In the army, unmarried enlisted soldiers below the rank of staff sergeant (E6) live in the barracks and eat at the mess hall.
Married enlisted and all officers get an allowance for food and housing, the amount varying from base to base.
For example, a married PFC (E3) with 3 years of service stationed in San Diego gets $2.4k (before taxes) in base pay, $3.6k for housing, and $452 for food. This is all well and good for soldier and their spouse (barely), but when you add kids into the mix and how fucking expensive they are it quickly becomes obvious why families are struggling.
In the army, unmarried enlisted soldiers below the rank of staff sergeant (E6) live in the barracks and eat at the mess hall.
Married enlisted and all officers get an allowance for food and housing, the amount varying from base to base.
For example, a married PFC (E3) with 3 years of service stationed in San Diego gets $2.4k (before taxes) in base pay, $3.6k for housing, and $452 for food. This is all well and good for soldier and their spouse (barely), but when you add kids into the mix and how fucking expensive they are it quickly becomes obvious why families are struggling.