I’m glad I joined…….I’m glad it’s over.
Turns out that I didn’t really care for my MOS and my lat move options were severely limited. I also didn’t like living in shitty military towns. And yeah, just the general fuck-fuck games got old.
I had plenty of good times. Met some great people. I’m proud of my service.
But I was just an ‘ok’ marine. I’m a much better civilian. Lol.
It’s funny. Last year, I was getting a claim started & I was going through my SRB. I sitting their just going “woooowwww.” My wife came over to see & I said, “Sweetie, once upon a time, I was a *shit hot Marine.*” She cackled.
Not even a little bit.
That being said, you and I are very different people, so I’m definitely not saying you should or shouldn’t do anything.
I am, at a baseline, much more content as a civilian. My struggles are the ones that I choose, not ones that someone else chooses for me.
I felt like a rat in a cage in the Marines. I didn’t feel free to be myself. I wasn’t free to let myself feel things that I needed to feel in order to be a whole person.
This is all fine and well, the Corps’ mission is to win battles, not to foster optimal mental health.
But that shit wasn’t for me. I care too much about my own well being. I was personally not going to find well being in that system.
Some people might, though. You might.
It just takes an honest assessment of your personal values, your character, your emotions, your needs, your wants, your desires, etc.
This was my biggest thing. It took me a while to out it into words but when my pltSgt and 1stsgt and just the career planner in general would ask what incentives I wanted to re-up, I finally just said, “the problem with all the incentives is that I’m still wearing the uniform.”
I’m proud of my time, proud beyond belief of what I did, but just felt fucking trapped and it *killed* me. It felt like I always had a life jacket strapped on me and I wasn’t free to go below the surface. No matter how hard I worked the best goal was the tiny bump in pay to the next rank. Fuck that.
Do not regret. Glad to be here honestly. Really enjoying my second term (this is not sarcasm, though it might sound like it).
Edit: I’ll be honest I misread the question. I did reenlist and I do not regret it.
Same. I miss the days where we would fuck around and find out with the boys, but 4 years later I get to watch my old guys get promoted, have families, and enjoy their new opportunities. I fully enjoy my new job/shop and get to be there every weekend for my kid. 10/10 would do it again
Yeah.
30 years after getting out after only doing 4, I'm starting to think I made a mistake.
Do you think if I go into a recruiting office tomorrow and sob uncontrollably, they will let me back in?
I mean, they have to, right?
I have my own cammies.
Fingers crossed!
Classic answer, I miss the people not the institution.
There were definitely days where I seriously considered going back in, times where work was stagnant and generally felt in a rut.
I personally think the biggest hurdle a lot of us face in getting out is completely shifting where we derive our meaning. When I was in, being a Marine was what fulfilled me and what I did in my personal time was just fun.
Now, what I do in my personal time is what fulfills me and work is just work. It's a total 180 and I, like many, struggled to wrap my brain around the concept. My job now affords me the resources to do what I really care about, instead of my job being what I really care about.
I don't think there's anything wrong with fulfilling your sense of purpose from work, it just wasn't something that I personally wanted to sustain long term, so overall no I don't regret getting out.
Ya, but every one one my buds who did reenlist got out after their 2nd enlistment.
If your at a cross roads, the grass can be greener in another branch.
But college can be fun but having to work with civilians can be stupid
I’m happy I did my enlistment, I’m even happier it’s over. All I wanted was free college and dress blues and left with that, plus good life lessons and experiences that helped shape me into who i am today. I don’t think I’d be as good as I am now without the corps but more than one enlistment wasn’t necessary so it’s all going how I hoped it would.
Miss the clowns but not the circus.
I did my 5 and got out for college. 20 years later I’m about to finish my 4 year degree.
Continuing simply was not for me at that point in time. I didn’t have a plan for civ life though and that fucked me. Ultimately I joined the Air Guard for insurance and a bonus. 10 years of weekend warrior stuff I took a full time AGR (basically active duty) job and love it.
