College Grads Getting Rich in the Army

[SoDesuKa]

Meet the Shifrins - a power couple making $133,000 a year for stateside duty in the Army. CNN Money usually reports on ways to get rich, but it's surprising that it promotes military service while avoiding any reference to politics. Some college grads go into financial services; others go into industry. The Shifrins are making it big while learning to supervise torture at Abu Ghraib.

Matthew and Kristen met in 2004 while stationed at Ft. Bragg, and married a year and a half later. Now both 27, Matthew is training in Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo. to be a military police commander, while Kristen is training in Ft. Huachuca, Ariz. to be a military intelligence commander. Together they earn an annual salary of $133,000.

http://millionaires.blogs.cnnmoney.cnn.com/2008/05/22/millionaires-in-the-making-the-shifrins/

CNN's article blandly applauds the Shifrins' "patriotism" as much as their financial savvy. The site didn't print my post objecting to the notion that warfare is a way to get rich. Perhaps CNN feels political posts are off topic.

[ColbertWatcher]

1. They got nothing on the Romney boys. n/t

[all.of.me]

2. I went to a senior awards ceremony last night...

...and one boy has decided to enlist in the army. He was awarded $65,000! Most kids were getting $250, $1000, maybe $2000. The army gave this kid 65K. We couldn't believe it. They sure make it attractive to sign up, especially in a poor town like this one.

[Miss Carly]

3. A human life is now worth 65,000

Carly

[murielm99]

4. Why is he getting so much? n/t

[all.of.me]

5. I don't know.

I could only think that if it was my child, I'd be crying. I was almost in tears for that kid's parents. Everyone in the room stood up and cheered, except for me and my girls' dad. Yes, I support the troops, but I thought this financial gesture was obscene. Propaganda.

I think the Army wants it to look attractive to others, since enlistment numbers are down. My daughter said this boy had a hard time in school. He was not academically inclined at all, sticking to auto shop, wood shop, and all the hands on stuff. She said school was very difficult for him, so this, I guess, was his alternative to college. I don't understand the money, though.

[murielm99]

8. That is hard to understand.

When my daughter graduated a few years ago, one of the boys in her class got quite a bit from the navy, but nothing like this amount. However, the boy in my daughter's class graduated about sixth in his class and was a math whiz.

[Xenotime]

6. Sickening

[frustrated_lefty]

7. I'm embarrassed to say

but, I looked into possible military employment at one point back in 2005. With a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences, I was told I would be inducted as a Captain or a Major and earn roughly 48 grand a year.

[alarimer]

9. But that's less than half what that couple makes.

I don't understand how they make so much.

48K isn't that much anyway.

[pnwmom]

10. That is their combined salary, including two separate housing allowances,

and they've been working for four years.