Retirement/Separation

[SlightlyCatholic]

For those of you who have served and left/retired from the military:

1. When did you know it was time to leave?

2. Do you regret not staying in longer?

3. Were you expecting to leave when you did or was it a sudden decision?

This is mostly out of curiosity. Really, I'm just trying to get a sense of reasons why some military members leave after 4 years while others do 25 years. Of course, if anyone has an objective to my asking these kinds of questions, please let me know. God bless, everyone.

[ang1sgt]

Tim,

You have some excellent questions!

Mine was a mixed bag. I started out in the USAF and did a full 6 years. After having a really interesting career up to that point at the 4-year mark, I had a special duty assignment to work on the NEW B-1 Bombers, fresh E-5 stripes, and a new set of Twins. Things were looking GREAT.

The President Peanut Farmer killed the B-1 with a stroke of his pen, and my assignment went into the crapper. I stayed on in England to finish out my tour. Tested for E-6 and made it at the 5.5 year point. Also got a heads up that my next duty Station was going to be KOREA for 18 months. The USAF dropped the VRB for my career field, and everything point my way to get the heck out which is what I did.

After two years as a full civilian, my company started rounds of lay-offs, which still continue to this day. I wanted to go back into the USAF and they said there was no way to take prior enlisted. Found the Air Guard in Syracuse NY and I looked at them and joined.

Had 24 years of total service between the Air Guard and USAF. Had a fine career going. My service ended when my Commander told me that HE was retiring to take a job in the Civilian Sector. I met his replacement and we didn't see the same tings for the Squadron. I knew I had to either go back to the shops as an overage in Rank, WHICH IS BAD, or try to find a better billet, which at the time I had no options. So I retired.

Do I miss it? Heck YES. It will be 8 years this October that I've been retired.
Would I go back in given the chance? YES I WOULD!

Looking back on things, it was a good time for me to leave. The operational tempo nearly doubled after 9/11 and in the position I was in I would have been deployed at least 45-90 days out of each year. My civilian career as well as my life would not have made it through that.

With that Unit now into conversion to new Aircraft, there are exciting times on the horizon. When I left, we had started to plan towards our next aircraft. Little did I know it was going to go the way it did.

[PaulR]

I have always told myself that my time would be up when I was no longer having fun! I am still in, loving every second of it.

[SlightlyCatholic]

Thank you both for sharing. It's good to see motivations of both why people have left and why they continue to stay in. God bless!

[SGM]

For those of you who have served and left/retired from the military:

1. When did you know it was time to leave?

2. Do you regret not staying in longer?

3. Were you expecting to leave when you did or was it a sudden decision?

This is mostly out of curiosity. Really, I'm just trying to get a sense of reasons why some military members leave after 4 years while others do 25 years. Of course, if anyone has an objective to my asking these kinds of questions, please let me know. God bless, everyone.

I always told myself if I ever got to the point I could no longer pass the APFT, then it was time to go. I had my goals set - get at least 20yrs for a retirement, and make SGM. I got over 20 and made SGM.

I was expecting to stay longer, by like ang1sg, I was saddled with an officer I could not support the Command. I was not going to let the unit go through this type of atmosphere in the Command section, so I departed. There was really no other place for me to go, so retirement was the answer.

It took me about 2 years to really get over it. And even today there are times I would like to go back.

In reality, it was the best thing. After retirement I have now had time to complete my Farrier Certification which I wouldn't have had time to do. My work would also have suffered. I really don't think my customers would have stayed through one more deployment. I did Bosina, Kosovo, and Iraq, plus uncountable V Corps exercises which took time from my business.

Looking back, I am glad I retired when I did. It just happened. I didn't get to retired the way I wanted, but do we ever get to do everything we wanted?

[sfcgragg]

For those of you who have served and left/retired from the military:

1. When did you know it was time to leave?

2. Do you regret not staying in longer?

3. Were you expecting to leave when you did or was it a sudden decision?

This is mostly out of curiosity. Really, I'm just trying to get a sense of reasons why some military members leave after 4 years while others do 25 years. Of course, if anyone has an objective to my asking these kinds of questions, please let me know. God bless, everyone.

I retired in 2000, after over twenty-one years in the Army. I thoroughly enjoyed my service (even through the rough times) and left after deciding it was a young mans game, and I was no longer in my twenties. So to answer your questions:

When did I know it was time to leave? When parts started falling off the bus. After numerous surgeries and recoveries, I realized that the physicality of the job was getting to be too much. And I didn’t enjoy the sedentary life of a desk jockey (nothing against desk jockeys), and I physically couldn’t run four to six miles a day anymore (something I totally relished was my escape to running). In fact, I cannot run at all anymore…. As I said earlier, it’s a young mans game…

Do you regret not staying in longer? No, not really… I did everything I could do (I left it all on the table), and it became time to see what my family looked like. I got to see both of my kids graduate, and we were able to spend some real quality time together.

Were you expecting to leave when you did or was it a sudden decision? No, it was building for a few years of spending time between Walter Reed and Andrews AFB Hospital….

[SlightlyCatholic]

Thanks for your answers so far. I'm grateful for your ability to open up to me and those in the forum. VERY much appreciated.

[sfcgragg]

Thanks for your answers so far. I'm grateful for your ability to open up to me and those in the forum. VERY much appreciated.


Open up?!?! I didn't tell you about any of the secret stuff ;-D

[SlightlyCatholic]

And I don't have clearance...so it's probably better that way. ;-)

[sfcgragg]

And I don't have clearance...so it's probably better that way. ;-)


It's always better that way :D