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Feedback: Local Soldiers React To Plan To Limit Pay Raises

Story Published: Feb 7, 2013 at 5:20 PM EDT

Story Updated: Feb 7, 2013 at 8:29 PM EDT

Every day, soldiers stop by Bradley's Military Surplus just off Fort Drum to stock up on gear. 

But, if a recommendation by Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta is approved by Congress, those soldiers will have a little less to spend.

"A lot of soldiers here can't pay their bills, you know, they're having a hard time just maintaining their every day needs and so you take away their money and it just get worse," said Sergeant Jason Katayama.

Panetta plans to recommend to Congress that military salaries be limited to a 1 percent increase in 2014 instead of the 1.7 percent that was expected.

A department official says the cutback is due to "budget uncertainties." 

The news was not well received by the soldiers we spoke with at Bradley's.

"They look at it as why take away from us when we're putting our lives on the line, we're doing stuff that only 1 percent of the U.S. will do," said Staff Sergeant Robert Clark.

One soldier told 7 News he thinks the cut would hurt, especially lower enlisted soldiers, but he says he doesn't see it as an insult to the troops. 

He says it's just business.
 
Thursday, June 20, 2013
, Watertown, NY

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