What does your final orders (retirement) mean to you? When you cross your finish line and take that final knee?

2014-07-14T21:49:04-04:00

As told on my final military orders:

You are released from active duty and, on the date following, placed on the
retired list . The people of the United States express their thanks and
gratitude for your faithful service. Your contributions to the defense of the
United States of America are greatly appreciated. On date placed on the retired
list ...............etc,etc

To me I can't describe 25 years of duty but in three words as quoted by the legendary General of the Army Douglas MacArthur " Duty, Honor and Country" my duty to my country. It's what I truly believed in as a Soldier!

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/America/United_States/Army/USMA/MacArthur/1962_speech_to_the_Corps.html

Duty, Honor, Country: Gen. MacArthur's Speech to the Corps of Cadets, 1962

Accurately retranscribed from an audio recording of the original speech. (Most online versions of this speech are faulty, and/or omit sections.)

Response by MSG(P) Michael Warrick made Jul 14 at 2014 9:54 PM

2014-07-14T21:54:15-04:00

That I have done my duty and honor my country !

Response by MSG Floyd Williams made Jul 14 at 2014 9:54 PM

2014-07-14T21:54:32-04:00

You are starting another chapter in your life remember you learned life survival skills that will come in handy in the civilian world.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 14 at 2014 10:00 PM

2014-07-14T22:00:38-04:00

I can't help. Whenever I see that this picture this is what I am thinking of.

Response by MSG(P) Michael Warrick made Jul 14 at 2014 11:08 PM

2014-07-14T23:08:57-04:00

SFC Joe Davis - you are so very welcome and may God bless you in all you do !

Response by MSgt Keith Hebert made Jul 14 at 2014 11:38 PM

2014-07-14T23:38:08-04:00

I have run the race and finished, time to pay back all the sacrifices made for me to finish.
26 years and I our it all to my family who stood behind me

Response by MSG Brad Sand made Mar 1 at 2015 3:46 PM

2015-03-01T15:46:59-05:00

I did not feel like I crossed a finish line or took a knee. I do feel like I reached ORP, but the mission is still active. No wars or battle have been won yet. There is much more in front of me than behind me...God's will be done...and I am excited to see what is still in front of me.

Response by SGM Mikel Dawson made Mar 21 at 2016 9:25 PM

2016-03-21T21:25:00-04:00

Wow, it really hit me. As a Reserve guy I don't get my retirement until I turn 60 (next month). Last December as I was preparing my packet, it really hit me. But then the end of Feb I got the "official" order and notification of retirement, I tell you, if I'd been at a VFW, I'd have bought the house a round! I looked back and thought about all the crap (not only from the military) I've put up getting to and from drill. All the cold nights I spent sitting in an unheated train stop for hours waiting on a train, the class reunions and family events missed, girl friends getting disappointed because I wouldn't call in sick, all the unpaid hours and weekends I've spend doing Army stuff, the worries about trying to get my business back together after a deployment. I've thought about it all and yes crossing that finish line was FANTASTIC. And yes, if I had to do it all over again, knowing what I know now, yea, I'd do it all over again. All you guys who've crossed that line - know what I mean. To all you guys who are on the line, wondering if you'll continue - GO FOR IT!

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Mar 21 at 2016 9:47 PM

2016-03-21T21:47:38-04:00

Red1 MC Out

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Mar 21 at 2016 11:03 PM

2016-03-21T23:03:41-04:00

I look forward to my final orders SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL which should arrive in about six months. Those orders will enable me and my wife to turn in our retired reserve ID cards and be able to have pictures taken for our initial Blue gray retired ID card which will be replaced for the final ID card which is issued at age 65 coincident with the Medicare requirements when we must elect Medicare Part B coverage and move to TRICARE for Life coverage.
[Update 7/7/2017] FYI, I finally retired on 10/9/2016 and received my first DFAS military retirement payment at the end of October 2016.
I was able to get my Blue United States Uniformed Services ID card issued on October 8, 2016 from the Shepherd Field Air National Guard Base which is the home base of the West Virginia Air National Guard 167th Airlift Wing located at the Eastern West Virginia Regional Airport, 4 miles south of Martinsburg, West Virginia.
The Active duty bases would not issue my Retirement ID card or my wife's until the business day after my birthday which would have been October 11, 2016.
If you are reserve or national Guard I recommend you get your retired ID card from a National Guard base since they understand the reserve processes unlike many active duty bases.

