1969 Pay in case anyone was wondering

In 1971-72 I made $480/mo., which included E5 pay, overseas pay and combat pay.

...my first paycheck in Basic training was $92(1969), the next monthly payday yielded $108. I think there were some charges that they took out of my first paycheck, I don't know, certainly had no opportunity to spend it anywhere.
 
In 1961, I earned $1,154 for the entire year as an E-2/E-3. In today's dollars it would be worth $9,759.
In 1969, I earned $7,740 for the entire year as an E-7. In today's dollars it would be worth $54,945.
In 1996, our combined earnings peaked at $169,040. In today's dollars that would be worth $284,586.

Inflation is a brutal and scary thing, especially for retirees.
 
Last edited:
Somebody showed me an invitation to a New Year's Eve 1965 dinner, dance and breakfast at a local country club. The whopping all-in price was $6.50 per person.

Everything depends on costs. I made $8500 per year at my first "real" job in New York in 1975. But I was able to afford a studio apartment at $200 per month. A studio rents now for about $2500, far outstripping wage gains.

Price increases in a couple of areas like housing and college tuition are extraordinary and have vastly outpaced inflation.
 
I don't remember what I made in 1969 but I took a municipal job at the health department for $4,999 a year in 1970 or 1971. It was $1,001 less than a county job I was offered but I could walk to the health department instead of taking the bus and my son's future school was right around the corner from the office. One of the best decisions I ever made because I received promotions within my unit, including a switch to state payroll with substantial increases in pay. Icing on the cake...the city and state use the same pension plan.
 
When I was stationed in the UK, we lived on-base at one of them
and lived off-base at the other.

They offered us Base Housing at both, but we enjoyed living in a quiet
small village so much, we turned it down at my last base.

We adjusted our spending to do this. Extra COLA helped a lot.

Why live in a different country only to surround yourself in an 'American Island'
which was the Base? Wife loved going to 'High Street' on Wednesdays and I loved
the local Pub.

Only American family in the village and it was the best place we ever lived.
(sorry to take the thread off -track)
 
lots of people have thanked me for my service and I often return the comment with "I should be thanking you for the paid vacation that this ol country boy had, visiting foreign countries I would never have seen otherwise and you paid me to do it!
As far as pay goes I never really considered it much. I had free meals,free medical,a warm dry place to sleep and a job.

as an aside second post because of my military service I have free VA medical care. Which if you note my photo I am on oxygen.
 
Last edited:
cdestroyer said:
lots of people have thanked me for my service and I often return the comment with "I should be thanking you for the paid vacation that this ol country boy had, visiting foreign countries I would never have seen otherwise and you paid me to do it!
As far as pay goes I never really considered it much. I had free meals,free medical,a warm dry place to sleep and a job.
Click to expand...

I'm with you. I got a full years electronics training that set me up for a good lifetime career. I spent 4 years in Europe, and saw sights few tourists ever see. I met a wonderful young German girl, and we're still together 57 years later. I finished my second tour in Thailand, and saw some marvelous places there....in spite of that Vietnam War mess.
Money was of little concern while I was in the USAF....I managed nicely on what would be a paltry sum today, and had 7 years of seeing things I would have never seen otherwise.
Joining the military was, for me, a good decision. It made me into an adult, and set me up for a pretty good life.
 
I am not upset with the military, but it would have obviously been a better experience had I not been sent to Vietnam. It was what it was and I am no longer losing sleep over it. I have to say, quite emphatically, that I am very grateful for the way the VA has been there for me. As for the military pay, it was fine for me since I wasn't married and didn't have any bills. Stateside, if we ran out of money, we could always come back to post and eat/sleep there. In Vietnam, at least where I was, there was nothing to spend money on anyway.

Tony
 
Blimey you all earned loads compared to me. My first real job in 1970 paid me the grand sum of £4/10 a week. This was pre decimilisation for any that don't know, equivalent to £4.50 today.. ..and I had to hand it all over unopened to my father..
 
Feelslikefar said:
When I was stationed in the UK, we lived on-base at one of them
and lived off-base at the other.

They offered us Base Housing at both, but we enjoyed living in a quiet
small village so much, we turned it down at my last base.

We adjusted our spending to do this. Extra COLA helped a lot.

Why live in a different country only to surround yourself in an 'American Island'
which was the Base? Wife loved going to 'High Street' on Wednesdays and I loved
the local Pub.

Only American family in the village and it was the best place we ever lived.
(sorry to take the thread off -track)
Click to expand...
Do I know you from another forum ?...I seem to remember someone somewhere else saying the same thing.... :giggle:
 
My first job was washing windows and mowing lawns. When I was old enough for a "real" job (i.e. that paid into Social Security and involved having an employer other than myself, I worked summers for Department of Water and Power in Los Angeles starting at age 15 1/2, which was then the legal working age in California. I got minimum wage, which was around $1.50 an hour in the late 1960s (1967-68).

Tony
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top