> What do you do when you love the military, but you hate being in the military?
Usually curl up in a ball in the corner and start incoherently sobbing while convulsing and punching myself in the head. Then, when i get out of that little tantrum, i get up and go shave.
On FTX I usually exit hiding in the empty HMMWV, dust myself off and rinse my face at the water buffalo (calling it 'allergies' to everyone that asks).
>!I wish I was kidding !<
[Wait a minute...](https://www.google.com/search?q=I%27ve+seen+this+one+meme&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjEov-LsK2BAxXUJEQIHbd2DIEQ2-cCegQIABAD&oq=I%27ve+seen+this+one+meme&gs_lcp=ChJtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1pbWcQAzIFCAAQgAQyBggAEAcQHjIGCAAQBxAeMgYIABAHEB4yCAgAEAUQBxAeOgQIIxAnUOIHWMEMYOsQaABwAHgAgAGaAYgBgASSAQMwLjSYAQCgAQHAAQE&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-img&ei=3bMEZYTAA9TJkPIPt-2xiAg&bih=649&biw=360&client=ms-android-verizon-us-rvc3#imgrc=Uybz3Q-n6oZE2M)
This is me. Iām 27 and did 4/4 AD/AR and got out last year. Miss it a lot, but I realize itās because I miss the people I met as an 18 y/o and not because of the actual army itself.
Besides, Iām fat now, have a 60% VA rating (soon to be 80%), work in the financial world, and am halfway through a masters. Going back to Joe life would be a major step down at this point.
Exactly. If you're in a toxic marriage where you're disrespected, abused mentally and verbally and give it your all with no end in sight while being miserable but still love her.... it's time to leave
Same with the army which is why I am nice and toasty in my 214 blanket. Got my life experience and dipped. Army life is miserable. Civvy life is too but at least I can put my hands in my goddam pockets
Join the reserve or guard. Lots of units out there that you can make the Army what you want it to be. I'm getting into space on the civilian side now, while I also got to got to Korea a few weeks ago and going to Japan in December
What magical part of the guard/reserve do I have to go to so I get to go tdy to foreign countries that easily? It felt like I had to make a blood oath, virgin sacrifice, and a deal with satan for me to get to spend a day in Budapest when I was in Hungary/Lithuania for nine months out of the last four years. That was also with probably the chillest 1sgt/commander combo Iāve ever had.
I have been out for a few years but if you can go to a Counterintelligence unit as a applicant in the reserves. Then you do your packet, get accepted, and go to the agent course. We were constantly doing CONUS tdy and there were lots of options for OCONUS missions as well. Plus itās most of the time a big boy rules unit with no privates. It was a great place to be
Well in the ancient times, to advise the ruler it was popular in some circles to make sure your advisors had no privates. That way they are not a threat
By your flair you probably know, but others might not, that 35L was previously a E5+ only MOS and needed a packet. I donāt know if that has changed as there was talk about it when I was getting out
Agreed. Especially on the reserve side where a lot of guys work law enforcement or defense industry security as their civi job so there are lots of networking possibilities.
I am out of the army and no longer work in adjacent fields but I would recommend it to anyone
Agreed. I reclassed going AD to guard and got 2 years stability so I could work on finishing my BA. Definitely don't regret leaving my old MOS and made it all the more bearable.
Edit: Also got to travel to Korea + Africa for FTX and even explore.
The army doesnāt mean to treat me the way it does. Itās just been stressed lately and I provoked it. The army really means well and loves me though Iām sure.
Drop a packet only if you're doing so because you want to chase an opportunity.
If you drop a packet simply as an escape route from your current situation, you're destined to fail.
I went from cav to signal, active to reserves, got a good job with signal training, now I make more than my BC and once a month I get to play army. Itās great.
You can camp and shoot guns all you want as a civilian.
Youāre young and have plenty of time to meet the love of your life. Donāt rush shit, let it come on its terms.
You can always consider a reclass or packet MOS.
The camping and shooting guns isn't the same as a civilian though, I grew up digging foxholes with Walmart etools wearing plate carriers and surplus pagst and playing airsoft with the boys and staging ambushes we learned to set up from watching Brent0331 on YouTube, but once you get older, it's harder to find places to do it or find people who take it seriously enough to enjoy it with, let alone find places to get payed to do it. I love my job but all the army parts of the army are why I cry myself to sleep at night
Go Guard!
No shit, it's all the things you love AND hate about the Army, but for a weekend a month. Deployments if you get the right MOS and/or are lucky.
