How and when did you make your decision to serve for 20+ years?

I spent three years on AD from 1989-1992, and when I thought the Army was trying to hold me in one spot, a spot I was not crazy about, I decided to opt out and transition to NG status close to my hometown. I was a weekend warrior and worked an 8 hour job in a carpet factory in NW Georgia. The toxicity of the working environment and the complete lack of self discipline did not sit well with me. So I decided to come back to AD in 1999. It was then I decided that I was going to make the best of it and do my best to advance. I am glad now that I stuck with it. I have learned so much in my career, and if I had it to do over again, I would most likely stay AD the entire time. Not to say I didn't learn some valuable lessons while in the NG, I just feel as though I fit in better in the AD.

I was overseas and nearing my ETS and didn't want to ETS from overseas so I looked at reenlisting again and realized that was going to put me over 10 years. I was really enjoying my job and what I was doing so it made the decision to stay in that much easier.

After doing my first enlistment, I said what the heck might as well go for it, did 24 yrs with the MIARNG.