (not 49 percent of THOSE families, the ones with $50,000 or more). Are they saying that 49% of military families make $50,000 or more? And that many have not saved and prepared for a life outside the military? Perhaps they could go to work for the private contractors who employ pseudo soldiers at far greater saleries than our own soldiers. I can't imagine what it must be like having to see higher paid people doing the same or safer work while you run the risk of being shot to death. And, there is the disturbing trend toward the militarization of our civil police forces that former soldiers will find jobs in, or train local police forces, all the while having not come to see "the other" without seeing "the enemy".
raincheck..you're aware that members of the military pay taxes too right? FICA / STATE etc.
I'm not sure what the disdain is for returning members of the military as they share and explore the woes of the private sector. It's a VOLUNTEER force, civilians who became soldiers/sailors/airmen and then chose to become civilians again.
Welcome them back as citizens who heeded a call (could be your relative) and wish them luck as they transition into the private sector.
If folks think it's that bad...join the military.
Now go find a vet and bitch at them
raincheck..you're aware that members of the military pay taxes too right? FICA / STATE etc.
I'm not sure what the disdain is for returning members of the military as they share and explore the woes of the private sector. It's a VOLUNTEER force, civilians who became soldiers/sailors/airmen and then chose to become civilians again.
Welcome them back as citizens who heeded a call (could be your relative) and wish them luck as they transition into the private sector.
If folks think it's that bad...join the military.
Now go find a vet and bitch at them
OK, this is "awesome" and all that...however, I'm fed up with hearing about pleadings of immigrants - legal or illegal when you have a nation filled with long time generational families of dedicated service members that suffer from homelessness and are conclusively failed by Congress with threats of no pay or no concern upon discharge.
I have a right to speak this and I will not stop.
Far too much emphasis in the media and in government is being paid to immigrants ALL the time to discourage from others to defend themselves.
I will not stand for this systematic intimidation to cause legal US citizens to feel guilt about being who we are as dedicated citizens.
Therefore, while I am glad this young man has served his nation - let him join it and be actually one of the United States.
I will respect him even more if he does.
Otherwise, limit the attention on this issue and emphasize citizens.
I made myself clear.
Yes, you did make yourself clear, and that is you are a xenophobe. It does not say, in this article, whether or not he became a citizen. But, MANY immigrants join the military because it speeds up the citizenship process.
raddave-- It says he is Cuban. Because we still hate Cuba decades later, Cubans have an extremely fast fast-track to citizenship.
mackie-- he is a citizen, read the article.
Good point Mackie. I'll bet many Native Americans (the country's only real natives) agree with you, and would like you to go back to where you came from.
So speaking out about illegal aliens makes you xenophobe?
You know illegal? like CRIMINALS?? sheesh!
The military, just like every other government organization is going to have to cut expenses. That means many people will be out of a job.
It's the unfortunate result of many, many years of financial mismanagment by the government. I'm not talking about President Obama's administration. I'm not talking about President Bush's term in office. This problem goes back much further and covers many administrations.
This simple fact is that the government has been racking up the credit card for the past 60 years and the bill is now coming due. I just hope everyone holds all politicians (Republican, Democrat, and Tea Party) accountable for finding a balanced solution to the problem.
Don't forget OWS.