Why did you leave service before retirement? Do you regret your decision?

Your opinion is valid and contains many good points. However, there is more to life than the Army. As someone who entered the Army late (37) and has had a civilian career prior to the Army, I have a somewhat broader perspective.

For those with more than one term of enlistment, you can leave the Military and get a federal job, where your retirement clock keeps ticking. Same thing with serving in the Reserve or Guard. There are other ways to retire.

Are there sucky things about the civilian world? Of course. For one, there is no camaraderie like there is in the Army. Co-workers are more apt to stab you in the back if there is a promotion up for grabs. But then again, you won't get that late-night/early morning alert call. You won't get assigned 24 hour Staff Duty or CQ. You won't have to ask permission to visit a foreign country, nor sit through a security briefing to do so. You won't have to babysit anyone unless you want to. You won't be forced to deploy to some 4th World armpit of the world failed nation-state. No one cares if you gain weight (you can sue them for discrimination if they do). The pay can be better depending on your skills and experience.

Those who want to get out before retirement shouldn't be bullied or tricked or convinced to stay in for dubious benefits by saying that staying in is the only way to secure a pension. There are other ways that do not involve military service. Present both sides to those who are on the fence.

For me, I have less than a year and a half left. Then I plan on joining the Reserves and hopefully securing a federal job to get to retirement (I will have just under 11 years in when I hit ETS).

SSG(P) (Join to see) - this is true, but I speak just from my frame of reference in all things. If I had a nickel for every veteran who told me that they should have stayed in or 'I'd have retired 10 years ago had I stand in' etc, I'd have a sheit load of nickels. Not trying to bash anyone for doing their time honorably. That's why such a small percentage stays in until retirement.

Let me address some comments from SSG Matthew Unger. I have been in the civilian sector since being forced out under the Clinton administration in 1997. (10 years of active duty at the time) Laid off 3 times in the 20 years I have been on the outside due to economic downturns.

"For those with more than one term of enlistment, you can leave the Military and get a federal job" - maybe, this is definitely NOT a guarantee; I know many prior military that have been trying for years to get a federal job and have not been able too; all had impeccable military records and a few with Bachelors degrees and veterans preference both 5 and 10 points.

"You won't get that late-night/early morning alert call." - come work in the oil fields; depending on the job you pick you will get those calls.

"You won't have to babysit anyone unless you want to." - true as long as you don't want to be in a supervisory role; same in the military - don't become an NCO and you won't babysit.

"No one cares if you gain weight (you can sue them for discrimination if they do)." - they have ways around this, like jacking up your medical premium because you are now considered "high risk". High risk employees can be let go without being able to sue the company as long as the company counseled and gave the employee an opportunity to lose weight and had a program in place such as weight watchers etc...

Most states now a days are right to work; so they can pretty much let you go anytime for any reason without having to pay unemployment.

Pensions - yes tied to the stock market - the last crash I had co-workers that lost almost ALL of their retirement - one was to retire 6 months after the stock market crashed and ended up working another 6 years to make the money back so he could retire. 401K's are wonderful for that being as they are invested in the stock market.

If you have a baby on the outside $10,000 grand minimum in medical bills; if they are a premie like my nephew was your looking at over $100,000 and if your lucky the insurance on the outside will cover maybe 50%.

I am not saying don't leave the military and I am not trying to scare anyone; but before leaving the military just do your due diligence and make sure it is the right thing for you. Jobs on the outside are not guaranteed and companies that look good are bought and sold all the time and employees are let go without even being given a dime. One example; Champion Technologies one of the largest oil field chemical companies in North America was bought out and over 60% of the employees let go; they didn't have to pay unemployment because they didn't exist anymore. Big Oil has laid off over 500,000 workers in the past year so you will be competing with them for employment (guys that are used to working 18 hour days for 14 - 21 days straight making 15 - 18 an hour living in the field for 3 weeks away from their family and going home for 1 week).

Why do I stay in the Reserves - because I never know when I am going to lose a civilian job.

I wish all who get out the best at locating a good position.

SSG(P) (Join to see) - Sir you have some valid points but I think what your not understanding is your statements are based on unknown factors. When your in people say it all the time " you can get out and get a federal job and being doing the same job now but get paid more and deal with less BS" That's a myth, navigating USJOBS is like navigating the ocean without any knowledge of the sea. Unless you have networked and secured your federal job ahead of time which is basically the only way then you will have to accept that if applying for a federal job you will likely have to start as a GS 7 or below in order to get in the door and then once in you can apply for GS11 and above but getting in the door is the hardest. Additionally because it's a federal job it's not any gurantee that you will keep that job, as the government has already proven due to our budget debt that civilian federal employee's are the first to not get paid. All the environmental factors you described are equal in the civilian sector as Mr. Baird said if you don't want to be management then you don't have any of those issues again you won't be making as much and will not grow. So it comes down to what you can stand and what you can't. What you give up and what you don't. Is the military for everyone NO but can you adapt to it and get the most out of it to help you in the civilian sector YES, should everyone do 20 and retire or be made to think so NO, but one needs to understand that it's not all perfect on the outside, sure you do your Reserve or Guard duty and get retirement at 65, get paid one weekend a month and two weeks a year for annual training and maybe deploy but are you really getting more or less with this. I understand you joined late and you have a perspective of both sides, that makes you unique however the majority of servicemen and women came in straight after high school, they swapped one Mommy and Daddy for another. They need to get everything they can before getting out to put them in a better situation if they chose so.

Literally made my mind up this week. I used to tell myself the Army would have to get rid of me. Everything is to politically correct and sensitive these days. It's only going to get worse. I miss the hardcore old school days.

SFC (Join to see) - I don't know how any crusty troops put up with it. I believe you should get a Soldiers Medal for not choking the life out of some of these petunias. PC is supposed to be something that you wear on your head, not a way of life.

While I may not have witnessed the "glory days" of discipline in the Army, I have seen a rapid decline during my 8 years of service.

It's only going to get worse.

I went through that too. Sometimes you wonder where the f**k they find these guys but then you run into someone who is nothing less than inspiring. I've encountered the exact same conditions subsequently, working for small and medium sized companies and one large corporation. People are people no matter where you go. I'd just about had it at the ten year point. I called my dad from Korea and explained that I thought I wanted to be a state trooper. He listened to my reasons and asked me whether I wanted to know what he thought. Of course I did. He said well you're not a Private anymore right? Yep. You get to make at least some decisions right? Yep. So the worst part is behind you right? Yep. Then he said, do what you want but the next ten years will come and go. You're over halfway to a lifetime paycheck. Don't throw it away because of a disagreement over something that you won't even remember fifteen or twenty years from now. So you're going to be in one of two populations ten years in the future; those who have a retirement locked in until they die or those who don't. If you start over now, a lot of things can happen to you before you're in a position again like you are now. The rest is history.