Posted on Sep 6, 2015
I will be leaving the safety of the tribe, called the United States Armed forces - what helped you adjust?
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I will retire before too long and leave the safety of the tribe which I have devoted 30 years to. There seems to be so many that take advantage of various programs and complain that they are victims of the system.
This goes out to all my RP brothers and sisters out there, those that are in our Reserve Component, our retired Service Members, our Veterans as well as our civilian population that has joined us on RP and live amongst the general population "on the outside".
How do you get along with them, do you see the complaints as hypocritical? Do you walk on by and ignore them? Do you make an on the pot correction? Do you act like you do not notice?
We have people that decry the American flag is hate speech, that is MY FLAG! I have a lot of stress and concerns of trying to "get along" with the population and believe I will have to get out away from the populous...not so sure how I will get along with those that are just out for themselves trying to use the systems and take advantage of the Troops, to use the sacrifice of our Service Members to give them the freedoms to do nothing and have tax payers support them - how have you dealt with it?
This goes out to all my RP brothers and sisters out there, those that are in our Reserve Component, our retired Service Members, our Veterans as well as our civilian population that has joined us on RP and live amongst the general population "on the outside".
How do you get along with them, do you see the complaints as hypocritical? Do you walk on by and ignore them? Do you make an on the pot correction? Do you act like you do not notice?
We have people that decry the American flag is hate speech, that is MY FLAG! I have a lot of stress and concerns of trying to "get along" with the population and believe I will have to get out away from the populous...not so sure how I will get along with those that are just out for themselves trying to use the systems and take advantage of the Troops, to use the sacrifice of our Service Members to give them the freedoms to do nothing and have tax payers support them - how have you dealt with it?
Posted in these groups: 
Transition
Transition
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 19
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CSM Michael J. Uhlig Be yourself. The major difference is that you will probably no longer be the one who is expected to make corrections to everyone.
Just be a cool as you have been on this site, but temper yours self to be an associate not the man in charge.
Don't stop being a leader, but, do by leading not commanding.
Just be a cool as you have been on this site, but temper yours self to be an associate not the man in charge.
Don't stop being a leader, but, do by leading not commanding.
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CSM Michael J. Uhlig
That might be the challenge in and of itself Capt (Join to see), being an associate and getting used to not being responsible for anyone else.
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Capt (Join to see)
Yes, it could be. My 1st after service job I was in charge of a building and staff. Was much like my military job.
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Thank you for an eloquent post CSM Michael J. Uhlig. May God bless you and those you love as you transition from the active rolls to the retired.
I do my best to get along with everybody I come in connect with in person or on this net. I recommend treating each person with respect.
I recommend that you continue to treat each person with respect. If correction is required do it respectfully. Sometime you will meet resistance but generally people, respond well to being treated respectfully.
I concur with @Capt Don Porter that being yourself is important. Don't try to change into somebody you aren't. Being a retired soldier is very similar to being away from the base in civilian clothes for an extended weekend - except that weekend lasts the rest of your life .:-)
Are you staying in Germany or returning to CONUS after you retire?
I do my best to get along with everybody I come in connect with in person or on this net. I recommend treating each person with respect.
I recommend that you continue to treat each person with respect. If correction is required do it respectfully. Sometime you will meet resistance but generally people, respond well to being treated respectfully.
I concur with @Capt Don Porter that being yourself is important. Don't try to change into somebody you aren't. Being a retired soldier is very similar to being away from the base in civilian clothes for an extended weekend - except that weekend lasts the rest of your life .:-)
Are you staying in Germany or returning to CONUS after you retire?
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CSM Michael J. Uhlig
I have no plans to stay OCONUS LTC Stephen F.. Thanks for the advice and experiences you shared.
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I wish you well my brother. There is a reason why I have so much time on RallyPoint. The separation was a little too much for me. I had the rug pulled out from under me at the 18.5 year mark and I got a bunch of surgeries to try to get back in. I was TDRL for 4 years and when I finally got called in for my reeval, the first thing out of their mouths was "put returning to active duty off the table right now." I can't relate to serving 30 years and having a scheduled retirement date. I can only tell you what I learned from my experience. Stay away from those watering holes like the VFW. They won't bring back that sense of camaraderie that we all had. I wish I would have found this site when it first started. It would have saved me some trouble. Your 30 years of experience isn't in any book that can be referenced. There are many aspiring wanna be 1SG's that will need your insight to be successful. The best way to continue serving is through mentorship on this site. I'm sorry to say that for the most part, civilians suck. If you hold any of them to your same work ethic you will lose your mind. I think that is why there is such a long line for people to get hired on in the government sector. In time, I hope you get to that point where you can really retire and just look forward to the sunsets and start seeing the beauty in the world. It is there for all to see but there is so much static in our lives that we cant see the forest thru the trees, so to speak. Focus on learning to decompress and letting go of that sense of life and death urgency. You trained the next generation to take the reigns from here. Congrats on your upcoming milestone. God's peace.
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CSM Michael J. Uhlig
Thank you very much for sharing your experience SFC Mark Merino. I look forward to being able to decompress and believe that will truly be a challenge.
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