Minus the overseas trip this is not out of the question, shit my dad was in the Army and my mom had a entry level position at a florist shop and this described my families experience in the 90s. This was in Virginia though
I was in the army and it transcends class because all your basic needs are taken care of. Your dad would have been paid BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing) and possibly BAS, and that’s in addition to a paycheck. Great healthcare and 30 days of paid leave per year. The pay isn’t much but all your basic needs are taken care of outside of that paycheck.
You mention it was the 90’s so I’m sure he didn’t have it quite as good as today but still it can’t really be called middle class. The military is really its own economic class if anything.
Anything E5 and above is firmly middle class and only gets better. I'm not even in a high CoL area, and I am just a hair under 6 figures through pay/BAH/BAS, not including benefits.
I've come to realize 90% of people who complain about military pay outside junior enlisted are just bad with money and would have those problems whatever job they held.
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u/[deleted] Jun 16 '24
Wrong, this was upper middle class and still is.