WHAT CAN BE DONE:
(From the "San Antonio Express”,June 11,1923.)
An interesting article,v/ritten from the Kecruiting Off
icer’s standpoint,by an officer of the 20th Infantry,showing the possi
bilities of a young nan enlisting in the Arny,making it his life pro
fession, and by the time he retires from the service having a snug little
fortune,has been made public through the headquarters of the 20th.
Taking as its hero Hr.Average Y(oung) Mann,the story
shows that he joined the army at the age of 18. His pay was #21 a month,
which,as he was furnished all of his living,made his income equivalent
to # 140 to «jl50 a month. He founf he could save actually half of his
pay.
Working hard,he was promoted to Private 1st Class at
the end of the first 6 months, and was able to put away $15 of his $30
every month. Faithful service was rewarded at the and of the 2nd year
by his promotion to Corporal at $42 a month. Already he had managed to
save $ 333.00. He now managed to get $21 a month into his savings,
At the end of his first three-year enlistment,he took
a three months’ vacation at full pay,and re-enlisted for another three
years* At the end of his 4th year,now a seasoned veteran,Mann was made
a Sergeant, at $54 a month, and got his first raise of 5$ in pay for leng
th of service. This lefted him from the "job" class, and placed him in the
position class,with an income equal to $175 to $200 a month in civil life#
Early in his 5th year A.Y.Mann found that his saving,to
gether with the 4$ interest it had drawn in the hands of the regimental
finance officer had given him a bank account of $1,000*00. With this much
ready money he found opportunity for investment in his hone town real es
tate, which gave him returns of from 10/£ to 20^ annually. He now was a
man of consequence in his hone town,his company,and his regiment*
Ther 3after his promotions cane nore slowly, but at the n
end of his 3th year he was made 1st Sergeant at $88.20 a month,
which soon increased to $92.40 d nortth,and his savings jumped to $554.40
a year. Gradual increased brought his pay as 1st Sergeant up to $105 a
month* When the tine cane for his Retirement a generous array custom gave
him a final boost to Master Sergeant for purposes of retirement,with &
monthly income of $133.88 for the rest of his life*
Figuring up hi9 assets,Sgt.Mann was amazed to find that
his savings and investments has accumulated to $65,350.00* His retired
pay,he found, was equivalent to the income from $26,776.00 at Thus he
found himself enjoying the income from $52,125*00.
More then that,his 30 years of active service had taken
him all over the United States,to Alaska,he had helped guard the Panama tA;
Canal,assisted in pacifying the Phillipines,freeing Cuba,fortifying the Ir
Hawaiian Islands, and in winning the greatest war ’the world had ever known,
and he had enjoyed it all. At the age of 48 he was a rich man,and had seen
the world,-all in the pay of the United States Government.
This statement of fact,while based upon the experience of
no particular individual,has a number of parallels in the service,-it was
said at Headquarters of the 20th. Not long age a sergeant was retired from
that regiment with between $35,000.00 and $4C,000*00 in cash in his pos
session. Instances where men have accumulated more than $60,000.00 are not
rare,while the number retirirg with $10,000.00 or more is large*