Are Soldiers Paid Enough For Sacrifice Essay
Are Soldiers Paid Enough For the Sacrifices They Make?
Bernard A. Downing
Mr. Horne
The discussion surrounding the debate as to rather or not soldiers are under paid for their sacrifices and services has been a debate that has seemed to linger for some time now. The everyday sacrifice that a soldier has to make seems to go unnoticed when compared to the compensation received by professional athletes for their time away. We live in a country whereas the same people who fight for your everyday rights to freedom are being underpaid and under appreciate by society as a whole because of social standards and what we Americans deem an appropriate career for compensation. Throughout the ranks of the military personnel are paid differently based on many different things, one being marital status. Professional athletes make on average $5 million per year. The average salary for our country’s military personnel: $50,000 (Veterans Overshadowed: Athletes high pay unfair, 2012 …show more content…
).There are some military personnel who still need government assistance because of the low pay, a fact that many try to cover up in a discussion about pay for our military. Professional sports players are paid based on performance and position. The different metrics of the pay scale between soldiers and professional sports players changes the way most perspectives is about their angle towards the debate. Marines further differ from professional athletes in that they are required to perform at the same high level for a 20-plus-year career without the luxury of “peaking” for a competition. A Marine’s combat performance and survivability depends on his physical fitness/durability and is indiscriminate of age and time in service(Knowles, 2010). The highest ranking military personnel salary is paid less than the lowest paid professional sports player in any league. The highest ranking military personnel in which would be a four star general makes approximately $156,000 dollars a year, according to the 2014 military pay chart, whilst a professional sports player who is considered a bench warmer due to lack of performance makes 2.8 million dollars a year according to the Free Money Finance (2006). The adequate amount of difference in pay is rather high when in comparison with each other. When you consider the facts as to why a soldier is paid the amount of salary he receives a year versus professional sports personnel who is paid to perform their duties the scale is unbalanced by far. Throughout a soldier’s career he or she spends twenty percent of his time with his family while the other eighty percent is either going on hazardous deployments or to handle military business to develop within his or her career .Deployed soldiers in Afghanistan could earn as little as $3,000 per month, compared to an athlete’s $500,000 ((Veterans Overshadowed: Athletes high pay unfair, 2012). Soldier time away from family while on deployments consist of being in hazardous areas where a soldier could possible lose their life in combat or also die due to third world illnesses; if not their life they stand the chance of losing a limb. The chances of a soldier being injured during daily performances such as being at work are rather high. Soldier daily responsibility consist of exercising, the lifting of heavy material and also to include various other extraneous activities that may cause injury or bodily harm. An intervention exercises reduced lost time due to injuries by 62 percent and the number of injuries by 42 percent over a 12-month period. There are other times where soldier are on temporary duty in another state for classes related to their profession within the ranks where they have to be away from family. The soldiers are provided with comfortable living in most cases in government approved hotel where they are provided with meals and boarding. These soldiers are well taken care of for the most part but time spent away from families sometimes seems to cause issues within most marriages. This seems to be a big issue for soldiers whose jobs require for them to be gone on temporary duty more often than others.
Military personnel who are away from home on deployments or temporary duty more than most families tend to suffer and go through problems that most time end up in divorce or separation. The sacrifices that they are making to protect this country from its enemy are causing distress within their own homes and mental health; a sacrifice many negate to account for. There have been cases as where soldiers have been gone from home for some time and their other half feels the need for companionship causing infidelity within their relationship. Also with most coming home and also going on deployments some soldiers miss the birth of their child while other soldier who may have been killed in combat never get a chance to even meet their newborn child that they help create to bring into this world. Professional sports player spend a large amount of time away from their families as well but under different circumstances.
Professional sports player are seen as idols within society; they are highly paid individuals that society embraces as role model. When professional athletes are away from family on business adventures or their job related endeavors they are treated with top of the line services. They tend to stay in expensive hotels in various cities and states within the United States where the food and beverages are paid for by the organizations they play for but are limited to purchases. While on travel they rarely face life threating injuries or fatalities. Professional sports players biggest threats are from opposing team fans that have pure hatred for their organization. While performing their sport of choice they face danger from the opposing team players as well causing injuries to their body but rarely ever the severity serious enough to cause death amongst each
other.
Professional sports player also have to deal with relationship issue with their other half. Being in the media presence can either be a good thing or a bad one depending on the circumstances being presented by the media. Sometimes professional sports player lives outside of their families are brought to life on mainstream from various media outlets causing distress at home between the individual and his other half. Photos and videos can being sometimes interpreted or changed to look like something that it’s really not. Pressure from the media adds extra stress so at all times when out in a public atmosphere professional sports player have to be aware of surrounding. Due to their profession depending on the time of the year and the ranking of their organization they maybe can’t afford time away when most needed. In these cases sports players sometime missed the birth of their children as well. Most sports player are given the option to take a leave of absence but if the individual is the star of the team and needed at the time departure is unlikely due to the assistance they provide within the organization.
