Posted on Sep 12, 2016
What made you stay in longer than 20 years?
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I read a comment on here saying "Once you're eligible for retirement, you're working for half your pay". What made you decide to stay in longer?
Posted in these groups: 
Retirement
Retirement
Posted 8 y ago
Responses: 72
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Every year past 20 you get 2.5% more retirement, so staying to 24 years gives me 60% of my retirement pay versus 50% and I loved flying so I stayed in! Jobs will always be there so I wasn't in a hurry to get out! Now I'm in school full time flying airplanes and loving it!
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LTC (Join to see)
Pretty much my reasoning (minus flying planes) - I'll hit 20 next June and plan on doing 24-25.
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CSM Michael Sweeney
I actually wasn't ready to retire because I enjoyed what I was doing. However, I did put some math to it and realized that the retirement check would increase a grand a month if I stayed 30 versus 20. E9 versus E8 and 75% versus 50%. Not even factoring in normal raises averaging 2% per year cost of living. But, I was also 10 years older, but didn't have trouble continuing another 10 years as a Dept of the Army Civilian.
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CPO Michael Callegri
I retired at 24 because I hit HYT. I enjoyed the life. I would go back and do more years if I could.
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You stay until its no longer fun or you can not be retained. I signed up at 17 and retired 35 years later. The good stuff outweighed the sucky stuff 2 to 1. I more than likely could have stayed longer if I wished as I had just recently been retained by the MRD board something that I would most likely not have been retained again due to my rank and TIS. I looked around at my peers and saw roughly 30% that were doing nothing, stealing O2 and collecting a check while poisoning the ranks and then I saw younger NCO's that had no slot to take for their progression and told myself it was time. When the party is over its is best to leave before you overstay your welcome get tossed out, Anybody that tells you that they stay in the Army for the money is either a liar or a fool. You stay for your brothers and sisters, you stay for your troops so you can train, mentor and defend them. You stay because you like your job and it gives you a sense of accomplishment. When all that stops then the ride is over and its time to pop smoke and make way for the youngins.
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SSG Mike Simpson
This is the first response where someone wasn't talking about the money, but the desire to serve our country. If you join the service thinking it's "a job", then you need to bail your butt out as you're in for all the wrong reasons. I loved being in Special Forces but a free-fall demonstration jump went horribly wrong and I ended up breaking my back in 2 places. I could live with the pain, but the loss of my 'S' identifier due to the back injury and the upcoming assignment to a mechanized infantry unit after 8 years in SF, even as a SSG (P) - had my line number for E7 - it was too much. That back injury came back to haunt me during my later years in the Air Force and caused me to be forced out of the service with 18.5 years of service. I loved what I was doing and would do it all over again.
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Col Rex Tallent
For me it was the mission. I know this because of what I felt one day when an announcement was made. While at Officers' Call it was announced that the Berlin Wall had just come down. A general officer then said, "we won, the cold war is over." And it was. Exuberant celebration quickly faded. What had driven me personally all of my career was over. Not long after that I put in for retirement. That's how I know how critical to your decision to stay- or not- is your feeling about the mission.
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The military is a great life and a family in many sense of the word. But one recommendation is prepare yourself for whenever. Even if you don't do 20, don't get out and find you are stuck because you didn't set yourself up for that day.
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