"Rent and Insurance Soar... Falling into Poverty"
Active Duty Military Families Survive with Food Aid
In the United States, a controversy has erupted over claims that active-duty soldiers are suffering from such extreme poverty that they cannot even afford to buy a proper bottle of milk for their children. The surge in living costs and rent has adversely affected the real income of military families.
The US media outlet 'New York Post' focused on the family of Kyle, a soldier serving in the US Coast Guard, on the 21st (local time). Kyle's wife, living in a residential area of Staten Island, New York City, has been effectively 'confined' with their children for several days because they cannot afford the price of gasoline for their car.
Kyle's family of four has a monthly living budget of about $900 (approximately 1.17 million KRW), which is said to be far too little to buy milk, diapers, groceries, and other necessities in New York.
Kyle's family reportedly visits the Staten Island food pantry every two months to get meals. This pantry is stocked with food donated by local residents and was originally operated to help retired veteran soldiers or war veterans. However, now even active-duty soldiers like Kyle, who have fallen into poverty, rely on the pantry's assistance to get through the day.
U.S. soldier. The photo is unrelated to specific expressions in the article. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News.
The reason why Kyle, an active-duty soldier who receives a monthly salary, cannot escape poverty is attributed to the sharply rising living costs since last year and the high real estate prices in major US cities.
As a Coast Guard member, Kyle has to move between cities adjacent to the sea due to the nature of his job. Kyle and his wife lived in northern Illinois until 2019 but recently moved to New York, where they cannot afford the high rent. The Staten Island food pantry supported 2,300 military families with groceries in early last year alone.
Currently, many military families in the US are in situations similar to Kyle's family. According to a survey by the US Department of Defense think tank 'RAND Corporation,' 25% of active-duty US military personnel reported experiencing financial hardship.
Andy Cockley, a Coast Guard veteran and operator of a food assistance organization, told the New York Post, "People often misunderstand military families experiencing financial hardship. Many blame military families for not knowing how to manage household finances, but these families have to move to different cities every 2 to 4 years due to their jobs." He pointed out, "Because of this, spouses married to military personnel often have to give up their jobs periodically. Also, suddenly moving to a big city can cause rent and insurance costs to skyrocket, turning them into impoverished families in an instant."
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