I don't understand your comment about military pay not being enough to cover basic necessities, then.

Active military who are deployed in a combat zone are actually making more money than when they are stationed at a base. They will suffer a pay cut when they return. I have friends and family in the military, some deployed abroad, and have not heard anything about the pay being insufficient.

In fact, Congress created the Family Subsistence Supplemental Allowance (FSSA) to prevent the need for military families to apply for Food Stamps.