By GI Korea on July 29th, 2010 at 1:00 pm

Picture of the Day: Retirement

• Pete
  6:25 am on July 29th, 2010 1

  This is pretty good. A lot of our leaders would not make good walmart greeters. The military pumps up the ego of folks and puts them in charge = when they walk out the door the real world hits them in the face.

• archieb
  8:28 am on July 29th, 2010 2

  On this subject, many of the "leaders" of the enlisted with hard stripes must fear retirement. We saw it first hand at Fort Hood. This was roughly a decade ago, but three of us were ETSing at the same time so we went through everything together. There were some very good programs put together to help with finding employment, building resumes, and just helping soldiers get settled after getting that honorable discharge. The education center was especially helpful since all three of us had Montgomery G.I. Bill benefits. Two signed up for the National Guard in their states and all three were upbeat about being honorably discharged veterans. Everything was positive until the very last day when we finaally finished our paperwork and we were "greeted" by a group of senior enlisted "leaders" with hard stripes who screamed obscenities at us and called us "traitors" and "sellouts." Was it funny? No. We had done our time and should have been given handshakes and warm "thank you's." I know it seems like a minor thing, but it was unnecessary and low class. It definitely left a bad taste in our mouths. How much "courage" does it take to yell "traitor" at an honorably discharged veteran? I could see it happening to some who received dishonorable discharges but we simply didn't deserve that kind of BS treatment. Yeah, that kind of behavior has no place in the military, especially when directed at honorably discharged veterans.

• Teadrinker
  8:58 am on July 29th, 2010 3

  #2,

  They insulted you because you had the initiative to prepare for a second career after retirement? That's not only disrespectful and unprofessional, it's pathetic.

• Retired GI
  9:45 am on July 29th, 2010 4

  #2 "I know it seems like a minor thing". Not to me! You did your time and got your honorable discharge. Congradulation. I hope you were as proud of what you did as I was. Thank you for your service to your country. Good luck in your future.

  Non physical handshake included.

  I also second the motion that #3 stated.

• Nomad
  11:18 am on July 29th, 2010 5

  Ha. I was supposed to retire in Oct of 2001 but got caught up in the stop loss of 9/11. I already had a job lined up but that vanished with stop loss. Not really a big deal, I dealt with it BUT…my replacement was already in country and my unit, not knowing when I would be allowed to retire, didn't really want to give me any real responsibilities so I basically had no job anymore. A few months later, I was offered a contractor position which had a nice salary attached to it so I applied for the stop loss waiver. What a nightmare that turned out to be. The new job wanted me there at a certain time, but the AF was telling me it could take up to 6 months for my stop loss waiver to be approved. I had no real job anymore, my replacement was there and fulfilling my former duties, yet NO ONE in my chain of command was willing to ruffle any feathers up the chain in order to expedite the waiver process. My own (female) 1st SGT even called me a traitor for wanting to leave the military and told me she wouldn't lift a finger to help me (and I quote). I got lucky though; in March of 2002 the Chief MSGT of our command came through to our unit and my boss "arranged it" so I had a few minutes with him. I explained my situation, told him I had a good job waiting for me, and that my replacement was already here. When he got to his quarters he made a phone call to the general back in the states and within 10 days, I was out of the military. What got me was that everyone in a position of leadership in my unit had no balls at all and they were scared to make a simple phone call. And then they were hurt when I refused to have a retirement ceremony. At that point, all I wanted to do was to get the hell out…20 years of wonderful memories ruined in a few months by people who were more worried about their next rank or OER.

• Hans Brinker
  12:11 pm on July 29th, 2010 6

  In the Foreign Legion, guys serve for a minimum of five years on an initial contract. After their contract is up, regardless of whether they've decided to return to civilian life or re-enlist, every legionnaire attends, in full uniform, a simple yet dignified discharge ceremony complete with a full band playing and expressions of gratitude made by CO of the unit after personally handing out certificates of appreciation to each former member and shaking their hand. Where is the gratitude and appreciation in our armed forces for soldiers who've done their time but don't want to serve 20+ years? (And I can totally relate with Archieb. I served as an 11B20 in an ARNG unit for four years (a decade before the GWoT started) whose chain of command was so broke and whose admin pukes were so lazy, I had to personally write letters to my U.S. Senator to get anything administratively done for myself in my unit, e.g., things like getting paid, scamming me for TA-50 equipment and uniforms that I had already turned in, etc.) Thankfully with the help of my U.S. Sentator, I was able to get out of that unit alive when I realized that I was never going to be treated properly.

