What was the deciding factor that made you decide to leave the military, stay for the full 20, or come back into the military?

I spent over 20years, In the AF @ multiple bases throughout the world. I really enjoyed most of the accounts.

I had no intentions of staying so long. But I actually loved my job. It was great. The army had a lot of BS duties.

1968 - I had totally lost respect for the leadership, particularly NCOs E7 and above.

27 years.

My Platoon Sergeant was shot in the face (He survived, and was a CSM last I knew) during my 2nd deployment (and 2nd enlistment). My Squad Leader was on leave, and I was filling his spot. Upon my SL's return, he was sent to a different Platoon, and my Platoon Sergeant was replaced by a soldier I didn't get along with. He was fast tracked to E-6, and we had personal issues outside of the Military. He abruptly bent the 1SG's ear, and brought his "gym partner" over to take my Squad Leader position, even though my NCOERs were steller, my soldiers were taken care of and squared away, and my replacement was Stop Lossed. Upon return to Bragg, I decided on surgery for previous deployment back injuries I had been pushing on with. After that, I was considered a piece of shit for having surgery, and was generally treated like it. I was moved to a new Platoon with leadership who didn't know me, or the things I had done the previous 7 years and 2 extended deployments. I called them out for their abuse of position to soldiers, and called out my replacement after a soldier new to the Battery committed suicide under his leadership, and one of my former soldiers from the last deployment went AWOL due to him. I was already physically injured, but became too jaded to stay in. I would never have made it in this new PC Army, because I spoke out way too much.

When I first joined my plain was to stay in for 20 years, but because I was a shy and stayed to myself most of the time, I didn’t make many friends and one of the few times I did go off the the guys, we got into trouble and paid the price for it, and I felt like my Supervisors did stand up for me because I felt like I with the worsted of the punishment for it ( reduced in graded and 45/45) pretty much max out on punishment while the others mostly got 7/7. So at that time I made the decision to do my time and get out, yes after I served my punishment they all wanted to get to know me and the closer I got to ETS the harder they pushed for me to stay in, but deep in the back of my mind I really didn’t trust them anymore, so I ETS. A few years later I got married and decided in order to provide for her and the possibility of a family I re- enlisted in the Army, this time around it was different, my supervisor took the time to get to know me and yes I had that monster of mis-trust sitting in the back of my head, but when my wife decided she didn’t want to be a military wife and left, they where there for me no questions asked, when the COC asked about me, they said they had me. In time we got divorced and they we there for me. We deployed to Desert Storm and I started writing someone the last few month of the deployment, they were supportive of it but also warned me not to rush things, after we returned from deployment everyone went on leave I chose not to until the 1SG asked why and I told him I didn’t feel like I had anyone to go see my family was the Army, while he kind of made me take the leave and go see my mom in Florida, just so happens the girl I was writing lived in Alabama not to far from my mom and even knew her, so during my time on leave we got to know each other, and after I returned to my unit my supervisor was supportive of it, but warned me not to move so fast, well after a year of dating we got married and after 26 years and five kids we are still going strong. So for me it was the people I’ve meet along the way thet help make us want to stay for as long as we did. Thank you Rick, Frank, Mike you are my brother for life

I didn't think I would do more than 2 years when I first joined but got offered an MOS I liked and went for 4. Next thing I know, it became 8, then 12 and so on. I decided to try for 20. What knocked me off that bandwagon was when I returned from Iraqi Freedom, I had no support for PTSD issues (I was also in denial about it at the time). Even qualifying for Warrant candidate wasn't enough at the time. I bailed after 15 years. It took a few more years before I got into the VA system and addressed my PTSD problems. By then, I no longer wanted to return. Recently my cousin suggested returning as a technician in a DOD position that would get me into the NG at least to get my 20 done. Still on the fence about it since I'm now in my 40's. We'll see, I guess.

I was part of an elite Signal Intel Army Unit (ASA). Very high standards for acceptance unless: People thinking to reenlist were accepted without question and because of a lack of education, or lack or intelligence, or raging alcoholism, were put in supervisory positions because they could not be trusted to do the actual job. After 2 years, 8 months, 1 week, and 3 days I walked away with Honorable on my DD-214 (and later Discharge). I have never regretted my decision to get out and do something with my life.

I wish I had stayed till retirement, I got out when kids starting school and wife tired of moving. But the time went by so quickly it was a shame as I did enjoy my jobs and the experience.

After serving 12 years on active duty, I decided to join the civilian world and serve 8 years in the National Guard until I retired with 20 years. My civilian job used 4 years of my military time towards my retirement. I was about to retire with 20 years.