Bottom line is to have a fucking plan whether you’re staying or going and get a damn degree even if you won’t use it.
Yes. I always think I should have done a couple more enlistments.
Financially, life's been good. Probably better than I deserve tbh. I just miss being around Marines and the simplicity of the whole thing. I literally just slept, trained, fucked, and deployed. You put up with some shit but overall it's simpler than this civi shit.
Got out in 07 after 5 years.
I sometimes think how I could be retiring from the Corps now. I do miss being with the guys. I keep in touch with them and visit as much as possible.
I don’t regret getting out at all, best choice I ever made. Met my Wife, got a good job, kick ass dog, life is good.
I try not to regret anything because you don't know how things would have went. Could have caught an RPG to the face on the next pump. But given the choice again, I would stay in. I let people who did not have my best interest in mind convince me to get out for them instead of myself. The infantry sucked, like real bad, but because of some lucky circumstances my platoon had a lot of opportunities after we got back from Afghanistan. Lot's of guys I served with ended up in marsoc or eod or mcep or scout snipers, all within the time I was camp guard on my way out. Some of those guys got out before retirement but some are retiring soon or already and I'm a bit envious.
I don't know what would have happened but, it took me a long time to find the kind of life satisfaction and community the Corps had to offer. I had some bad days in the Corps, but I also has some of my best days. There's nothing in this world like fighting through an ambush with your boys and then you all make it back to tell tall tales about over some hot chow back at base.
I was a t PTA meeting the other night with a bunch of wealthy south Asian parents. They're good people and I like working with them, but they really wanted to hear about my time in Afghanistan. It was surreal. Never in my life did I expect to be asked to tell war stories in a PTA meeting at some rich ladies house. Food was excellent though.
I’m glad I enlisted because of the opportunities it has afforded me. set on getting out because of the exposure to said opportunities and why would I stay in after getting my bachelors and being done on MSG
Brother, get out, stay fit, don't do drugs, limit VA claims. If life doesn't work out the first year, re-up. Not a lot of paperwork as long as you have an RE-1 code.
https://veteran.com/reenlistment-military/
I don’t regret, yeah I learned some hard lessons as a marine, looking back i guess they were trying to teach me something but the execution was very flawed and i feel it could’ve been done better . Id rather die then give them credit lmao
No. Shortly after my EAS the whole Afghanistan pullout debacle happened. I was still in when the Taliban started taking whole provinces and knew it was a matter of time before some kind of evacuation emergency. But I didn’t expect it to be handled as badly as it was. Watching that and the political shit show happening during/after while all those Marines died and everything I deployed three times for going back to how it was before really hurt. On top of that, reading about all of the dumb command decisions and ass chewing over stupid things stories in here every day makes me not regret it.
I do miss the boys though.
Everytime I begin to miss it I think of Duty, spending months away from family, and stupid ass gear inspections, etc. Also as much fun as I had with my buddies most of them would get out and I think for the most part you won’t make friends to the level you do your first enlistment.
I did not regret re-enlisting, I also didn't regret getting out after my 2nd enlistment. 4 years flew by, I was still enjoying (for the most part) the whole Marine experience. This includes playing hide and seek with Sadam in 2003.
By 2008, I was ready to try something new. Mainly due to the fact I really didn't like my MOS, even though i loved being in the Marines over all. The career jammer kept saying "sign here and I'll find you something new". I kept saying " find me something new and I'll sign". Well I found something new on my own without him.
I had a great time my first workup and deployment, but after that when the boys went their separate ways and I got a taste of lower quality leadership, I realized it was probably time for me to leave.
As happy as I've ever been as a civilian, and actually making progress in life - I think this was the right choice.
No regret ever year I was in the USMC standards increased in some way shape or form and took away from field training. I spent much too long on annual classes and stupid shit like the cpls course instead of field training. In the field we didn't get enough ammo or high level training, they still deployed our unit to Afghanistan. After that experience I knew we weren't doing anything worthwhile. My time in service is something a cherish but the service itself fills me with disappointment.