Response by SFC William Farrell made Mar 21 at 2016 11:45 PM

2016-03-21T23:45:17-04:00

An old question that seems to have popped up again SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL so you'll get my experience. I enlisted on my 17th birthday, too young indeed. I had a lot to learn and I learned some things pretty quickly, a couple miles south of the Korean DMZ and then at 18 in Vietnam. I had originally planned on making active duty a career but after being stationed overseas for two and a half years, stateside duty didn't come easy for me. I couldn't wait to get out. Then i saw an ad for an early release (3 months) to serve a year in the Reserves. I grabbed the opportunity!

I joined a Military Police unit as I was applying for NYPD and figured it would be good experience for me. Once again i thought Id do my required year and get out. My father and future father in law, both WWII vets told me to stay in and I kept on saying no, I'm getting out. I realized I was having so much fun and gaining valuable experiences at meetings and assignments, I kept on reenlisting. Before I knew it i had about 26 years in. I've met some great people, Ive been around the world with the reserves and I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. When I received order to the Retired reserve it was bittersweet as I wouldn't have these experiences anymore and then Id still have to wait till I turned 60 to start collecting. Well that time was three years ago and the retirement check is nice. We also live five minutes from Naval Station Newport so my wife and I use the facilities there and I actually worked for the Navy and Air Force on the base for eight years. My only regret was I did not deploy with my Military Police unit to the first gulf war as I had left them when I moved to Rhode Island. I did my best to get activated but it did not happen.

I am a proud soldier and would be happy to serve all over again if they'd let me. There are a few things I would change but thats another story.

Response by PO1 William "Chip" Nagel made Jul 12 at 2016 9:22 PM

2016-07-12T21:22:21-04:00

The Only Time that an Enlisted Man will be Rendered Bells and Whistles when departing the Ship. I was Told that there was almost a Knock Down Drag out in 1st Div on who would have the Honor of Ringing CTO1 over the Side. It was something very different. It was a True Honor as "Senior Spook on the Pier" that plenty of the Intel Weenies from the other ships showed up. I ended my Speech with a Radio Check, No Response Received, "Arkansas Out".

Response by MSgt Jason McClish made Jul 6 at 2017 10:10 PM

2017-07-06T22:10:22-04:00

I look forward to that day now, but know I'll dread it after it comes and goes.

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Jul 7 at 2017 6:32 AM

2017-07-07T06:32:03-04:00

That I did my duty for my country, and hopefully helped make it a safer place to live.

Response by COL Mikel J. Burroughs made Jul 7 at 2017 11:25 AM

2017-07-07T11:25:06-04:00

SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL For me it meant that I made room for others to excel and move up in rank, I completed the mission I set out to achieve, I hung up the uniform for the last time, and now it was time to start a new career in helping veterans for the rest of my life! Respect Brother - always!

Response by MCPO Roger Collins made Jul 7 at 2017 1:04 PM

2017-07-07T13:04:06-04:00

First thought was a feeling of remorse, I wanted to stay longer in a different role than submarines, however my a secondary to probable herniated nuleus pulposa and a PEB thought differently.

Response by SSgt Robert Marx made Jul 7 at 2017 2:59 PM

2017-07-07T14:59:06-04:00

Amen, and may it ever be so, brother! I am one of those gray reservists, retired from drilling but not yet receiving retired pay. I look forward to that day in 2027 when I am placed on the retired list, drawing pay and benefits.

Response by LtCol Robert Quinter made Jul 7 at 2017 9:47 PM

2017-07-07T21:47:01-04:00

It meant giving up the life I loved and leaving my brothers and sisters behind to start paying my family back for allowing me to live that life.

Response by LTC Bill Koski made Aug 7 at 2017 11:21 PM

2017-08-07T23:21:07-04:00

Honestly SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL and LTC Stephen F. I didn't want to retire and ended up a little depressed with the thought of it approaching. Once it hit, it was really bad. After a few months things turned around, I picked myself up by my bootstraps, luckily found a job I was suited for and am content now.
....... I will take a contracting job overseas in a heartbeat!

Response by SSG Edward Tilton made Nov 24 at 2017 7:51 PM

2017-11-24T19:51:39-05:00

Is he taking a knee?