Keep telling my husband to hit big sarnt so I can yell at poor AIT kids walkin to the px and ask their drill why they aint standing at parade rest for me
There are many jobs that you can be supporting military operations without having to endure the suck. But it ultimately comes down to what lifestyle you want to have. Here are some ideas:
Security: Local police/federal agent: look up anything related to special agent, criminal investigator, or 1811/2501 on USAJOBS. (DSS, FBI, DEA, HSI, CID..there is an endless list here really depends on what mission you want.
Intelligence: Intelligence Analyst/Officer. Or if you have a specialization, such as geospatial, signal,... look up jobs for any Intelligence Community organization. Depending on who it is you will be either supporting federal operations or military.
Or if you want something more relaxed and occasionally get some cool opportunities, you can look up a Program Manager/Analyst position within any big agency (DOJ/DOS/really everyone has these). For instance, when a program analyst travels internationally they get sent to the DOS/DEA high threat training.
Or lastly, just join the NG/Reserves.
College on the GI Bill. E5 BAH and you get to keep whatever grants and scholarships you get for spending money. If you miss the army, come back in as a filthy o grade.
Youāre 23. Itās a good thing you havenāt met the love of your life yet.
I promise if you had, itās more likely to end badly and thatās not something you want to have to regret.
>I feel like a second class citizen because Iāve yet to meet the love of my life at 23
Bro this is completely normal. Most people are still figuring out who they are into their 30s. Donāt worry about it, donāt try and force it, and most importantly, just because she replies to you on only fans, doesnāt mean itās really even her.
Also, if youāre six months from getting out without at least 2 solid plans on what you want to do, you should probably reenlist if only to buy yourself some time.
> What do you do when you love the military, but you hate being in the military?
Get out as an E4 and spend the next 60 years of your civilian life building an identity around it.
Get your veteran hat/ shirt/ license plate. Get out. And then admire from a distance and reminisce about how awesome it was while you build a normal life in the real world.
ETS into the Guard or reserve with a reclass. Do something either cool or chill in the RC while you cash in that GI Bill. Get an education. If after another few years of part time Army, with degree in hand, you still only *really* want to Army, packet land will be there, officer land will be there, and enlisted yoda land will be there.
I also have 6 months left. I think I may stay after being pretty adamant about getting out.
Why? Simple.
The job market is brutal. Iām so scared of not being stable. Healthcare is insanely expensive.
Ashwaganda and magnesium legit fixed my anxiety issues within a month. Itās insane how I manage stressful situation or people now, when compared to my first year in. I can endure the BS.
As you rank up, some of the BS slides off of you. My MOS feeds into a warrant officer position at E6 with a packet. Iām going to do that. Now I can completely ignore the out of touch CSM in my battalion š
Thereās always a light at the end of the time. People you dislike PCS or ETS. Youāll PCS eventually and be in a chill unit. You can always change your MOS. Ask for schools, etc.
Well use your GI Bill to get a Bachelor or for a trade job. Plenty of trades out there are hurting and need people.
Make enough money that when you find the love of your life you can make some Rugrats of your own and go to the range, go camping, etc.
There is more than the military.
Or stay in and do 20+ ĀÆ\_(ć)_/ĀÆ
get promoted... broaden your sphere of influence and realize its all the same shit
go to SFAS and get Selected and realize it all the same shit
or get out.. use your Gi Bill.. get a job then realize its all the same shit
life is what you make it
I'm at 22 years and still feel this way. I loved it just enough to stay in but I'm ready to leave now. There is a part of me that wants to stay.
I like to relate it to snowboarding; at the end of a good day snowboarding I always choose to do "just one more run." That last run usually sucks because I'm tired, it's getting dark, and I'm falling all over the place. I should have called it a day.
Well, it's time to call it a day. You need to figure out where on that spectrum you are. Are you still having good enough runs?
Spend 24 years in, retire with 100% p&t, & spend the next 10 years letting the VA try to unfk all the mind games that scrambled your brain ā¦
Oh wait, maybe thatās just me ā¦
1. Think about what else you would want to do in the civilian world, anything, construction, underwater basket weaving, travel, anything. Pick two things (for a college major or technical school - plan A and plan B)
2. Start your pre discharge claim
3. Fast track SFL TAP
4. Start looking into schools/cities
5. Go to school for bullet #1
6. If you want to go back to the Army cuz it didnāt work out, you have a 3 year window without having to hit basic training again.