• Villain
  2:45 pm on July 29th, 2010 7

  One of the problems military people have when they retire is they have problems adjusting to non-military ways. They can’t stand not being in charge of things, not able to accept a persons individuality, and insist on doing thing the old behind the times military way. They try to tell people how to cut their hair, insist on paper work while most civilian offices are paper free, and still talk and act like they were in the military. That is why you find so many of them working in GS jobs for the military agencies or defense contractors. I have worked both and other than wearing a uniform find them not too much different. I had a boss who could not stand being told what to do by a person who was much younger and more educated than he was. About serving your time and getting out, I came in 1969 when they had the draft. Unlike today where people join because of sociological reasons 90% plus joined then because they did not want to be drafted and got out. There were very few females. It was much worse when then as the lifers would not even talk to you in some instances as by separating you were committing a serious crime. We had a joke back then. What does an NCO stand for? No Chance on the Outside.

• Lemmy
  6:48 pm on July 29th, 2010 8

  No one "gives" you anything, you have to take it. If you don't believe me, just keep practicing "Welcome to Wal-Mart, Welcome to Wal-Mart"

• Lemmy
  7:11 pm on July 29th, 2010 9

  Here's another one.

  I recently attended a change of command where I met an old CSM I had @2003/4. She has since retired has no job and doesn't need one. She simply invested all of her money throughout her career.

  Now, her old decrepid body in unable to experience what she needed "youthful indescretion" for.

  I don't remember seeing a cartoon where Mr. Peabody and Sherman used the Wayback Machine to tell the story about a penny pincher who wasted their life – saving all of their money, maybe they should have made one.

• Songtan1
  1:19 am on July 30th, 2010 10

  #7 Villain. What branch of service did you serve??? I came in prior to you…just curious.

• Villain
  7:39 am on July 30th, 2010 11

  USAF

• Pete
  8:05 am on July 30th, 2010 12

  Sounds like Villain was in the AF. He said 90% joined because they did not want to be drafted. The AF never drafted during Vietnam only the Army and I think Marines. During the draft the AF has a lot of really good folks and quite a few in the enlisted ranks were college graduates who had a deferrment through college and then was hit with a draft number so they opted AF.

  Even today, I notice a major difference when I visit an AF base as compared to an army Post. The AF folks seem to be in better shape both mentally and physically. I also see a major difference in leadership especially in the senior NCO ranks.

• Villain
  2:32 pm on July 30th, 2010 13

  You are correct in that the USAF did not have a draft. Only the Army and occasionally the USMC would draft people. Most people at that time who joined the AF did so because they did not want to be drafted, as military service was mandatory for all males. You did not get paid much money then, but for a lot of the NCOs the AF were the best life they ever had. There is no way I would join the military today with all it’s political correctness and rules to prevent you enjoying yourself. From what I understand when they had the draft the majority of the Army was conscripted.

• Vince
  3:50 pm on July 30th, 2010 14

  Nomad, Villain, et al….

  Wow. Totally UNSAT that anyone getting out honorably would be treated like crap by career service members, but I have to admit, I have seen it myself.

  That said– when you DO get out, you'll get interviewed for jobs by people whose military exposure has been R. Lee Ermey in "Full Metal Jacket", and they'll look at you as someone who, if in their employ, will be an "ass kicker" for the boss. As if treating people like shit is a good thing, and not having the nutz to do the right thing or commit to corrective action on a substandard employee is something difficult to do. Just do it. Be honest in your dealings with others at all times. People WILL respect you; some might not like you, but if you had to please losers to be liked, you didn't need friends like that anyway.

  To those of you who say that NCOs who retire can't adapt, well, those NCOs must have sucked as NCOs, too. I expect people with whom I work to anticipate requirements, adapt to change, adopt more efficient practices, and share information. As far as treating people right, the "do unto others" Golden Rule applies to a military leader as much as a civilian supervisor or manager. People are people; difference is, at Bell Telephone, if you are late on a trouble call, the business customer loses money; in a military outfit, a mission might get messed up- and someone might get hurt or killed. Sadly there are leaders at all levels, mil and civ, who don't get that. Those who do usually don't need accolades or awards- people know who they are, and their reward is often nothing more than a nod from their peers, and the quiet understanding that they are people of integrity.

  Be proud of your service, and don't let the bad apples ruin your memory of service. The fact that you stood up to serve speaks very highly of you.

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