What are the chances that members of the Air and Army Guard and reserves will be able to collect on their retirement before age 60 or 55?

Like my Dad told me: You can wish in one hand and crap in the other and see which one fills up first! In the Reserve you know the deal, that's it. Oh by the way - I GET TO COLLECT FRIDAY!!!!

0. You should have served on active duty if you wanted immediate retirement pay upon retirement from the military... I like it the way SGM Mikel Dawson said it better. Why would anyone stay on active duty if the retirement benefits were the same if served in the reserve/guard.

Here's what I know: On 28 JAN 2008 when the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was signed into law, the following rules applied - for every 90 days DEPLOYED to either IRAQ; or AFGHANISTAN; or KUWAIT; Waters surrounding either, or on Contingency Orders for other places, then 90 Days are drawn from the AGE 60 retirement. [Example: 1 FEB 2008 you get into Kuwait with follow-on duty in Iraq, and on 31 JAN 2009, you and your unit leave Kuwait for CONUS. You've been there 365. The Military takes away 1 year, so you can start drawing at age 59.] PDRMA leaves counts towards this. I believe that the other accumulated leave counts as well.

The lowest that you can start drawing is Age 55. Same as Federal Employees.

If it's been modified to be as the CMSgt Dominguez states, then this is new to me.

I do know that when you are putting in your retirement packet, that at the top of your DD214's - and if it's FOR SERVICE AFTER 28 JAN 2008, you need to write: FOR RETIREMENT AGE LOWERING and highlight it/underline it. The individuals who work at the various HQ's/ HR Centers will not see it, unless YOU WRITE IT.

LASTLY: when asked - "Why didn't CONGRESS start the process instead of 28 JAN 2008, and either on 12 SEPT 2001, or in early OCT 2001, when the US got involved in A'stan? Their answer is: IT'LL COST TOO MUCH."