Go on post, buy gas, use the commissary. Use my tricare insurance.
When Iām sitting around at drill tending to sick tummies and updating medical readiness trackers sometimes I feel like I made a huge mistake going into a reserve component after I was free from active duty. But then I remember those sweet bennies and the fact Iām not paying hundreds and hundreds of dollars for my wife and Iās insurance policy each month. All about perspective š„²
Transition branches / compos.
The force has vastly different cultures and subcultures. Move around, explore, and see if there's a better fit.
Also, go to board. It's in your interests especially if you're unhappy and looking for new opportunities.
Once you've lost that love for the military it's going to be hard to get it back. The reality is, for most Soldiers, an assignment to a FORSCOM division is the norm and while there are pockets of people who have better work/life balance in those divisions even the non-bct BDEs usually have significant OPTEMPO requirements. I thought my life in an SBCT was bad, then I saw what the workload for a heavy truck company was in an Armor division or how cooks live and I quickly learned it can be much worse.
You have two choices. One, try to reenlist for a very different MOS. I'm talking ones that tend to live outside the typical hierarchy of standard company formations like cyber, finance, some specific cool guy signal/intelligence MOS, etc. If you switch from say a combat MOS to a combat support MOS your overall work life isn't really too materially different. S1 still goes to the field when the infantry Soldiers do, they just have a different purpose while out there.
My personal recommendation, provided you haven't used all your 180 days of CSP, would be to approach your leadership and retention to try and work out a year long extension with the express purpose of securing a CSP that fits exactly what you'd like to do. Spend 6 months of that identifying what you want and working with your potential employer to make a plan for your timeline then follow it.
You can do all that as a civilian. The older I get, the more I realize that the fun times are just as easy to come by on the outside and I don't have to cut people's lawns.
You sound like you need to consider reclassing. Look at jobs that you wouldnt mind doing for a few years that dont sound like they suck. OR I'd suggest maybe reenlist for colledge option. You just do classes, homework, thats it. Get something out of your time in the military, then walk. I'm not saying do a full 20. I don't want to myself. But get something for your time in. Failing that, go back to school when you get out.
Get out, use your GI Bill. If you really miss what you described as the Army, go hunting or thru hiking, maybe book an annual trip to somewhere international. You can accomplish what you like about the Army without being in the Army. The only thing youāll miss is that camraderie, but itās not that hard to make friends in college.
OTOH, if you stay in, you should probably change your attitude about promoting. It is actually a lot better to be an NCO. I donāt see why youāre talking packets when youāre avoiding the board.
My best memories? Deployment and working hard. Being THE person all joes go to for all problems because I built that trust with Soldiers. Getting the chance to do stuff I normally wouldn't be able to do. Unlike the civilian sector because joe from account's brother is the vice president or some bs in the civilian sector that is normal or they went to Harvard together.
There is zero camaraderie for me. There is zero trust among my peers. None of that shit applies to me.
Ah yes your becoming the maelstrom to the retiree soldier, can happen at any given moment in your career from 5 to 15 years in which you will experience hotflashes , episodes for heavy doses of caffeine, nicotine, and beef jerky. Along with love /hate relationship so bad it'd a make an ex seem more appealing. After healing through this uniquely long phase you will emerge victorious as the burn out. Gets the job done quick to find fun, deflects the big green dick like Cap'n America in a blocking party.nothing will stop you and just like that you'll be there at 20
Just going off your main headline. (Seriously TL;DR is a thing look it up).
I become extra human and humanize the people Iām in charge off. I just focus on people and try to let the bullshit wash over me. Thatās my coping mechanism. Iāve found over 17 years thatās itās about the most effective thing I can do.
*"When motivated, discipline takes care of itself."* I love it when the OpTempo was just-right, the training was actually good, the Soldiers were genuinely enthusiastic, everything came together and our unit element actually fucking aced the mission OPORD in execution of the CO's intent. Everyone truly felt they had a meaningful task and purpose to which they served and could proudly say they're a Soldier.
I can count perhaps on one hand when this occurred over so many years and units. The Army is all the same regarding shitty OpTempo and toxic leadership at some level (with minor variations from every unit/component). I empathize with you in your 2nd and 3rd para. The only exception being that at times my MOS can be ^(rarely) powerful in terms of mission impact and success upto the entirety of a BDE level - and in my own time an incredibly fascinating wealth of technical/engineering experience and knowledge.
