Bomb disposal: Same job, different pay

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Gunnery Sgt. Kenneth Mengel from Camp Fuji, Japan, this spring marks ordnance on a range for training purposes.


Bomb disposal: Same job, different pay
By Jennifer H. Svan, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Sunday, June 1, 2008

The motto is the same no matter the uniform worn: "Initial success or total failure."

Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy bomb disposal experts all risk their lives and many have died doing the job.

But all is not equal — or fair, some would say — in war.

In the U.S. military’s explosive ordnance disposal career field, there’s a big gap in bonuses and extra pay among the branches of service.

The highest earning power belongs to EOD sailors. Since 2002, the signing bonus for Navy EOD recruits has risen from $8,000 to $40,000. Master EOD technicians with 19 to 25 years of service can earn a bonus of up to $150,000 for re-enlisting another six years, according to Navy officials. The bonus for senior EOD soldiers to re-enlist can also top $100,000.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=55222