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So I'm a Hollywood director. That's no secret. I make action films.
From a young age, I had a fascination with the military. Growing up in Canada, the military didn't offer the same "allure" as it did here; the force was chronically underfunded and disrespected. They did the best they could with what they had.
I was a cadet in my teens (Princess Patricia's light horse - artillery). My dad hated me in it and the idea of the military in general.
After I moved here I nursed this fantasy of becoming a reservist. Basic, I can handle. AIT, I can do. one weekend a month - no prob. Two weeks a year - okay. Deployment - quite impossible - it would cost tens of millions of dollars to reschedule one of my films. I'm saddened that at age 36 I may not ever get to serve in a military capacity. I'm surrounded by servicemen as consultants in my films.....my current one is a Marine scout sniper. That's the branch I'd have joined, with Army being a close second. Considering I have thousands of sea miles on my sailboat, you'd think I'd be navy...no way. Been at sea to long for that, LOL.
Okay, Here's the injustice:
I was looking into the pay given to active duty and reservists, just for kicks. My jaw dropped at how low the pay is. That's the shocking injustice.
In any other industry, you can't hope to attract quality people if you pay jack squat, but in the military, you get great people, heroes who give their lives and get paid nothing for it.
I know it's not about the money, but how can we treat our servicemen so poorly? How can we send them to get shot at and blown up and tack on "combat pay" at $225 per month??? It's unconscionable. It's awful. It's embarrassing and insulting to them. $225 barely buys a nice dinner for four in LA.
The system is geared towards people in senior ranks who've been in for ten years or more to make what I would call okay money, but my feeling is that most people are in for ten years or less and never achieve a significant pay grade.
Even if you factor in the signing bonus, the BAH, COLA, combat pay, etc, a serviceman is being paid pathetically little.
I live ten miles from Camp Pendleton. I see Marines all the time. Chinooks and Blackhawks fly over my house all the time. I know how disgustingly expensive it is to live in socal, and I can't imagine how they do it.
These guys need a raise. They need to be paid at least what an entry level cop might make, which is more than double what they make. They need an incentive to not jump ship to Blackwater and other firms.
I salute the servicemen who toil silently while living on the edge of poverty. You guys don't deserve it, and next time I get a chance, I'm going to let somebody know about it. Funny I just had drinks with John Boehner, the republican house leader....had I been aware of this then I'd have said something. I'm sure the bulk of the American public doesn't realize this either.
This goes beyond the old Roman cry of "To those who are about to die, we salute you."
As a newly minted American myself, I say to all of you, I'm sorry. I'm sorry we're so goddamned cheap with you. And I also say thank you for your service, it is not lost on me. There are several of us in the Industry whom it is not lost upon either. Bruce Willis and Gary Sinise, go out of their way to support you, but this pay issue is really, really bad and I'm surprised it doesn't get more press.
You have my admiration. And I'm going to do what I can to make sure something gets done about it.
From a young age, I had a fascination with the military. Growing up in Canada, the military didn't offer the same "allure" as it did here; the force was chronically underfunded and disrespected. They did the best they could with what they had.
I was a cadet in my teens (Princess Patricia's light horse - artillery). My dad hated me in it and the idea of the military in general.
After I moved here I nursed this fantasy of becoming a reservist. Basic, I can handle. AIT, I can do. one weekend a month - no prob. Two weeks a year - okay. Deployment - quite impossible - it would cost tens of millions of dollars to reschedule one of my films. I'm saddened that at age 36 I may not ever get to serve in a military capacity. I'm surrounded by servicemen as consultants in my films.....my current one is a Marine scout sniper. That's the branch I'd have joined, with Army being a close second. Considering I have thousands of sea miles on my sailboat, you'd think I'd be navy...no way. Been at sea to long for that, LOL.
Okay, Here's the injustice:
I was looking into the pay given to active duty and reservists, just for kicks. My jaw dropped at how low the pay is. That's the shocking injustice.
In any other industry, you can't hope to attract quality people if you pay jack squat, but in the military, you get great people, heroes who give their lives and get paid nothing for it.
I know it's not about the money, but how can we treat our servicemen so poorly? How can we send them to get shot at and blown up and tack on "combat pay" at $225 per month??? It's unconscionable. It's awful. It's embarrassing and insulting to them. $225 barely buys a nice dinner for four in LA.
The system is geared towards people in senior ranks who've been in for ten years or more to make what I would call okay money, but my feeling is that most people are in for ten years or less and never achieve a significant pay grade.
Even if you factor in the signing bonus, the BAH, COLA, combat pay, etc, a serviceman is being paid pathetically little.
I live ten miles from Camp Pendleton. I see Marines all the time. Chinooks and Blackhawks fly over my house all the time. I know how disgustingly expensive it is to live in socal, and I can't imagine how they do it.
These guys need a raise. They need to be paid at least what an entry level cop might make, which is more than double what they make. They need an incentive to not jump ship to Blackwater and other firms.
I salute the servicemen who toil silently while living on the edge of poverty. You guys don't deserve it, and next time I get a chance, I'm going to let somebody know about it. Funny I just had drinks with John Boehner, the republican house leader....had I been aware of this then I'd have said something. I'm sure the bulk of the American public doesn't realize this either.
This goes beyond the old Roman cry of "To those who are about to die, we salute you."
As a newly minted American myself, I say to all of you, I'm sorry. I'm sorry we're so goddamned cheap with you. And I also say thank you for your service, it is not lost on me. There are several of us in the Industry whom it is not lost upon either. Bruce Willis and Gary Sinise, go out of their way to support you, but this pay issue is really, really bad and I'm surprised it doesn't get more press.
You have my admiration. And I'm going to do what I can to make sure something gets done about it.
. You really gotta watch with the actresses as they are the most die hard liberals you'll ever meet in town.
for them!
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