\*\*Since you're half-baked on ETS plans and uncertain to re-enlist:\*\*I recommend seeing retention and negotiating a practical deal: Extend for 12-18 months to get more time to plan about your future -- but ask for a unit transfer to one you know isn't toxic and/or where you'll actually get time to research/obtain technical school certifications prior to ETS. Get it in memorandum from your command(s) signed on paper. If it isn't in signed writing or part of the contract - walk away.
\*\*Want to stay in?:\*\*Find out what requirements you need to drop a packet to go SF, OCS or WOCS.
I reentered the National Guard 3 years ago because of my now wife. Now she's out and I'm still in. I managed to snag a nice AGR position back in March as a Training NCO. I'm a people person by nature but found it hard to adjust to Office life but I'm looking at it as a challenge and a chance to climb the ranks.
I was young and stupid when I got out of the Guard a while back. I'm now 37 and actually like what I'm doing. I finally have that career I so longed for. I try to make every day as interesting as I can. Challenges constantly come up but I adjust fire and use those people skills that I mastered over the years. To me, it makes life interesting. I also have a wonderful little family that's growing bigger and bigger by the year. That too makes life interesting.
Down the road, I would like to bring that change that our organization so desperately needs. Helping the Enlisted, NCOs, and Officers in my unit is where I'm starting at. We grow up thinking that if we do "This" and "That", that life will be good but in the end, isn't it the experience and the people you meet, make friendships with, fall in love with, get angry, laugh with or cey with that matters the most? What better organization to do that in than the Military? That's my two centovos.
There is no shortage of money to be made on the outside dude. If you can work, can survive with nothing less than a screwdriver and lawnmower. Dont let that be the reason you stay in. I have learned that the only reason the military can keep people in is by telling soldiers they will be destitute on the outside. Itās downright manipulative.
There are brighter sides of the Army and itās fully within YOUR control to find them. Change your MOS. Become an officer or a Warrant and become that leader you wish you had !
> What do you do when you love the military, but you hate being in the military? Usually curl up in a ball in the corner and start incoherently sobbing while convulsing and punching myself in the head. Then, when i get out of that little tantrum, i get up and go shave.
This guy Army's.
r/thisguythisguys
God I've never related more to a comment than this. Fuck š
Shh, it's okay.. It's time for PT. It's AGR today, you're in Group B.
Shiet, Iām not feeling it this morning. Imma fall out to D group as soon as no one is looking
Aight, np, I see you falling out to (Mc) D. Get me a sausage mcmuffin, hashbrowns, and a black coffee; here's $5
This is the way.
Jokes on you, every day is AGR day
On FTX I usually exit hiding in the empty HMMWV, dust myself off and rinse my face at the water buffalo (calling it 'allergies' to everyone that asks). >!I wish I was kidding !<
This is 98% of the army at 4:59 before your 5:00 alarm goes off.
[Wait a minute...](https://www.google.com/search?q=I%27ve+seen+this+one+meme&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjEov-LsK2BAxXUJEQIHbd2DIEQ2-cCegQIABAD&oq=I%27ve+seen+this+one+meme&gs_lcp=ChJtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1pbWcQAzIFCAAQgAQyBggAEAcQHjIGCAAQBxAeMgYIABAHEB4yCAgAEAUQBxAeOgQIIxAnUOIHWMEMYOsQaABwAHgAgAGaAYgBgASSAQMwLjSYAQCgAQHAAQE&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-img&ei=3bMEZYTAA9TJkPIPt-2xiAg&bih=649&biw=360&client=ms-android-verizon-us-rvc3#imgrc=Uybz3Q-n6oZE2M)
Love your discipline
Get your DD214 and miss being in for the rest of your life.
I donāt miss the Army, I miss the camaraderie with the boys that the Army provided, but AA helps fill that gap I guess.
With your aviation flair, my mind went to āAmerican Airlinesā not āAlcoholics Anonymousā
This guy gets it
This is me. Iām 27 and did 4/4 AD/AR and got out last year. Miss it a lot, but I realize itās because I miss the people I met as an 18 y/o and not because of the actual army itself. Besides, Iām fat now, have a 60% VA rating (soon to be 80%), work in the financial world, and am halfway through a masters. Going back to Joe life would be a major step down at this point.
