join the army

900 Words2 Pages

I retired from the Army last year July 1, 2004. After spending 23 years in the Army, I would encourage any young man or woman to join. The Army was a great experience, and I would do it all over again if given the opportunity. The benefits I received made it well worth the occasional sacrifice. Some of the benefits are full time employment, money for college, free health care, Learning new skills, and the pride of knowing you are serving your country. While in the Army I earned decent money, 30 days vacation a year, and was eligible for numerous benefits for my service.
While on active duty in the Army I received what is called basic pay.
I got paid twice monthly on the 1st and the 15th of each month. I have heard a lot of people complain about the pay in the military, which is unjustified in most cases. I retired last year as a First Sergeant with 23 years in service and my retirement pay is $2200.00 a month. I still needed to work full time and make at least $16.00 an hour to earn as much as I did in the Army. Some soldiers don’t realize or appreciate the fact that a lot of the income they receive is tax free. The Army provides for housing, meals, and uniforms and all this is provided tax free and isn’t added to W-2 at the end of the year as earned income. I didn’t realize how good the pay was until after I retired and stopped receiving these benefits. The best and most important benefit to me is the military pension for 20 or more years of service. I will receive a pensio...

Open Document