Did all soldiers in Vietnam get combat pay? A look at the truth behind the headlines
The United States involvement in the Vietnam War has been a contentious topic of discussion for many years, with various facets of the conflict sparking widespread debate. One aspect that has drawn significant attention is the topic of combat pay, specifically whether all soldiers who served in Vietnam received compensation for their time in-country. This article will dive into the history of the Vietnam War and examine whether all soldiers received combat pay, or if certain members of the military were entitled to a different form of compensation.
Early War Years and the First All-Volunteer Army (1959-1968)
In the early stages of the Vietnam War, the U.S. Military was made up of active-duty troops, reserve-component units, and National Guardsmen. Combat pay, during this period, was not automatically awarded to all soldiers. Troops stationed in Vietnam still received a standard monthly allotment for their time deployed, as per military doctrine.
Here’s a simplified breakdown of the compensation provided to Vietnam-era troops between 1959 and 1968:
- Service members on active duty serving in a combat zone qualified for an additional 6% Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH)
- Reserve and National Guard components serving in support roles in Vietnam did receive a Combat Pay Credit worth 5%-10% of their entire pay scale
Special Designations, Combat Tax Exemption (1967-1968)
- In the late 1960s, the concept of Special Designations – Reconnaissance Operations, Combat Patrol Duty, or Operational Duty in a Combat Area – emerged to quantify the amount of combat stress experienced by soldiers. Unit commanders issued these designations to those troops actively taking part in combat or carrying out covert operations.
What does this mean? Any soldier in Vietnam with the Special Designations earned:
• Extra Special Pay: An additional fixed amount depending on their occupation, from $1/day to $5/day or more (e.g., $0.30/month for Reconnaissance Operations, $0.60/month for Combative Action).
However, even with Special Pay, some soldiers in higher-ranking officer positions did receive combat pay.
ERA (Equalizers, Results, and Appraisal)**h2>
Phase I, 1964-1965: Service members’ performance, morale, and unit effectiveness made up 50% of their bonus pay calculation. Bonuses for exemplary performance rose from 60% of monthly basic allowance (MBA) to a maximum 6% to 8.5% increase on their current pay scale (depending on rank and occupational specialty).
Phase III, 1968 and beyond: Recurring Combat Pays and extra allowances entered the compensation realm. Examples include Environmental Allowances for areas with unfavorable living conditions (-$7.50 day) or Foreign Non-Combat Duty allowance for support soldiers in non-combat zones.
Not explicitly stated within the articles published, only hand-placed remarks mentioned non-combat personnel’s chance to access these supplementary cash benefits depending on Specific Unit Actions.
This information becomes more accurate under the Department of Defense-issued instruction (DoDi) ‘Military Compensation Guidelines’ with an overview summarizing special pays. Soldiers in operational duty with Designations also gained increased exposure to their bonuses as active-duty performers. Not as clear yet is what applies to these bonuses specifically targeting non-combat zones at the forefront of a prolonged war that continued throughout more than another decade after official withdrawal announcements.
Some Key Players in Combat Pays
While combat pay benefits were allocated to most (but not all) those in actual combat or stationed in harm’s way regions, different levels of experience, occupations, and higher-ranking ranks did create slight variations and exclusions concerning the awarded pay structure system. Additional considerations should exist for members in more unique roles during this conflict who received or could gain advantages through specialized work conditions on the battlefield itself.
To accurately summarize the early Vietnam era – specific combat duties like reconnaissance work provided Special Pay Credit and even regular combat tax exemption as compensation for soldiering experience amid the country’s battle-filled landscape of war, without automatic awards to non-individual Recon Operations – in that year, while a different concept of Service Member in Harm’s Way emerged during post-ERAPeriod from 1975 on that included pay benefits in varying degrees or not as simple as straightforward pay system implementation.
Remember that during earlier years – from the earliest stages till 1963 – for combat area duty – even partial combat areas with only selected units actively engaging combat may have faced limited and special pay compensation.
For information on your own compensation specifics, go to your organization’s library, ask records personnel, or consult the official records documentation from this very period!