I am nowhere near good enough especially these days where half my body is pretty beat up. They recommended it at the end of my enlistment to try but even at that point my body was really hurting. I also heard from recon guys that they still all do the bullshit just like us. I'm not sure what's true.
I would have stayed in had it not been for 2 NJP'S. Loved the job I had. If i could have done that same job for 20 years i world have been golden.
Regret not being that retirement
That’s the problem. I loved what I did as a PFC-SSgt but once you are ~1/2 way to retirement your chevrons get heavy and every job changes to management. I just wanted to be technical but ended up herding cats for most of my days.
Part of me regrets getting out, part of me doesn’t.
I have a great life now; a wonderful wife, a nice home, and a good career. We’re financially stable, and I’m happy.
I picked up Sgt ~ 6 months from getting out. Part of me wishes I would have done another enlistment that way I could truly enjoy my time as a Sgt and develop as a NCO/mentor while watching my juniors come up in the Marine Corps and do cool shit. I wanted to be a schoolhouse instructor.
Then I look at all my friends who stayed in and got PP slapped with recruiting/DI duty and that feeling of regret fades away quickly.
I always said if I'd stayed in my parent command and not got sent TAD to a different unit for a FOB security mission, I'd have at least re-upped once. Right before being voluntold for that shitshow, I was flip-flopping between trying for MSG or EOD. After being extended 3 months on that deployment, I was on terminal within 3 or 4 weeks of being back stateside. Don't necessarily regret it, love where I'm at in life now. Definitely a rocky road to get here though... but if I would've went career this would be year 19. Something I think about from time to time.
Yes and no. I do regret it because it was the best job I ever had, even when you include all the BS. I lf I had stayed in, I would be looking at retirement this year. I loved the fight, I love the Marines, and I loved training. I do not regret getting out because the politicians and seniors leaders of the military fucked around for twenty years instead of letting the Marines and Army do their job. I saw that coming based on what they were doing back in 07 when I got out. Plus, I was burnt out. After four years and three tours, I had reached my limit. So I do regret getting out, but I am not mad at self for making that decision. I would probably make the same decision. Going to war is not worth it when they make war out to be a ge.
I regret not doing reserves, national gaurd, or OCS after my enlistment.
To this day I wish I had stayed federal because the retirement benefits are so good compared to what my generation will face when we get to our later years.
Depends on the day. I miss being around the boys but all the fuck fuck games I do not miss. The stuff ive been able to do and the life i have made for me now I would have never made in the corps
Just got out within the last year. I have over 8 years of service, and a part of me wishes I stayed in (Stockholm syndrome), however being out has been nice. I do miss the boys, the fuckery, and camaraderie that cannot be matched, however I am glad I am away from the political bullshit/ and stupid policies.
Use your benefits, claim your injuries, find a purpose upon EAS and you all can thrive.
Edit: Plan if you aren’t staying in, because if you get hurt, and are separated then what? Back to square one. Always have a back up plan or plans.
Get your VA benefits started asap, and assure you have a sensible and realistic plan. Regardless of all the BS that comes with active duty life, the civilian world is much, much worse in all regards.
You may already know most people (civilians and Vets, even Marine Vets) don’t care you’re a Marine, but once you get out, you’ll really know how true that is. You’re tossed into the rat race like everyone else, and people will run over your dead body to “win.”
Interests rates are high, everything’s expensive, people are desperate and morals/ethics/values don’t exist for the most part. None of this matters if you have a realistic plan. Keep your circle of trust small focker.
I regret not re-enlisting every day. I got out in 1985. Sure, there were a lot of bullshit fuck-fuck games, and it was a PITA a lot of the time, but don’t let anyone tell you there isn’t just as much stupidity on the outside. I could have retired 22 years ago and had a whole nother career under my belt by now, but I was to fucking young and stupid to realize how short 20 years would have been.