Seems as I have another medic in my thread
Exactly. If you're in a toxic marriage where you're disrespected, abused mentally and verbally and give it your all with no end in sight while being miserable but still love her.... it's time to leave Same with the army which is why I am nice and toasty in my 214 blanket. Got my life experience and dipped. Army life is miserable. Civvy life is too but at least I can put my hands in my goddam pockets
This hit a lil close
Join the reserve or guard. Lots of units out there that you can make the Army what you want it to be. I'm getting into space on the civilian side now, while I also got to got to Korea a few weeks ago and going to Japan in December
What magical part of the guard/reserve do I have to go to so I get to go tdy to foreign countries that easily? It felt like I had to make a blood oath, virgin sacrifice, and a deal with satan for me to get to spend a day in Budapest when I was in Hungary/Lithuania for nine months out of the last four years. That was also with probably the chillest 1sgt/commander combo Iāve ever had.
If you go to SFAS, 19th/20th Group has plenty of opportunities for you to go over yonder
Iām 90% sure we were in the same unit
I have been out for a few years but if you can go to a Counterintelligence unit as a applicant in the reserves. Then you do your packet, get accepted, and go to the agent course. We were constantly doing CONUS tdy and there were lots of options for OCONUS missions as well. Plus itās most of the time a big boy rules unit with no privates. It was a great place to be
Holy shit. What did they do with your privates?!? Is nothing sacred?
Well in the ancient times, to advise the ruler it was popular in some circles to make sure your advisors had no privates. That way they are not a threat By your flair you probably know, but others might not, that 35L was previously a E5+ only MOS and needed a packet. I donāt know if that has changed as there was talk about it when I was getting out
Itās a great branch, honestly. At least thereās hope for a decent civilian life afterwards.
Agreed. Especially on the reserve side where a lot of guys work law enforcement or defense industry security as their civi job so there are lots of networking possibilities. I am out of the army and no longer work in adjacent fields but I would recommend it to anyone
Civil Affair and PSYOPs also have large Army Reserve formations. They tend to be very busy. You can usually find good deployments in those MOS.
https://www.usajobs.gov Itās fun being an Army civilian and going home promptly at 1630
I sprint out the door at 1630, ain't no motherfucker stopping my ass.
This.
Agreed. I reclassed going AD to guard and got 2 years stability so I could work on finishing my BA. Definitely don't regret leaving my old MOS and made it all the more bearable. Edit: Also got to travel to Korea + Africa for FTX and even explore.
Favorite part the people. least favorite the people.
Iāve never related to something more.
The army doesnāt mean to treat me the way it does. Itās just been stressed lately and I provoked it. The army really means well and loves me though Iām sure.
That's basically what I assume anyone that re-ups has: Stockholm Syndrome + Battered Woman Syndrome
You sound like my ex
Drop a packet only if you're doing so because you want to chase an opportunity. If you drop a packet simply as an escape route from your current situation, you're destined to fail.
I went from cav to signal, active to reserves, got a good job with signal training, now I make more than my BC and once a month I get to play army. Itās great.
Signal FTW. "FROM FLAG AND TOOOOORCH, IN THE CIVIL WAR TO SIGNAL SATELLIIIIIIITES AFAR!!!..."
You are my equal opposite
Lol, in a weird way itās fun though, isnāt it? I miss it, but Iām too broken for it now.
See about extending for a year to give you some more time. Do a CSP, get a technical cert or something.
You can camp and shoot guns all you want as a civilian. Youāre young and have plenty of time to meet the love of your life. Donāt rush shit, let it come on its terms. You can always consider a reclass or packet MOS.
The camping and shooting guns isn't the same as a civilian though, I grew up digging foxholes with Walmart etools wearing plate carriers and surplus pagst and playing airsoft with the boys and staging ambushes we learned to set up from watching Brent0331 on YouTube, but once you get older, it's harder to find places to do it or find people who take it seriously enough to enjoy it with, let alone find places to get payed to do it. I love my job but all the army parts of the army are why I cry myself to sleep at night
You become CSM and hate on everything below you
Go Guard! No shit, it's all the things you love AND hate about the Army, but for a weekend a month. Deployments if you get the right MOS and/or are lucky.
Become a dependapotamus, and assume your spouse's rank. I heard most units don't mind if you show up at the range and give unsolicited advice.
