Where did you find your motivation when you were on the fence of staying in or getting out?

SSG Scheil,
For everything you just mentioned is honestly the main thing keeping me in. The stability that the Army has to offer is hard to compare to. Don't get me wrong, I'm not staying in for the money, but knowing that the light at the end of the tunnel is a very bright one. Best of luck to you brother and I hope everything goes your way for retirement once that time comes.

That was the goal for me as well. By staying till 20 I could count on

1 Health Care, its a big issue once you are in the civilian world. If you have ever needed health care and don't have insurance, the sky is the limit as far as Drs and Hospitals go.
2 Retirement Pay - It may not e the greatest, especially for enlisted, but it will make the house payment and most if not all living expenses. You wont live in a mansion but you can have a nice home with the stability it provides.
3 Until you retire you can count on your extended military family. People you work with and other military folks that live near to you or are your neighbors will be there to help out when in need. At least it was always that way for me and my family.

What I didn't realize is when working and living in the general populace you don't have the kinship or brotherhood you have when in the military. I have pretty good neighbors, they are really nice people. If my sewer backs up they will be watching the show if we have to dig up lines or run an auger down through the sewer pipes. That happened to one of the guys when I was in the military, there were 7 of us out there that dug a new clean out while the guy who owned the house rented an auger and we fixed that sucker for him. The we all had a cookout and drank a few brews. Almost the same attitude in the workplace for the most part, there are exceptions but you'll find most of those are ex military also.

You have to do what is right for you, weigh your options and best of luck...May God Bless!

I pray you become a better JROTC teacher than the ones my kids had. My daughter was a MSGT with another year in school left and it was the instructors who broke her. My son as well.

SFC Hasbun,
Funny you say that, if I stay in, that is actually what I want to do after retirement. Maybe I should just follow your steps and use that as a main motivator. I wish you the best of luck and enjoy! Thank you for your words of wisdom.

LTC Curlee, I agree, many good view points. I appreciate your kind words and thank you for the encouragement!