Twenty-One Percent of Marines Contacted by Collectors in Past Year: Survey

Half of all U.S. Marines are struggling with their personal finances, according to a new survey conducted by the Marine Corps’ inspector general’s office from July 8 to July 28.

About 5 percent of the 192,883 eligible Marines participated in the survey. Twenty-one percent of enlisted respondents said they had been contacted by a collection agency in the past year, with 19 percent saying there were unable to make credit card, car or house payments in the past year. Ten percent of enlisted respondents said they had to pawn possessions in the past year.

“More people are feeling like they are struggling to keep their heads above water,” Col. Adele Hodges, who led the survey, told The Marine Corps Times. “We’re concerned that it might be the straw that broke the camel’s back.”

Indeed, 11 percent of respondents reported feeling “very comfortable and secure” in the survey, compared to 26 percent who answered the same way last year.

Hodges also noted that she worries the numbers are worse than reported. She said she believes many struggling Marines declined to complete the survey for fear of being branded financially unfit by their commanders. To take part, Marines were required to enter their Social Security numbers to verify their identity, though their names did not appear on the form.

“We think it … hurt our ability to compile an accurate picture,” she told the military paper.