What did you do in the days and weeks afterward when you left the service?

I was engaged to an English woman, so a week after I left the service, I was married over there. I began a teaching job there in the UK for ten years

My retirement on 1 March 1980 was nowhere near the traumatic experiences of TSgt Dawn Premock. She is a strong woman with integrity and character that few can achieve.
Nevertheless, I retired from the 525th MI Group at Fort Bragg after declining the E8 promotion given me in August 1979.
My family and I stayed in Fayetteville while I attended Fayetteville Technical Institute with a strong focus on computer programming--which is ancient history for computers now. I was a full-time student for a year-and-a-half until I decided to go back to work to better care for the family. I applied for a job with the USPS and landed a job in the Computerized Forwarding System; that department that handles changes of address for everyone in preparations to move.
While working at the Post Office I then continued to teach guitar and play professionally at Country Clubs, bars, weddings, etc. When my two sons insisted on leaving and moving to Oklahoma to live with their mother I soon asked for a transfer to Arizona and got the main post office in Tucson. Within two weeks, I was on the way to Tucson via Harley. After the sale of our home, my wife Elizabeth loaded up a 52' rental truck and drove cross-country to Arizona.
After a month of resting and recuperating from a bad virus, she flew back to Fayetteville to get our personal van, load it up with our remainder of belongings and drove cross-country once more by herself.
I retired from the Post Office in September 1995 and saddled up for Breckenridge, Texas; after my wife had gone before to work with a sister and brother-in-law in a convenience store just built. We stayed in Texas for only two years before a job offer came to Elizabeth as a manager at an Ace Cashing facility in Little Rock.
Five years later, she retired along with me and moved to Louisiana where we remain to this day.
As for missing the military? Yes, I do. I miss the jumping, the camaraderie, and focused objectives, but I've finally retired again after working in the banking industry--both in Little Rock and in Monroe, Louisiana. I still salute the Colors whenever possible and use 'sir' and 'ma'am' in everyday speech because in the South it's expected.
I've written 16 or 17 novels and a bushel-basket of short stories with some sales.
Now, it's work on the computer for Church-related topics, stories, and communicating with others--as I'm doing at this point.

I went to college to go back in as an officer. Kids came along so I became a cop and after almost 15 years wounded by a drug dealer. Work as a community support specialist for wounded warrior project.

I left the service and got discharged at Fort Bragg NC, a long way from Guam. I had to drive my MGB to Bayonne NJ to ship my car to Guam, then catch flight from JF Kennedy International Airport to Guam. Funny at the airport I tried to get a beer, and I was denied and told I wasn't old enough to drink alcohol, being 22 years old, even in class A -uniform.
The first month home, all I did was catch up with all the home cooked meals, and tried to make amends with my father, then worked at a mechanic shop owned by a retired Navy Chief, as a parts expediter.

When I got off active duty, I hit the last day of the "Christmas Drops". My hubby and I loaded up the Triumph (that took five minutes lol) and headed to Florida for a delayed honeymoon. Then back to Kansas. I missed the military and about 18 months later joined the Guard

Drove home

When I got off Active Duty in July of 1976 after Vietnam, I returned Home to Arizona and re-immersed myself in Community Service by re-joining the Local Volunteer Fire Dept. as a Firefighter/EMT... I also volunteered as a Reserve Deputy Town Marshal and became fast friends with the Town Marshal.

We became a Team & worked together on the Fire Dept. Rescue Truck & as an Ambulance Drive/Attendant Team. The Marshal was also a Certified Mortician and I became his Mortician's Assistant. Between the working for the Town's Volunteer Fire Dept., the Town Marshal's Office, crewing the Ambulance and working as combination Morticians and running Funeral Services... the Town Marshal and I kept very busy.

We were either responding to emergencies, on Patrol or doing Traffic Enforcement, or helping the deceased into the next world. In my spare time I also drove a School Bus for the Fire Chief, who was also the Superintendent of Transportation for the Local School District.

I began taking College Classes to get further training and State Certification as a Law Enforcement Officer, an Emergency Medical Technician, Criminalist and Fire Investigator. I continued taking college classes for over 10 years until I got my AAS degree in Fire Science, Bldg. Inspection & Code Enforcement.

I was released from Active Duty in July of 1976 and immediately affiliated with the Local U.S. Coast Guard Reserve Unit and remained in one Reserve component or another until I had 37 years of Service and was required to retire as an E-8.

As it worked out, I ended up working a dual Career track in the Fire Service, working for several different Fire Departments in various capacities and as a U.S. Coast Guard Reservist with significant responsibility in a local Unit called The U.S. Coast Guard Colorado River Patrol for 10 years and 10 more as a Recruiter with U.S. Coast Guard Recruiting Office Phoenix.

Both "tracks" developed into very lucrative & rewarding Careers. Now that I'm retired after 46 years in the Fire Service to date... as I look back I was able to do a lot of good and help a lot of people and I had the opportunity to work with a great number of really exceptional and dedicated people and I Miss all of them terribly, I wish them Luck and hope they're doing well!

I went to work immediately in the same career field as when on active duty. Did a job change as far as location within a few months and worked for a company with a contract to NASA in Virginia, then onto a training job with the AF until final retirement.

Hitch was up. Went home, got an apartment, got married. After three weeks or a month, went back to work. Most of the guys I worked with were veterans, many had been to Vietnam, so I had a built in support group, didn't feel like the Lone Ranger.

I started a new job about two weeks after I got out and went back to school full time about a month after that. After eight years AD, it wasn't a big deal.