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Nov 25 at 2017 6:02 AM

2017-11-25T06:02:20-05:00

My final orders said that I was placed in IRR status, as of 12/16/2017, under guidelines for the Guard, I will be fully retired out of the gray area. 24 yrs. service to state and country.

Response by SCPO Morris Ramsey made Jan 19 at 2019 11:40 PM

2019-01-19T23:40:24-05:00

Great post. When I transferred to the Fleet Reserve it was a moving time. Looking back on it I remember how great it was to be a Sailor.

Response by MAJ Byron Oyler made Mar 6 at 2021 7:32 PM

2021-03-06T19:32:29-05:00

I was there for over 20years for my nation and come the end of July, I really get to get started with my community and state. I am considering politics, at a very minimum, politics in a greater voice than I can be now. More work for me and our country once I am retired.

Response by Lt Col Timothy Cassidy-Curtis made Mar 6 at 2021 8:11 PM

2021-03-06T20:11:28-05:00

To all who read this comment, greetings. After you retire, I commend to you a form of service called the State Guard (SG). It is authorized by Title 32 of the US Code. About twenty states have active SG's. The three big ones are NY, TX, and CA. GA also has an active SG (the GA Guard); I had an Uncle (since passed) who served in it. He was my inspiration. The SG's are the Reserve to the National Guard (NG). Currently, there are NG's at the US Capitol (why is another question...let's just leave it at that for now). Because of the NG in State absence (because they're at the National Capitol) there are SG members who are doing the backfill for them.

The State Guard does not pay (except for paid State Orders). The service requirements are one day per month, eight hours, plus a miscellaneous amount of time that totals up to 200 hours per year. I joined the CA State Guard (CASG, formerly known as the CA State Reserve, or CSMR). Because I retired as a Lt Col, they took me in as a (CA) Lt Col. I was subsequently promoted to (CA) [full] Colonel, and finally got to wear eagles. My duties were as the Deputy Commander of a Brigade (AF Wing-level-equivalent) like unit. I served as the acting Commander several times. Hands down, that was the best military assignment I ever had.

If you liked the comradely environment of your AD, Reserve, or NG days, you might enjoy doing this. I encourage everyone to look into it in your State.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Mar 6 at 2021 11:19 PM

2021-03-06T23:19:26-05:00

I was AD in my 19th year working with the Alabama NG and went to the 9 mm range on a nice bright day with a slight wind. I had developed PTSD and did not know I had. It was new to me. I thought it was just a lot of stress.

I had always qualified expert on the 9 mm so I was very confident. My first iteration I flunked. I was not going to be denied and did not care if others watched me shoot again. I shot 3 more times and failed 3 more times. For petes sakes I have qualified from 70 ton tanks with the 120 mm cannon.

I was humbled. I sat down on the bleacher and looked at the gravel, trees, and the sky.
I was sad. This was the first time I had intimation the end would come soon. I was seeing the future before it came. On a few occasions I had to balance the needs of the soldiers vs the needs of the army. I had to be honest and decide if I was irrelevant to the army, and I knew I must hang up my boots. My wife pointed out that I had constant tremors. I would not have qualified in a 100 years. I kept sitting deep in thought and I was sad. I always wanted to finish strong, but not this time.

Response by CDR Tom Davy made Mar 7 at 2021 9:42 AM

2021-03-07T09:42:39-05:00

As retirees (with pay), we continue to be subject to the UCMJ (although I've never heard of a retiree being charged for any post-retirement action), we are still authorized to wear our uniforms with some restrictions, we are still recallable to active duty, we have restrictions on employment, and we continue to have the right to use our rank and title within reasonable guidelines.
My point is that "retirement" from the military is a different status, not a termination of status.

Response by SSG Edward Tilton made Mar 7 at 2021 10:28 AM

2021-03-07T10:28:51-05:00

I have often wondered about this. My wife and I are. Sometimes treated in a demeaning manor by active duty and Active Duty dependents. I can’t wait for them to be retired and treated that way. I earned my retirement.

Response by LTC Ken Connolly made Mar 7 at 2021 10:33 AM

2021-03-07T10:33:59-05:00

Even though we might have a piece of paper releasing us of our military responsibilities. However, as an individuals, we never leave.