Edit: people are way too comfortable with "well the army pays me too little, so when someone has more pay than me and they lose it, they shouldnt complain" If you were being told youd be making 6k a month, and they take 2k away after 6 months on, you are very obligated to say "damn that sucks". 4k a month is bs pay for not having a room, personal shower, or regular chow times thats just the reality. Imagine being sent in a combat deployment being shot at and making less than average american salary and think thats ok 🤔

Edit 2: getting a lot of questions so here are some answers:

Q: you're not entitled to per diem, why are you upset you lost it? A: the per diem was not specified as part of our pay till we arrived, they told us that it was our BAH and BAS replacement (which we aren't getting either)

Q: Why are you getting Per Diem? A: I'm on a Title 10 deployment, and my lodging is being covered directly through the Defense Travel System (DTS). So, I'm staying in a motel, but since I'm not on a base, I'm handling my own food expenses. The per diem I get is based on the Joint Travel Regulations (JTR), specifically Chapter 2, Section 1000.

Q: Why are you getting per diem and not Bah/Bas? A: We were told that the per diem was a replacement for bah/bas. For Deployment Flexibility, Cost Management, Simplified Accounting, and Operational Needs. As clearly we are being moved around.

Currently on a mission, can’t specify details. I’m making 6K a month, 4K base and 2K per diem, but the per diem wasn’t originally specified. It was just listed as 6K total, and we only found out later that part of that was meant to cover our own food and resources. Not a big deal.

We’re in month six with about 13 more to go. Then, out of nowhere, we get told we’re being uprooted and moved. That sucks. Next, they hit us with “It might be tent city or something similar, and there will be open outdoor showers.” That sucks even more. Then comes the real kicker:

“But there may be a DFAC, so your per diem may be stopped.”

So now, not only are they taking away our rooms, showers, and kitchens, but the trade-off is maybe getting a DFAC, one that some of us might only be able to use once a day.

And this is happening after it was revealed that the Army was skimming about 70 million a year from soldiers for food and only spending 20 million of it on actual meals.

Not looking for advice, just sharing a classic “this is some BS” moment. I know a lot of other soldiers are dealing with the same thing.