A trip to New York City is usually expensive, especially for a member of the armed forces, but the Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmens Club in the Murray Hill section of midtown Manhattan has been offering discount accommodations for servicemembers since 1919. Originally dubbed the Servicemen’s Club when it opened to accommodate servicemen returning from World War I, the organization has been kept alive for nearly 90 years as a nonprofit operation that gets no financial support from federal, state, or local governments. According to Air Force journalist MSgt. Scott Wagers, the club features 21 rooms with two beds to accommodate couples and six rooms with three beds—for a mere $25 a night. The club is located near the famous Theater District and the Radio City Music Hall.
A new report from the Government Accountability Office calls for the Pentagon’s Chief Technology Officer to have budget certification authority over the military services’ research and development accounts—a move the services say would add a burdensome and unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.
