U.S. Army Confirms Captain America Would (Probably) Be Owed 66 Years Of Back Pay
By Angie Han/May 12, 2016 2:30 pm EST
Also, there is an biannual increase of pay for service with a pay cap at 22 years with no increase of specialized pay or living allowance. Now provided that they kept him at the 1945 pay scale, for the 22 years after that, he would have received a total of $81,684 plus the previous $5,952 giving him a grand total of $87,636.
The O-3 pay grade in 1945 for someone with two years or less experience was $313.50 a quarter. If you had specialized training such as parachuting and Special Operations (which he does) you received an extra $100 per quarter. Plus a quarterly living allowance without a dependent of $82.50. That comes out to $496 a quarter. That’s $1,984 per year for his first three years. So that’s $5,952 right there, considering that he was commissioned the same year that he exited basic.
Now, provided that they kept the pay scale constant for the 66 years after, and they thawed him out in 2011 and immediately returned him to active duty with current Commission (which they did), adjusted for inflation, the government owes him the back pay amount of $3,154,619.52.
It’s an amusing thought exercise, but things got even more interesting when the actual U.S. Army showed up to confirm that, yes, Captain America would probably be entitled to back pay. Said spokesperson Wayne Hall:
In fact, according to Hall, that $3 million figure is probably too low. “It is correct that the O-3 (Army captain) pay grade in 1945 was $313.50; however it was a monthly pay rate vs. quarterly as the original poster indicated,” he explained. Moreover, he pointed out, the Reddit poster didn’t factor in “any potential promotions that may have been bestowed upon Rogers while he was listed in a ‘Missing’ status.”
If Capt. Steve Rogers (aka Captain America) were not a fictional character and the circumstances surrounding his disappearance and recovery actually real, he may actually be entitled to receive back pay. However, a wide variety of variables would have to be taken into consideration to actually calculate the true amount of back pay to which he would be entitled to receive.
In other words, Captain America can too afford a place in Brooklyn — he just has to fill out some paperwork first so the U.S. Army can make him a millionaire. Then again, Brooklyn isn’t exactly the best value these days, even if you’ve got plenty in the bank. Maybe Cap should look into a little fourth-floor walk-up in Hell’s Kitchen. I hear Daredevil’s been working overtime to keep that neighborhood from getting gentrified, so rents are probably still pretty low over there.