The difference in reasons as to why soldiers should be paid more and professional sports players are overpaid is very interesting topic. To be in the military, you have to be committed to your job, be able to work with different people, learn to communicate and do what your leaders want you to do (Frollo,2012) . Depending on your audience aimed whom your arguer may be views and arguments will vary. There are a lot of different views on this subject in way out for the less fortunate. As within in every organization there are those individual who under-perform based on company policy and standards. In the ranks of the military it’s believe that some skate by easier than either due to various reasons. Females tend to get breaks from certain individuals based off their gender, some military personnel get promotion based off group or other organizations they represent and then you have those who get ahead of the pack based off their race, color and the creed they represent. This has caused a stir in society forcing them to live in belief that the military only takes in left overs under skilled individuals. The belief has led them to believe that military personnel are being paid properly.
I personally think that soldiers are underpaid. Most individual with a military background will tell you that the pay is not great but the benefits are great. Soldiers are faced with obstacle every day that make their situation more badly than the previous day. From constant pressure from subordinates to family issues because of time spent away causing frustration amongst both parties involved soldiers have to deal with such. Even with all the adversity soldiers face in their day to day activities yet and still they are underpaid for their sacrifices. Most professional athletes make more in their rookie contract then an average soldier makes during his whole career. Professional athletes are overpaid and yet they also have great retirement and medical support.
Bibliography
2014 Military Pay Scale - Effective January 1st, 2014. (n.d.). 2014 Military Pay Scale. Retrieved March 3, 2014, from http://www.militaryfactory.com/military_pay_scale.asp
Free Money Finance. (2006, September 12). 'Free Money Finance '. Retrieved March 3, 2014, from http://www.freemoneyfinance.com/2006/09/salaries_of_ave.html
Frollo, Joe . (2012) "From Soldier to Pro Football, McCune Has Learned Much." . USA Football.
<http://usafootball.com/news/featured-articles/soldier-pro-football-mccune-has-learned-much>.
McDaniel, Lance, and Brian McGuire. "Marines Are Professional Athletes." The Marine Corp Gazette . <http://www.mca-marines.org/gazette/article/marines-are-professional-athletes>.
Schrock, S. (2012, November 12). Veterans overshadowed: Athletes’ high pay unfair - thecrite.com. Retrieved February 15, 2014, from http://thecrite.com/home/2012/11/11/veterans- overshadowed-athletes-high-pay-unfair/
Stumpf, A. (2007). The Soldier. The Soldier vs. The Professional Athlete. <http://andystumpfsoldierslife.blogspot.com/2007/01/soldier-vs-professional-athlete.html>.
Bernard A. Downing
Mr. Horne
The discussion surrounding the debate as to rather or not soldiers are under paid for their sacrifices and services has been a debate that has seemed to linger for some time now. The everyday sacrifice that a soldier has to make seems to go unnoticed when compared to the compensation received by professional athletes for their time away. We live in a country whereas the same people who fight for your everyday rights to freedom are being underpaid and under appreciate by society as a whole because of social standards and what we Americans deem an appropriate career for compensation. Throughout the ranks of the military personnel are paid differently based on many different things, one being marital status. Professional athletes make on average $5 million per year. The average salary for our country’s military personnel: $50,000 (Veterans Overshadowed: Athletes high pay unfair, 2012 …show more content…
).There are some military personnel who still need government assistance because of the low pay, a fact that many try to cover up in a discussion about pay for our military. Professional sports players are paid based on performance and position. The different metrics of the pay scale between soldiers and professional sports players changes the way most perspectives is about their angle towards the debate. Marines further differ from professional athletes in that they are required to perform at the same high level for a 20-plus-year career without the luxury of “peaking” for a competition. A Marine’s combat performance and survivability depends on his physical fitness/durability and is indiscriminate of age and time in service(Knowles, 2010). The highest ranking military personnel salary is paid less than the lowest paid professional sports player in any league. The highest ranking military personnel in which would be a four star general makes approximately $156,000 dollars a year, according to the 2014 military pay chart, whilst a professional sports player who is considered a bench warmer due to lack of performance makes 2.8 million dollars a year according to the Free Money Finance (2006). The adequate amount of difference in pay is rather high when in comparison with each other. When you consider the facts as to why a soldier is paid the amount of salary he receives a year versus professional sports personnel who is paid to perform their duties the scale is unbalanced by far. Throughout a soldier’s career he or she spends twenty percent of his time with his family while the other eighty percent is either going on hazardous deployments or to handle military business to develop within his or her career .Deployed soldiers in Afghanistan could earn as little as $3,000 per month, compared to an athlete’s $500,000 ((Veterans Overshadowed: Athletes high pay unfair, 2012). Soldier time away from family while on deployments consist of being in hazardous areas where a soldier could possible lose their life in combat or also die due to third world illnesses; if not their life they stand the chance of losing a limb. The chances of a soldier being injured during daily performances such as being at work are rather high. Soldier daily responsibility consist of exercising, the lifting of heavy material and also to include various other extraneous activities that may cause injury or bodily harm. An intervention exercises reduced lost time due to injuries by 62 percent and the number of injuries by 42 percent over a 12-month period. There are other times where soldier are on temporary duty in another state for classes related to their profession within the ranks where they have to be away from family. The soldiers are provided with comfortable living in most cases in government approved hotel where they are provided with meals and boarding. These soldiers are well taken care of for the most part but time spent away from families sometimes seems to cause issues within most marriages. This seems to be a big issue for soldiers whose jobs require for them to be gone on temporary duty more often than others.
