Based on the current annual payroll at Fort Hood, that would put an extra $89.7 million into the pockets of GIs stationed there.
The payroll from Oct. 1, 2007, to Sept. 30, 2008, totaled $2.3 billion.
Fort Hood is home to about 52,000 military members.
In addition to the 3.9 percent pay hike, the spending bill approved by Congress includes a tuition assistance program for military spouses, an increase in travel benefits and moving expenses and freezes on health insurance and pharmacy fees.
The basic monthly pay for an E-1 with less than two years of service will be $1,399.50 under the new pay scale. For a second lieutenant with under two years, basic pay will be $2,655.
What It Means
Without counting in a commonly used multiplier to gauge the effect on Bell County, the 3.9 percent increase alone could buy:
Enough gasoline to drive 964,000 miles at $3.10 per gallon. That’s the equivalent to 573 trips to New York City from Temple and back if your car gets 30 mpg
A full 12-hour semester’s tuition and fees at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor for 11,631 students
Or a full semester’s tuition and fees at Temple College for 106,785 students
A college chemistry textbook for each of 618,600 students
A 2009 Hummer H2 civilian model for 1,472 families
Or a 2009 Toyota Prius for 4,077 people
An Austin-stone house on 22 acres in or near Salado for 224 would-be homeowners
A Samsung 50-inch Class 1080p Plasma HDTV on sale at Best Buy for 39,000 living rooms
A total of 202 AIG-style retreat packages at the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort in California
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