Describe a time when you struggled with getting out the military or staying in. How did you come up with your final decision?

SMSgt Charles Tritt - SMSgt. you hit the nail on the head. When I got out and was a supervisor first for an insurance co. and later worked up to that position with a dept. store chain, so many I interviewed and had to hire to fill spots, looked at their work as just jobs. 5pm, time to go home. Did you finish what you were doing? nope, it's 5pm and my day is over. They lived by the time clock and not the job. Make you want to pull your hair.

SGT Randall Smith - In the civilian world most companies would rather you not work overtime. It costs them to pay you extra money for overtime. In the military we can work hours after the 8 hour work clock has drawn to a close.

God bless you, “top”!!!

Thanks for your service!!!

CSM, understand fully. I served 15 active duty and was medically discharged. I ended up going to school for 9 years getting my BA and MA. I then spent 15 years as a civilian DOD employee. I retired at my first available retirement date, got in my car and drove to our new home 1800 miles away. It was easier transitioning out as a civilian than as a soldier. When I left the army, my unit was packing up to depart for desert storm.

there was a time where i questioned my commitment to the Army. i somehow or another was surrounded with leaders that in my opinion tried their best to make me quit. my values was somewhat different and i was determined to remain true to who i am and what i believe in. some days it was frustrating just to be at work knowing the people i had to deal with. truth be told i encountered some good people but none of them really had an impact in my career. towards the end i had invested most of my adult life so i gave up and just stayed for the retirement benefits. i stopped caring about giving my best, i felt unappreciated and was tried of fighting a loosing battle. i went from being a youngster to being an old man in what seems like a blink of an eye. in the end i retired being bitter and full of issues. for me it was not the Army but the people and different personalities i dealt with, i fought hard not to be broken but in the end i was just shattered pieces of the man i could have been.

After 16 years TIG for E-10 I finally gave up and gave up after 33 years TIS. LOL

CCMSgt Joe Dehorty - That should be ...got out after....

There was a BN CSM who treated everyone horribly. He frequently showed up for work drunk and in the wrong uniform. He was especially inappropriate with comments to young female soldiers. I spoke to him on several occasions about those issues at which his response was that he didn't 'give a damn.'
One day, he called me to his office - a closet that had been created in the PAC section where I was a 41 year old E-5 (more than 15 years TIS) filling an E-7 slot. I had a fair idea of what took place in that office based on reactions of others who had been behind that closed door and no way on God's green earth was I going in there.
He came out into the 'shop' and demanded my presence. I removed my collar pin-on rank, stepped from my desk to the middle of the room, where we stood almost toe-to-toe, stretched out my hand with the rank in the palm, offered that he would probably want them when he heard what I had to say, advising that anything he had to say to me could be said in front of 'my troops.'
He was displeased because I had 'changed,' actually corrected assignments of newly arrived enlisted troops saying he knew where they should go. (He was directing assignment of commo folks into admin slots i.e., young soldiers who were receiving bonuses for their career choices. Money they would not receive because of mal-assignment.
I knew if I stayed around much longer, my career would be unpleasantly over so looked for another assignment, even an on post PCS. Couldn't get one so I got out preserving my career and my integrity.

SSG Kyle Wurtz - What did you decide?

LTC (Join to see) Well, sir, to be honest, I haven't. Though the decision may well be made for me in the next few months. I'll be surprised if I'm not referred to the MEB soon. Thankfully, I can say that I have come a long way since my last comment here, and that my outlook is much less bleak. If i manage to avoid a MEB and return to unrestricted duty, I will very likely reenlist.

There's a lot of stupid in the civilian sector. You just can't do anything about it.

A1C Alexa Cosson - Yes you can. You can hire ex-military into the civilian sector, put them in charge and watch companies succeed. For the most part.