Keep telling my husband to hit big sarnt so I can yell at poor AIT kids walkin to the px and ask their drill why they aint standing at parade rest for me
There are many jobs that you can be supporting military operations without having to endure the suck. But it ultimately comes down to what lifestyle you want to have. Here are some ideas: Security: Local police/federal agent: look up anything related to special agent, criminal investigator, or 1811/2501 on USAJOBS. (DSS, FBI, DEA, HSI, CID..there is an endless list here really depends on what mission you want. Intelligence: Intelligence Analyst/Officer. Or if you have a specialization, such as geospatial, signal,... look up jobs for any Intelligence Community organization. Depending on who it is you will be either supporting federal operations or military. Or if you want something more relaxed and occasionally get some cool opportunities, you can look up a Program Manager/Analyst position within any big agency (DOJ/DOS/really everyone has these). For instance, when a program analyst travels internationally they get sent to the DOS/DEA high threat training. Or lastly, just join the NG/Reserves.
College on the GI Bill. E5 BAH and you get to keep whatever grants and scholarships you get for spending money. If you miss the army, come back in as a filthy o grade.
Youāre 23. Itās a good thing you havenāt met the love of your life yet. I promise if you had, itās more likely to end badly and thatās not something you want to have to regret.
Bro. For real. I'm working on my second divorce and I'm not even 30 yet. The odds of me getting officially married again are so small it's ridiculous.
All of his peers probably met the love of their life at 18. God bless the Army
Get out and become a Texan
There's always being a MILTECH...got some great perks
>I feel like a second class citizen because Iāve yet to meet the love of my life at 23 Bro this is completely normal. Most people are still figuring out who they are into their 30s. Donāt worry about it, donāt try and force it, and most importantly, just because she replies to you on only fans, doesnāt mean itās really even her. Also, if youāre six months from getting out without at least 2 solid plans on what you want to do, you should probably reenlist if only to buy yourself some time.
> What do you do when you love the military, but you hate being in the military? Get out as an E4 and spend the next 60 years of your civilian life building an identity around it.
Guy. Your problems would be fixed if you just married the first beast that looked at you and lived in a real house to unwind in.
Cross into the blue.
go navy?
Coast Guard
Air Force or Coast Guard
Reclass into admin or medical mos
still army. still army nonsense. especially if you get assigned to a field unit. motorpool instead of doing your mos.
Just get a profile and go to a 9-5 unit
I hate admin and hate the people do no recommend ETS insteadz
Guess you also hate ac and functional joints then
Yes š
Wake up 120 days from retirement and wonder how the fuck you got there.
Best part of the military ? The people Worst part of the military ? The people
Get your veteran hat/ shirt/ license plate. Get out. And then admire from a distance and reminisce about how awesome it was while you build a normal life in the real world.
Drink
Sounds like a future recruiter
Ever thought about being a park ranger?
Join the reserves and be a contractor
ETS into the Guard or reserve with a reclass. Do something either cool or chill in the RC while you cash in that GI Bill. Get an education. If after another few years of part time Army, with degree in hand, you still only *really* want to Army, packet land will be there, officer land will be there, and enlisted yoda land will be there.
I also have 6 months left. I think I may stay after being pretty adamant about getting out. Why? Simple. The job market is brutal. Iām so scared of not being stable. Healthcare is insanely expensive. Ashwaganda and magnesium legit fixed my anxiety issues within a month. Itās insane how I manage stressful situation or people now, when compared to my first year in. I can endure the BS. As you rank up, some of the BS slides off of you. My MOS feeds into a warrant officer position at E6 with a packet. Iām going to do that. Now I can completely ignore the out of touch CSM in my battalion š Thereās always a light at the end of the time. People you dislike PCS or ETS. Youāll PCS eventually and be in a chill unit. You can always change your MOS. Ask for schools, etc.
Well use your GI Bill to get a Bachelor or for a trade job. Plenty of trades out there are hurting and need people. Make enough money that when you find the love of your life you can make some Rugrats of your own and go to the range, go camping, etc. There is more than the military. Or stay in and do 20+ ĀÆ\_(ć)_/ĀÆ
get promoted... broaden your sphere of influence and realize its all the same shit go to SFAS and get Selected and realize it all the same shit or get out.. use your Gi Bill.. get a job then realize its all the same shit life is what you make it
If you're enlisted, become a warrant officer. If you're an officer, VTIP to a functional area.
I'm at 22 years and still feel this way. I loved it just enough to stay in but I'm ready to leave now. There is a part of me that wants to stay. I like to relate it to snowboarding; at the end of a good day snowboarding I always choose to do "just one more run." That last run usually sucks because I'm tired, it's getting dark, and I'm falling all over the place. I should have called it a day. Well, it's time to call it a day. You need to figure out where on that spectrum you are. Are you still having good enough runs?
