What is considered a respectable rank upon retirement? How do you feel about RCP?

For me it will be CPT since I'm prior service enlisted NCO. Making MAJ would me that I will be in longer than my last few years I have left to retire. Wife wants me to do my time and move on with other things in life.

Now Major does sound great.....

My ultimate goal, as I believe and hope every young enlisted member in any branch of the military would be, is to retire as an E-9. Striving for this, in my humble opinion, would mean doing your absolute best at absolutely every task you may encumber. Circumstances definitely play a role in how fast/slow we advance and some people have even been demoted but found the inner strength and resolve to get back up to where they wanted to be prior to exiting the military. I do believe however, that E-7 is the status quo for retirement from the military for us enlisted folks.

I have seen a few retire at SGT and a boat load at SSG.
They were happy doing the job that they felt they were good at. The British army does not have up or out rules, you could be a CPL in the Scott's regiment for 20 years and everyone was happy to have you be there.
Lots of folks in the support MOS's are happy doing their job. Truck drivers that just want to drive, mechanics that just want to turn wrenches, etc.
It is a poor policy about the up or out, the service loses quite a bit of knowledge and experience enforcing that rule.

Now on the other hand, the 7.5 year TIG SPC who is Grand Poobah of the local Blue Falcon chapter and does everything in his or her power to avoid actually doing their job, or any job for that matter, needs to go.

I do believe they should come up with a catch all MOS. This MOS would be the main pool of candidates that perform borrow military manpower jobs and some of the "maintenance" on a base or for an organization. Grass cutting, the R&U crew, tax center, flag detail, special ceremonies, etc. Either that or make it a two year "tour" on an installation, followed on with an assignment doing "Army stuff".

My personal goal was SFC and I'm happy I exceeded that. I agree that the MOS is a primary factor in determining how quickly and how far you can progress (at least in the Army) but I'm not sure that managing RCPs by MOS would be effective given that DA (HRC specifically) is constantly trying to keep all the MOSs balanced (not as easy a task as it would seem!).

Career Pvts were great.

Satisfaction is within the individual, If they want more , they do what is required to achieve it.
I do understand some get left out in the cold with no fault of their own. LIFE ain't it good to be alive.

When young people ask me if they should join the Military, I generally ask one question... Why do you want to? Some respond with a look somewhere between disbelief and confusion... others, go on to explain how "patriotism", "duty", etc. motivates them... a few.. a d@^* few are honest enough to admit it's benefits, education, or a sense of wanting to do something "high-speed" , "meaningful", or "special" with their lives.

These are the one's I generally keep talking to. Why? Because some people join because someone "sold" them on it, others join because they misunderstand what they're heading into... and some realize that like any other profession, there are "pros" and "cons". The latter seem best able to figure out it's about doing the job, every day, and taking personal responsibility for managing one's own fate.

My personal take is that making it to retirement in any profession is daunting. I'm on career number three and hoping for the best. I was so shocked when I made O-4, I called my detailer to confirm it. I would've loved to have made thirty years... I had to settle for roughly a third of that, and I'm satisfied that I got as far as I did.

I've known OUTSTANDING personnel who got passed over, and absolute oxygen sponges who made rank...I've even met one or two who went from commissioned to enlisted just because it was the only way they could continue to serve, and it meant THAT much to them.

I get what you're saying, and we've all know the people who "retire on active duty"...from what I hear, it's getting worse in some respects. Still, there's so much that can get in the way of a "good" career...seniors who play political games, subordinates who are striking for "sea lawyer", and just plain ol' "burn-out"....so I'm willing to take a lot on faith.

Sometimes there are extenuating circumstances. After four years of active duty, I joined the National Guard. In a little over 20 years with the Guard I was offered OCS and E-7 twice but because I was working long, irregular hours in a small family business I could not drive the hour each way to attend weekly training meetings and, consequently, retired as an E-6.

Depends on the MOS, for some SSG is the mark on the wall. For most Engineer MOS's SFC is the mark of a successful career.

It's easy to infer that you believe the 20-year SSG is deficient. That SSG may have faced challenges that would have other to fold. They are meeting the required standard, but that's not good enough for you. Interesting. It days as much about you, as it does them.