Military personnel who are away from home on deployments or temporary duty more than most families tend to suffer and go through problems that most time end up in divorce or separation. The sacrifices that they are making to protect this country from its enemy are causing distress within their own homes and mental health; a sacrifice many negate to account for. There have been cases as where soldiers have been gone from home for some time and their other half feels the need for companionship causing infidelity within their relationship. Also with most coming home and also going on deployments some soldiers miss the birth of their child while other soldier who may have been killed in combat never get a chance to even meet their newborn child that they help create to bring into this world. Professional sports player spend a large amount of time away from their families as well but under different circumstances.
Professional sports player are seen as idols within society; they are highly paid individuals that society embraces as role model. When professional athletes are away from family on business adventures or their job related endeavors they are treated with top of the line services. They tend to stay in expensive hotels in various cities and states within the United States where the food and beverages are paid for by the organizations they play for but are limited to purchases. While on travel they rarely face life threating injuries or fatalities. Professional sports players biggest threats are from opposing team fans that have pure hatred for their organization. While performing their sport of choice they face danger from the opposing team players as well causing injuries to their body but rarely ever the severity serious enough to cause death amongst each
other.
Professional sports player also have to deal with relationship issue with their other half. Being in the media presence can either be a good thing or a bad one depending on the circumstances being presented by the media. Sometimes professional sports player lives outside of their families are brought to life on mainstream from various media outlets causing distress at home between the individual and his other half. Photos and videos can being sometimes interpreted or changed to look like something that it’s really not. Pressure from the media adds extra stress so at all times when out in a public atmosphere professional sports player have to be aware of surrounding. Due to their profession depending on the time of the year and the ranking of their organization they maybe can’t afford time away when most needed. In these cases sports players sometime missed the birth of their children as well. Most sports player are given the option to take a leave of absence but if the individual is the star of the team and needed at the time departure is unlikely due to the assistance they provide within the organization.
The difference in reasons as to why soldiers should be paid more and professional sports players are overpaid is very interesting topic. To be in the military, you have to be committed to your job, be able to work with different people, learn to communicate and do what your leaders want you to do (Frollo,2012) . Depending on your audience aimed whom your arguer may be views and arguments will vary. There are a lot of different views on this subject in way out for the less fortunate. As within in every organization there are those individual who under-perform based on company policy and standards. In the ranks of the military it’s believe that some skate by easier than either due to various reasons. Females tend to get breaks from certain individuals based off their gender, some military personnel get promotion based off group or other organizations they represent and then you have those who get ahead of the pack based off their race, color and the creed they represent. This has caused a stir in society forcing them to live in belief that the military only takes in left overs under skilled individuals. The belief has led them to believe that military personnel are being paid properly.
I personally think that soldiers are underpaid. Most individual with a military background will tell you that the pay is not great but the benefits are great. Soldiers are faced with obstacle every day that make their situation more badly than the previous day. From constant pressure from subordinates to family issues because of time spent away causing frustration amongst both parties involved soldiers have to deal with such. Even with all the adversity soldiers face in their day to day activities yet and still they are underpaid for their sacrifices. Most professional athletes make more in their rookie contract then an average soldier makes during his whole career. Professional athletes are overpaid and yet they also have great retirement and medical support.
Bibliography
2014 Military Pay Scale - Effective January 1st, 2014. (n.d.). 2014 Military Pay Scale. Retrieved March 3, 2014, from http://www.militaryfactory.com/military_pay_scale.asp
Free Money Finance. (2006, September 12). 'Free Money Finance '. Retrieved March 3, 2014, from http://www.freemoneyfinance.com/2006/09/salaries_of_ave.html
Frollo, Joe . (2012) "From Soldier to Pro Football, McCune Has Learned Much." . USA Football.
<http://usafootball.com/news/featured-articles/soldier-pro-football-mccune-has-learned-much>.
McDaniel, Lance, and Brian McGuire. "Marines Are Professional Athletes." The Marine Corp Gazette . <http://www.mca-marines.org/gazette/article/marines-are-professional-athletes>.
Schrock, S. (2012, November 12). Veterans overshadowed: Athletes’ high pay unfair - thecrite.com. Retrieved February 15, 2014, from http://thecrite.com/home/2012/11/11/veterans- overshadowed-athletes-high-pay-unfair/
Stumpf, A. (2007). The Soldier. The Soldier vs. The Professional Athlete. <http://andystumpfsoldierslife.blogspot.com/2007/01/soldier-vs-professional-athlete.html>.