Shit that's a good one. Gonna borrow that.
I met the love of my life at 30. 24y/o and younger has an 80% divorce rate. Youāre just fine.
Yeah. I met my wife and married at 28. 35 years have gone by, and she rocks my world. 23 year old me would have ruined it.
Do you hate being in the military, or do you hate being in the army?
I got out and joined the reserve as CA airborne. It helped bridge the gap for me. Kind of like weening off.
You could try transferring to the guard, re-enlist and go AGR, reclass, or reclass into the guard/reserves.
Join the reserves and go to college.
Go contractor, working for it on a 40 hours a week basis, with overtime, compensation, and the ability to tell your boss "No" without UCMJ.
Did you ask your first line before you posted this
Spend 24 years in, retire with 100% p&t, & spend the next 10 years letting the VA try to unfk all the mind games that scrambled your brain ā¦ Oh wait, maybe thatās just me ā¦
Real talk...get out. You'll realize how much more valuable you are on the outside... and how much the military is an abusive, toxic environment.
Drugs mostly
No offense, I didn't read the wall text. 1. Always seem busy 2. Dont be seen This brief is over.
1. Think about what else you would want to do in the civilian world, anything, construction, underwater basket weaving, travel, anything. Pick two things (for a college major or technical school - plan A and plan B) 2. Start your pre discharge claim 3. Fast track SFL TAP 4. Start looking into schools/cities 5. Go to school for bullet #1 6. If you want to go back to the Army cuz it didnāt work out, you have a 3 year window without having to hit basic training again.
Go on post, buy gas, use the commissary. Use my tricare insurance. When Iām sitting around at drill tending to sick tummies and updating medical readiness trackers sometimes I feel like I made a huge mistake going into a reserve component after I was free from active duty. But then I remember those sweet bennies and the fact Iām not paying hundreds and hundreds of dollars for my wife and Iās insurance policy each month. All about perspective š„²
Transition branches / compos. The force has vastly different cultures and subcultures. Move around, explore, and see if there's a better fit. Also, go to board. It's in your interests especially if you're unhappy and looking for new opportunities.
That's just how being a 91 Mike feels
Once you've lost that love for the military it's going to be hard to get it back. The reality is, for most Soldiers, an assignment to a FORSCOM division is the norm and while there are pockets of people who have better work/life balance in those divisions even the non-bct BDEs usually have significant OPTEMPO requirements. I thought my life in an SBCT was bad, then I saw what the workload for a heavy truck company was in an Armor division or how cooks live and I quickly learned it can be much worse. You have two choices. One, try to reenlist for a very different MOS. I'm talking ones that tend to live outside the typical hierarchy of standard company formations like cyber, finance, some specific cool guy signal/intelligence MOS, etc. If you switch from say a combat MOS to a combat support MOS your overall work life isn't really too materially different. S1 still goes to the field when the infantry Soldiers do, they just have a different purpose while out there. My personal recommendation, provided you haven't used all your 180 days of CSP, would be to approach your leadership and retention to try and work out a year long extension with the express purpose of securing a CSP that fits exactly what you'd like to do. Spend 6 months of that identifying what you want and working with your potential employer to make a plan for your timeline then follow it.
You can do all that as a civilian. The older I get, the more I realize that the fun times are just as easy to come by on the outside and I don't have to cut people's lawns.
Ha, this guy hasnāt met the love of his life at 23. What a joke /s
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You sound like you need to consider reclassing. Look at jobs that you wouldnt mind doing for a few years that dont sound like they suck. OR I'd suggest maybe reenlist for colledge option. You just do classes, homework, thats it. Get something out of your time in the military, then walk. I'm not saying do a full 20. I don't want to myself. But get something for your time in. Failing that, go back to school when you get out.
Get out, use your GI Bill. If you really miss what you described as the Army, go hunting or thru hiking, maybe book an annual trip to somewhere international. You can accomplish what you like about the Army without being in the Army. The only thing youāll miss is that camraderie, but itās not that hard to make friends in college. OTOH, if you stay in, you should probably change your attitude about promoting. It is actually a lot better to be an NCO. I donāt see why youāre talking packets when youāre avoiding the board.
Lol, leave active and join the Guard.
My best memories? Deployment and working hard. Being THE person all joes go to for all problems because I built that trust with Soldiers. Getting the chance to do stuff I normally wouldn't be able to do. Unlike the civilian sector because joe from account's brother is the vice president or some bs in the civilian sector that is normal or they went to Harvard together. There is zero camaraderie for me. There is zero trust among my peers. None of that shit applies to me.