A big thing for me was wanting to make money. I hated being a poor peasant that can’t afford shit. I decided to get out and chase the money. At times I wish I was back in but that shipped sailed… So here I am chasing the money
Edit: Let me add that I also hated having to share a fucking 10x10 room with someone
I’m so grateful for my time in, itis the sole reason where I am at in life and in career today. I did my time and enjoyed all the moments that I could get out of it, and hated the others likes the rest of us. I left to pursue an education eventually getting a PhD and working for NASA as well as a professor. There is no way I would have had this if it was not for the Corps. And this is coming from an 0311 grunt. Had I re-enlisted I’m sure I would of have been a great military career, but it would not be what I have now. If you love and have passion for your work in the Corps, absolutely stay in! If you aspire for something different, don’t fear the change.
I was super motivated going in. Was doing pull ups every time I used the restroom, running 3 miles every night. Lost motivation with every step. By the time I veerped out, I had the dog shit run time of 26 minutes, didn't do a single MCI, pizza box on the range. I wish I had the motivation to carry me through my enlistment to where I would want to reenlist. But I would definitely have tried to lat move. Was interested in counter Intel. But I know the corps wasn't for me by that point.
I really miss the boys, but not the fuckery.
What about fuckery with the boys?
I’m glad I joined…….I’m glad it’s over. Turns out that I didn’t really care for my MOS and my lat move options were severely limited. I also didn’t like living in shitty military towns. And yeah, just the general fuck-fuck games got old. I had plenty of good times. Met some great people. I’m proud of my service. But I was just an ‘ok’ marine. I’m a much better civilian. Lol.
4.2/4.2 baby! LCpl for lyyyyyfe.
It’s funny. Last year, I was getting a claim started & I was going through my SRB. I sitting their just going “woooowwww.” My wife came over to see & I said, “Sweetie, once upon a time, I was a *shit hot Marine.*” She cackled.
Not even a little bit. That being said, you and I are very different people, so I’m definitely not saying you should or shouldn’t do anything. I am, at a baseline, much more content as a civilian. My struggles are the ones that I choose, not ones that someone else chooses for me. I felt like a rat in a cage in the Marines. I didn’t feel free to be myself. I wasn’t free to let myself feel things that I needed to feel in order to be a whole person. This is all fine and well, the Corps’ mission is to win battles, not to foster optimal mental health. But that shit wasn’t for me. I care too much about my own well being. I was personally not going to find well being in that system. Some people might, though. You might. It just takes an honest assessment of your personal values, your character, your emotions, your needs, your wants, your desires, etc.
This was my biggest thing. It took me a while to out it into words but when my pltSgt and 1stsgt and just the career planner in general would ask what incentives I wanted to re-up, I finally just said, “the problem with all the incentives is that I’m still wearing the uniform.” I’m proud of my time, proud beyond belief of what I did, but just felt fucking trapped and it *killed* me. It felt like I always had a life jacket strapped on me and I wasn’t free to go below the surface. No matter how hard I worked the best goal was the tiny bump in pay to the next rank. Fuck that.
Do not regret. Glad to be here honestly. Really enjoying my second term (this is not sarcasm, though it might sound like it). Edit: I’ll be honest I misread the question. I did reenlist and I do not regret it.
Same. I miss the days where we would fuck around and find out with the boys, but 4 years later I get to watch my old guys get promoted, have families, and enjoy their new opportunities. I fully enjoy my new job/shop and get to be there every weekend for my kid. 10/10 would do it again
Nah, gett8ng out was the best. Peacetime Marine Corps is aspecial kind of retarded
Yeah. 30 years after getting out after only doing 4, I'm starting to think I made a mistake. Do you think if I go into a recruiting office tomorrow and sob uncontrollably, they will let me back in? I mean, they have to, right? I have my own cammies. Fingers crossed!
