Monday, April 12, 2004
Sea Pay v. Combat Pay: A Comparison
Strategy Page has an interesting article on a movement within the Army to pay soldiers "field pay," which would be something similar to 'Sea Pay' for Navy personnel.
The U.S. Army is considering paying soldiers serving overseas in hostile environments (not necessarily combat zones) special pay. It's being called "field pay." This concept is based on the U.S. Navy's "sea pay." The U.S. Navy has long paid sailors extra pay for time spent on board a ship at sea. This "sea pay" compensates for being away from the comforts of home, or at least the civilian amenities found outside naval bases. It's also compensation for the prohibition (since 1914) against alcoholic drinks on board. The pay varies according to rank, time in the navy and other factors. Currently, enlisted sailors get $50 to $646 per month, warrant officers $180 to $730 and commissioned officers $100 to $535.
Link.
Hmmm...let me get this straight. Under the Navy's "Sea Pay" program, as an O-2 with 11 years in, for sipping lemonade and watching movies on an air conditioned aircraft carrier with its own gym and internet cafe and cool ports-of-call like Hobart, Honolulu, and Hong Kong, the Navy would have given me $335 dollars/month in sea pay just for showing up.
I spent almost all of the last year in the Sunni Triangle of Iraq dodging IEDs and RPGs, catching mortar shells on dozens and dozens of occasions, watching my buddies get shot up and leave my compound on a stretcher, and I'm qualified for $250 a month hostile fire pay.
Even an E-4 would be making more in sea pay than he would getting shot at in Iraq in the Army, once he hits his third year of service.
Oh. Navy personnel operating in a combat zone are entitled to both Sea Pay and hostile fire pay.
Nice.
See, this is why I usually steer young kids who ask me about the military to Navy and Air Force recruiters first.
Quite frankly, they take better care of their people.
Splash, out
Jason
The U.S. Army is considering paying soldiers serving overseas in hostile environments (not necessarily combat zones) special pay. It's being called "field pay." This concept is based on the U.S. Navy's "sea pay." The U.S. Navy has long paid sailors extra pay for time spent on board a ship at sea. This "sea pay" compensates for being away from the comforts of home, or at least the civilian amenities found outside naval bases. It's also compensation for the prohibition (since 1914) against alcoholic drinks on board. The pay varies according to rank, time in the navy and other factors. Currently, enlisted sailors get $50 to $646 per month, warrant officers $180 to $730 and commissioned officers $100 to $535.
Link.
Hmmm...let me get this straight. Under the Navy's "Sea Pay" program, as an O-2 with 11 years in, for sipping lemonade and watching movies on an air conditioned aircraft carrier with its own gym and internet cafe and cool ports-of-call like Hobart, Honolulu, and Hong Kong, the Navy would have given me $335 dollars/month in sea pay just for showing up.
I spent almost all of the last year in the Sunni Triangle of Iraq dodging IEDs and RPGs, catching mortar shells on dozens and dozens of occasions, watching my buddies get shot up and leave my compound on a stretcher, and I'm qualified for $250 a month hostile fire pay.
Even an E-4 would be making more in sea pay than he would getting shot at in Iraq in the Army, once he hits his third year of service.
Oh. Navy personnel operating in a combat zone are entitled to both Sea Pay and hostile fire pay.
Nice.
See, this is why I usually steer young kids who ask me about the military to Navy and Air Force recruiters first.
Quite frankly, they take better care of their people.
Splash, out
Jason
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