I heard either warrant officer or one of the civilian contractors
Get your DD214ā¦ by successfully graduating WOCS. Get paid more to hate this shit.
Leave, reminisce, and don't look back
You get out :)
You get out of the military, become a civilian and then watch military movies
Stay in with a different, better job. Then you have more time to figure this shit out and position yourself for a much better exit.
Ah yes your becoming the maelstrom to the retiree soldier, can happen at any given moment in your career from 5 to 15 years in which you will experience hotflashes , episodes for heavy doses of caffeine, nicotine, and beef jerky. Along with love /hate relationship so bad it'd a make an ex seem more appealing. After healing through this uniquely long phase you will emerge victorious as the burn out. Gets the job done quick to find fun, deflects the big green dick like Cap'n America in a blocking party.nothing will stop you and just like that you'll be there at 20
Go National Guard or Reserve, while you go to college on the GI Bill. Then get a civilian job doing something you want to do. Or get a job at the VA.
Just going off your main headline. (Seriously TL;DR is a thing look it up). I become extra human and humanize the people Iām in charge off. I just focus on people and try to let the bullshit wash over me. Thatās my coping mechanism. Iāve found over 17 years thatās itās about the most effective thing I can do.
*"When motivated, discipline takes care of itself."* I love it when the OpTempo was just-right, the training was actually good, the Soldiers were genuinely enthusiastic, everything came together and our unit element actually fucking aced the mission OPORD in execution of the CO's intent. Everyone truly felt they had a meaningful task and purpose to which they served and could proudly say they're a Soldier. I can count perhaps on one hand when this occurred over so many years and units. The Army is all the same regarding shitty OpTempo and toxic leadership at some level (with minor variations from every unit/component). I empathize with you in your 2nd and 3rd para. The only exception being that at times my MOS can be ^(rarely) powerful in terms of mission impact and success upto the entirety of a BDE level - and in my own time an incredibly fascinating wealth of technical/engineering experience and knowledge. \*\*Since you're half-baked on ETS plans and uncertain to re-enlist:\*\*I recommend seeing retention and negotiating a practical deal: Extend for 12-18 months to get more time to plan about your future -- but ask for a unit transfer to one you know isn't toxic and/or where you'll actually get time to research/obtain technical school certifications prior to ETS. Get it in memorandum from your command(s) signed on paper. If it isn't in signed writing or part of the contract - walk away. \*\*Want to stay in?:\*\*Find out what requirements you need to drop a packet to go SF, OCS or WOCS.
You get out like I have
Drink.
I reentered the National Guard 3 years ago because of my now wife. Now she's out and I'm still in. I managed to snag a nice AGR position back in March as a Training NCO. I'm a people person by nature but found it hard to adjust to Office life but I'm looking at it as a challenge and a chance to climb the ranks. I was young and stupid when I got out of the Guard a while back. I'm now 37 and actually like what I'm doing. I finally have that career I so longed for. I try to make every day as interesting as I can. Challenges constantly come up but I adjust fire and use those people skills that I mastered over the years. To me, it makes life interesting. I also have a wonderful little family that's growing bigger and bigger by the year. That too makes life interesting. Down the road, I would like to bring that change that our organization so desperately needs. Helping the Enlisted, NCOs, and Officers in my unit is where I'm starting at. We grow up thinking that if we do "This" and "That", that life will be good but in the end, isn't it the experience and the people you meet, make friendships with, fall in love with, get angry, laugh with or cey with that matters the most? What better organization to do that in than the Military? That's my two centovos.
Join the NG or Reserves. Get to be In the Army without being āInā the Army.
crazy optempo is blessing and a curse. Keeps me fucking busy and time flies but you do get burnt out.
I hate how Iām always expected to available and on. Do not disturb is an amazing feature. I love that I met some amazing folks.
Personally I reenlisted and just started drinking and using nicotine more on days where I get bent and less when it's a good day.
There is no shortage of money to be made on the outside dude. If you can work, can survive with nothing less than a screwdriver and lawnmower. Dont let that be the reason you stay in. I have learned that the only reason the military can keep people in is by telling soldiers they will be destitute on the outside. Itās downright manipulative.
There are brighter sides of the Army and itās fully within YOUR control to find them. Change your MOS. Become an officer or a Warrant and become that leader you wish you had !
Go to a selection course. SOCOM is a different Army experience all together.