Officer pay range?

T

Turelio

Active member
Right now I'm a senior in highscool, and I've decided where to go to college. The question is what to do afterwards, but there's no harm in thinking ahead.. I've always been attracted by the idea of the military, but my one big concern is...
Is it reasonably possible to support a large (say 4-7 kids) family as an officer in the military?
 
All depends on when you want to start having this clan, and what sacrifices you're willing to make. One of my friends (an O1) has two children right now, and is about to make O2, and is doing fine, but he doesn't drive a real nice car or live what you might call a luxurious lifestyle. Of course, having a spouse who works is beneficial, but that also depends on your view of parenting.
 
MIL Officer Pay Grades

I'm enlisted, and even though this may not apply, I was always told ( in the air force) if you want to have a family and be able to get by, you need at least 2 stripes for yourself, and an additional stripe for each dependent. Remember, this is on a very tight budget. No frills. No BMW in the Driveway, Base Housing.

Here's how that theory breaks down:

E-1-------No Wife, No Children
E-2-------No Wife, No Children
E-3-------Married, No Children
E-4-------Married, 1 Child
E-5-------Married, 2 Children
E-6-------Married, 3 Children
E-7-------Married, 4 Children
E-8-------Married, 5 Children----- YOU MIGHT BE CRAZY
E-9-------Married, 6 Children

O-1-------Married, 7 Children
O-2-------Married, 8 Children----- TIME FOR A SECTION 8?
O-3-------Married, 9 Children
O-4-------Married, 10 Children
O-5-------Married, 11 Children
O-6-------Married, 12 Children
O-7-------Married, 13 Children----- WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!
O-8-------Married, 14 Children
O-9-------Married, 15 Children
O-10------Married, 16 Children
 
JulesLee said:
ROFL thats sooo fuking funny.. and i thinka E-9 makes more than a O1.. lol
Click to expand...

I make more than an O-4 with the same years I have in and more than most O-5s that have less years than I.
 
SrAMontrey said:
I'm enlisted, and even though this may not apply, I was always told ( in the air force) if you want to have a family and be able to get by, you need at least 2 stripes for yourself, and an additional stripe for each dependent. Remember, this is on a very tight budget. No frills. No BMW in the Driveway, Base Housing.

Here's how that theory breaks down:

E-1-------No Wife, No Children
E-2-------No Wife, No Children
E-3-------Married, No Children
E-4-------Married, 1 Child
E-5-------Married, 2 Children
E-6-------Married, 3 Children
E-7-------Married, 4 Children
E-8-------Married, 5 Children----- YOU MIGHT BE CRAZY
E-9-------Married, 6 Children

O-1-------Married, 7 Children
O-2-------Married, 8 Children----- TIME FOR A SECTION 8?
O-3-------Married, 9 Children
O-4-------Married, 10 Children
O-5-------Married, 11 Children
O-6-------Married, 12 Children
O-7-------Married, 13 Children----- WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!
O-8-------Married, 14 Children
O-9-------Married, 15 Children
O-10------Married, 16 Children
Click to expand...


I wonder how a mormon family would fare with 100 children.
 
As a civilian, I was making just over six figures -- got a direct commission to O-3, and while I'm certainly not making the money I was, my paycut wasn't THAT bad paycheck to paycheck (between the added BAH, and not having to pay local/state income taxes due to the SCRA) -- I can still support myself. Helps that the fiancée is a rising star in the pharmaceutical industry, she's become my sugar momma. :mrgreen:

It should not be a problem raising a family as an officer, as long as you don't already have a few kids and while coming in as a brand-new butter bar. You're definitely not going to be driving around in BMW's and living in the 5 bedroom colonial with 3,000 square feet on 2 acres of land, but unless you completely have no control of your spending, you should be able to pay the bills and all.

That said, if you're in the regular military, it'll be tough for your wife to help support the family, since you'll constantly be moving from duty station to duty station. If you're a staff officer (i.e., non-combatant) with a special skill (like a medical specialist or a lawyer), you can usually finagle a little leeway such that you're not moving around quite as much, but you'll still move around. As it is, my better half is in New Jersey while I live and work in the DC area. We're just hoping that I don't get moved too far from the East Coast. (It also helps we're not planning on having kids.)
 
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so can a family have a house somewhere in the united states (not in base) and the person whos in the military can do his/her thing(living in base) while the other partner can stay at that house maybe with a civilan job? or I should find a wife at the military and maybe get that buddy system! lol
I heard that Generals gets maids in their houses?
 
Hmmmm, let me see if I can break out your questions:

- You will NOT be able to live on base AND earn a housing allowance at the same time. You will have to choose one or the other. That said, there's nothing that prevents your spouse from having a civilian job, but the fact remains that you get moved around a lot in the military, and your spouse will constantly be quitting their job in order to move with you. Also, I saw some of the houses at Fort Drum (NY), Andrews AFB (MD) and at the Naval Academy -- they're all pretty nice.

- If you marry another servicemember, you will NOT be allowed to both draw housing allowances. Only one of you can draw a housing allowance (and I'm guessing that it's the person that has the higher allowance).

- Rank hath its privileges; I would guess that flag/general officers living on base would probably be granted some sort of domestic help, if they so choose. Don't quote me on that one, though.
 
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