On the third Friday of the A to Z Challenge

M is for Money

For some reason as soon as I started this post I couldn’t stop singing, “Money, Money, Money, must be funny, in a rich man’s world.” I blame ABBA, and Mamma Mia! 

Okay moving on. 

One thing that I will never understand is why some people think marrying someone in the military means a life of riches. Clearly they have never actually looked at the LES (Leave and Earnings Statement) of someone in the military. The salary of someone in the military is not one to be envied, and is certainly not equivalent to the salaries of civilians doing the same job. 

We know people that have joined the military to get a free education, and others who joined because they didn’t know where their life was going. But a majority of those people don’t make a career out of being in the military, they often do their time and figure out who and what they want to be, and get out. Which is perfectly fine. 

But then there are those that join the military and decided they want to make a career of it. The salary can’t be the diving force, because my husband could do what he is doing right now for a civilian company or even as a DOD employee and make a lot more than what he is making right now. So I’ve asked my husband what makes him want to continue to serve?

His Response

 Since I can remember, I have always wanted to serve my country, and every day I take pride in doing exactly that. While some days/deployments are hard, I still come home with a sense of accomplishment and pride in what we do to protect America. Also, while I could be making more money outside of the military, I know that I am providing a stable(ish), positive environment for my daughter to grow up in.  

The military lifestyle isn’t about the money, and that is okay. Because there are things out there that are more important than money.