Posted on Feb 18, 2016
What did you do in the days and weeks afterward when you left the service?
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RP Members, Connections, and Friends one of those Questions that was lost in RP Outer Space, but still a great question.
What did you do in the days and weeks afterward when you left the service
Did you take a vacation?
Do you remember where you were when you left the service?
Did you immeidatley start going to school, look for a job, draw unemployment?
How did you feel?
I drew unemployment and starting looking for a job right away, while attending College immediately - I was married and had to get going!
What did you do in the days and weeks afterward when you left the service
Did you take a vacation?
Do you remember where you were when you left the service?
Did you immeidatley start going to school, look for a job, draw unemployment?
How did you feel?
I drew unemployment and starting looking for a job right away, while attending College immediately - I was married and had to get going!
Discharge
Honorable Discharge
Transition
ETS/EAS
Retirement
Edited 7 y ago
Posted 10 y ago
Responses: 174
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Looked for a job. Took two jobs to make ends meet (service station mechanic and machinist) before finding the one that lasted 23 years and set my career on its lifetime course.
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Well sir, I had amassed two weeks of terminal leave, so I took those two weeks as a vacation. After those two weeks were up, I found a job and worked for a year or so and then started school. Coming back to the Chicago suburbs after living out West for a few years took some readjusting to say the least.
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COL Mikel J. Burroughs
CPL Brendan Hayes The windy city has always been a great place for me to visit. I love the Cubs Games, the Bears at Soldier Field and some of the downtown restaurants, but I can't handle the city life and cold coming off Lake Michigan. I'm an Illinois born and raised boy and use to have a very large office up in Schaumburg, but I couldn't hang my hat there. My daughter now reside in the upper North part of Chicago oging to school to get her Master Degree, so I've got a great reason for visting the Windy City again this summer. Thanks for sharing your adventure at the end of your service.
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CPL Brendan Hayes
Kind of a small world sir. I live even further out than Schaumberg, so I am a full on suburbanite. My undergrad was from U of I Chicago, so I spent more than my fair share of time on the Loop and the near West Side. My Master's is from NIU, so I went even further out from The City. Chicago is a great city to visit, but I like the pace of suburban living a little better.
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COL Mikel J. Burroughs
CPL Brendan Hayes Roger that - I like to visit downtown only! Hey, so when you respond, so know one misses your response make sure you put the @ in front of their name and then click on it when it appears in the drop down. That way they will get a message that you responded and it highlights their name - that is how I got yours to be BOLD this morning (basically "@CPL Brendan Hayes") and it will appear and click on it. Just thought you may want to know, so individuals will respond to a question or your comments without missing them.
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I retire out of the Army from Hawaii and returned to my home town of White Pigeon, Michigan. I returned to Michigan out of family necessity, not freezing my ass in the Midwestern tundra. The one winter I lived there, we had 71 inches of snow accumulated on the ground.
I took about 30 days off and then drew stir crazy. Jobs were scarce and my military skillset was not relevant to the local community. I also thought that being a veteran mattered. It did not.
I started to apply for jobs everywhere and anywhere. I found the water shallow and the local pay scale lower desperately low.
I applied for several federal jobs, which were very few in Southern Michigan. One day I received a call that started out with "Congratulations, you have been selected for...." and I thought, oh no, another credit card offer. And then the other shoe dropped. You have been selected for the DA intern program. But I am too old to be an intern. However the job was a GS-7/9/11 fast track promotion and I took it. Life has bee good ever since.
I took about 30 days off and then drew stir crazy. Jobs were scarce and my military skillset was not relevant to the local community. I also thought that being a veteran mattered. It did not.
I started to apply for jobs everywhere and anywhere. I found the water shallow and the local pay scale lower desperately low.
I applied for several federal jobs, which were very few in Southern Michigan. One day I received a call that started out with "Congratulations, you have been selected for...." and I thought, oh no, another credit card offer. And then the other shoe dropped. You have been selected for the DA intern program. But I am too old to be an intern. However the job was a GS-7/9/11 fast track promotion and I took it. Life has bee good ever since.
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MSgt Marvin Kinderknecht
Sometimes God does look down on us. Happy for you. Hey, I am from Minnesota. Love it. Hell of a lot better now with all the 4 wheel drives out there. We had to harness the horses if the snow as to deep.
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COL Mikel J. Burroughs
MSG John Melville Being form the midwestern state of Illinois I understand cold weather, maybe not as much as you being up in Michigan, but than I moved to Maple Grove, MN before my deployment overseas and got a real understanding of what cold weather is all about, again, not as bad as Duluth, MN. Anyway, I got out of there and moved west to Colorado and then to California - seen the best, the worse, and the ugly and I will retire formally in Colorado. That is great about the GS position - they are tough to get. I tried many times and was turned down every time. Didn't know anybody in the system, that was what I was told. Thanks for sharing and I'm glad things worked out, but you are still in Michigan (COLD).
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I left the service to become the fulltime caregiver for my Father who had dementia and other medical issues. He was aware of his situation enough to state he did not want to be in a care facility and asked me if I would take care of him as it was too big a burdon on my mother. Though I planned to complete my twenty his care took presidence over my career.
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My usual, go to work, help at local conservation club, help youth at church.
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I was medically retired from injuries sustained in Afghanistan. I spent all my time at doctors and fighting with the VA LOL
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COL Mikel J. Burroughs
SSG Chad Carruth Sorry to hear that - hopefully things are going better now. I'm always available to be reached: [login to see]
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SSG Chad Carruth
COL Mikel J. Burroughs - Thank you. After fighting with them about 3 years they finally put me at 100% P/T.
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SSG Chad Carruth
LCpl Leo Morrissey - Thank you, yes I am a lifetime member as well. They have helped me get answers to some questions. Great organization!
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I was on terminal leave in New Orleans and was hired immediately by Lockheed Martin. Received active duty and contractor pay for about a month. Been working there since 1999.
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