Why leave after 10 years?

Why leave? Single parent comes to mind. You suddenly find yourself as a single mother in the Army. Husband is gone and PCSed to the other side of the country. The Army is a tough job to raise a kid by yourself. Deployments, Staff Duty, CQ, long hours, Weekend duty etc. It can all add up. And unlike being a regular single mother "back home" family and friends can be hard to come by and help you with raising the kids. Your kids will end up spending more time in day care then with their parent.

Would I advise someone? Everyday, not everyone can do 20 years. 10 is a good time as any to jump ship and find something else to do. 

SSG Akwaowo, my TTPs for counseling my subordinates or just talking with junior Soldiers can be summarized in the following TTPs.
- I provide added value by walking a subordinate through how to think, not what to think (talk you out of leaving the service).
- The first question I ask is for the Soldier to lay out their personal and professional goals over a 1, 5, and 10 year time period.
- The second question I ask is for the Soldier to lay out how either a civilian or a military path enables the Soldier to meet (or not) their personal and professional goals.
- The third question is for the Soldier to lay out the probabilities and risks associated with each path.
- By going through the above, I hope to enable the Soldier to discover for themselves the following:
- The questions are basically a way to go through a problem solving process (like MDMP and/or TLPs) for which they are already familar.
- Probability and risk is merely a way to incorporate composite risk management (CRM) for which they are already familiar.
- At the end of the day, it is the Soldier discovering for themselves what they need to decide and therefore what they need to do in order to implement their decision.
- A senior leader advising someone to stay or go is not as productive as a Soldier working through the decision for themselves for several reasons.

SSG,

Sometimes it's just time for some to go. Take the years that one has served and be proud. If you have served 10+ years and are deciding to leave, there are reasons and believe me that when I say that the thought process didn't come over night. If you are trying to talk them out of it, simply ask the reasons why they want to leave and go from there. If they continue to battle why they want to leave then maybe it is just their time to go on to the next adventure in life.

SFC (Join to see), I got out after 10 years 1 month and 23 days, another 9 years is no real problem. However when the president of the United States extends retirement pay from after retirement to your 70's, and when the Military makes 20 years to retire, to 30 years, well were playing a different ball game here. Being in 10 years and seeing people get killed 1 month short to retirement kind of makes one think or it made me think. The question here is 9 vs. 19 years, retirement at mid 70's and never knowing what will happen, well it is time for a change. Now I'm post Vietnam, so if this is what took place at my time and the war is over I can only wonder what todays government has planed.

Not so much into talking them out of it, only they know if they are still doing what they felt like they were called to do. I would make sure they had a plan before they transitioned and that their family was prepared for the adjustment of returning to civilian life.

All in all I would just wish them well and do everything I could to make the transition smooth and get them everything they need to be successful.

I've always wondered that. Why guys would leave after 10. You're already half way there! Unless they have a good job lined up or have some serious personal issue, I don't get it. Some soldiers just get fed up with the Army though. Don't like the way they think it's heading. At least for them.

You can apply this question to any branch - and I would say that unless they have a very good job lined up that they can't pass up, and that job outweighs the benefits of military retirement, then go on.

However, jobs come and go. Opportunities are there for those that look for them. But military benefits for retirees are a one time deal.

I would encourage any service member on their halfway mark to really think about their career and opt to stick it out.

Many employers see 20 year Veterans extremely valuable because they see longevity and dedication.

Another point to drive home is the recent issues related to health care. Retire at 20 and you won't have to worry about dealing with the civilian medical issues.

And don't forget about the pension check...for life. Not many companies offer pensions these days.

Only a fool steps away from a solid job before he has a better solid job to step into.

After Desert Storm I was ready to depart from the Army, but my mother talked me into staying and I am very grateful and glad I did. I was able to retire and receive a check the rest of my life. I say all that to say this, if you are sitting at 10 years try and tough it out and finish the other 10, trust me it will be well worth it.

I got out at 9 years and some change.

Got tired of people that never led a patrol or plan a mission (No, FRG meetings/picnics don't count) trying to tell me how to do my job.

Got tired of higher-ups breaking their arms trying to pat themselves on the back with little Bronze Star kisses and ARCOM hugs when they only left the wire to fly home.

Got tired of trying to explain to young Soldiers why they got in trouble for things senior "leaders" did not (COL. F, if you're on here, yep, you.).

There were too few real leaders, was fortunate to know a few and serve with them. Too many d-bags.

So I left and made a whole, whole lot more money doing the same thing with another company.