Not many troops are opting into the new retirement system

Jefe could not agree more! I remember recently a little off the retirement trail but close. I wanted to give my son all of my left over GI bill if I had any left. I was told I never signed up for it. I thought that had to be some kind of mistake, I knew when my son went to college any thing extra would be appreciated. I was told I was not entitled and to stop whining

Jefe I know for a fact I would not have not passed the opportunity to pass any of my education benefits to my son.

CW5 Jack Cardwell Chief, we spend a lot of time pouring over this with our Soldiers. Many of them complain that they signed up for the pension after 20 years. We tell them this is the new way things are going and they all have the same reaction: "I am done after my first enlistment, it's not worth me putting the time and effort in only to get peanuts at the end of it." I've also had Soldiers that were right on the line in terms of points and TIS who decided to get out after 14-16 years in. It's a different time and folks coming in have a different set of priorities (I call it entitlements) and you cannot change their point of view. This, coupled with the new APFT that's due to take affect in 2020, will slash the military's ranks.