RV'ing at the Naval Station in Key West

monkey44 wrote:
What I find a bit interesting - the DOD civilians make a pretty good paycheck, and a pretty good retirement, plus other benefits. Including Housing!!!

DoD civilians do not get a housing allowance. As with everything, there are exceptions: if they are serving overseas on military orders, they are reimbursed for housing receipts. What may have you confused is that some DoD civilians serving OUTUS receive housing as part of their overall compensation package, or at least they did until last year. Report from the Stars & Stripes
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monkey44 wrote:

US military worked for peanuts - especially those that enlisted before the huge pay increases a few years back. My highest pay rate in the navy was $870 a month (plus benefits - food, bed, clothes, a base vehicle) - NOT $870 a week. Part of that obligation was gaining some benefits, like medical, commissary, and inexpensive camping - ext.

Our medical is disappearing, our commissary is on the 'out-shelf', so at least leave us the campgrounds. Although they'll eventually go to contract, like the UFS campgrounds - raise prices - and become a cash cow instead of a benefit for those that earned it ...

Benefits - In other words, use of the facilities. Now, it's pretty often we go to a busy or desired area campground, and can't use it - or get stuck in "dry camping' for a week or so, even overnight, when DOD stay full-time and haven't earned it.

However, it is only your opinion that DoD civilians haven't earned it. Congress and base commanders do not agree.

monkey44 wrote:

There is NOTHING in the DOD contracts that says a DOD gets to use MCG's .. NO where does it say that. So, DOD finagles into the MCG, and pockets housing allowance. Housing allowance is for rental housing - period, not for DOD to camp in a military campground.

Do I respect the work DOD does for our military and protecting this country? Absolutely, no doubt, for sure. But DOD gets a good paycheck, gets benefits they earn, and one of them is NOT crowding the MCGS. That's one that retired military, AD, and disabled vets earned. Leave us with it.

One the other hand, I also believe any disabled vet (or maybe 50% and above) should get camping. But it not in the law - I think it should be, and would vote yes if it came up. The law says only AD, retired, disabled 100% vets. Pressure from DOD and cam funding pushed the CO to get authority for DOD, and the CO took the cash. That makes me sad, that it came to that. But now it's abused, and that makes me sadder.

And now back to my original statement, you really have no clue about how DoD civilians are classed. :R Please go back and read the post by 2 chiefs, you are confusing DoD civilians with base contractors. Biggest difference is that DoD civilians carry a Geneva convention card and are subject to the UCMJ, base contractors do not work directly for the government and have full freedoms, including freedom of speech.