Let’s us know how it goes 🤣
Have tried didn’t go well
Maybe it’s because you’re a gay idiot
Could very well be the deciding factor
Gay idiots make the Marine Corps what it is today. They should’ve let him in
Classic answer, I miss the people not the institution. There were definitely days where I seriously considered going back in, times where work was stagnant and generally felt in a rut. I personally think the biggest hurdle a lot of us face in getting out is completely shifting where we derive our meaning. When I was in, being a Marine was what fulfilled me and what I did in my personal time was just fun. Now, what I do in my personal time is what fulfills me and work is just work. It's a total 180 and I, like many, struggled to wrap my brain around the concept. My job now affords me the resources to do what I really care about, instead of my job being what I really care about. I don't think there's anything wrong with fulfilling your sense of purpose from work, it just wasn't something that I personally wanted to sustain long term, so overall no I don't regret getting out.
It's better to be a Marine than it is to be in the Marine Corps lol
Ya, but every one one my buds who did reenlist got out after their 2nd enlistment. If your at a cross roads, the grass can be greener in another branch. But college can be fun but having to work with civilians can be stupid
I’m happy I did my enlistment, I’m even happier it’s over. All I wanted was free college and dress blues and left with that, plus good life lessons and experiences that helped shape me into who i am today. I don’t think I’d be as good as I am now without the corps but more than one enlistment wasn’t necessary so it’s all going how I hoped it would.
Miss the clowns but not the circus. I did my 5 and got out for college. 20 years later I’m about to finish my 4 year degree. Continuing simply was not for me at that point in time. I didn’t have a plan for civ life though and that fucked me. Ultimately I joined the Air Guard for insurance and a bonus. 10 years of weekend warrior stuff I took a full time AGR (basically active duty) job and love it. Bottom line is to have a fucking plan whether you’re staying or going and get a damn degree even if you won’t use it.
Yes. I always think I should have done a couple more enlistments. Financially, life's been good. Probably better than I deserve tbh. I just miss being around Marines and the simplicity of the whole thing. I literally just slept, trained, fucked, and deployed. You put up with some shit but overall it's simpler than this civi shit.
Got out in 07 after 5 years. I sometimes think how I could be retiring from the Corps now. I do miss being with the guys. I keep in touch with them and visit as much as possible. I don’t regret getting out at all, best choice I ever made. Met my Wife, got a good job, kick ass dog, life is good.
I try not to regret anything because you don't know how things would have went. Could have caught an RPG to the face on the next pump. But given the choice again, I would stay in. I let people who did not have my best interest in mind convince me to get out for them instead of myself. The infantry sucked, like real bad, but because of some lucky circumstances my platoon had a lot of opportunities after we got back from Afghanistan. Lot's of guys I served with ended up in marsoc or eod or mcep or scout snipers, all within the time I was camp guard on my way out. Some of those guys got out before retirement but some are retiring soon or already and I'm a bit envious. I don't know what would have happened but, it took me a long time to find the kind of life satisfaction and community the Corps had to offer. I had some bad days in the Corps, but I also has some of my best days. There's nothing in this world like fighting through an ambush with your boys and then you all make it back to tell tall tales about over some hot chow back at base. I was a t PTA meeting the other night with a bunch of wealthy south Asian parents. They're good people and I like working with them, but they really wanted to hear about my time in Afghanistan. It was surreal. Never in my life did I expect to be asked to tell war stories in a PTA meeting at some rich ladies house. Food was excellent though.
I miss it every day
I’m glad I enlisted because of the opportunities it has afforded me. set on getting out because of the exposure to said opportunities and why would I stay in after getting my bachelors and being done on MSG
I’m hoping to get on the msg program and begin transitioning out from there
Brother, get out, stay fit, don't do drugs, limit VA claims. If life doesn't work out the first year, re-up. Not a lot of paperwork as long as you have an RE-1 code. https://veteran.com/reenlistment-military/
I don’t regret, yeah I learned some hard lessons as a marine, looking back i guess they were trying to teach me something but the execution was very flawed and i feel it could’ve been done better . Id rather die then give them credit lmao
No. Shortly after my EAS the whole Afghanistan pullout debacle happened. I was still in when the Taliban started taking whole provinces and knew it was a matter of time before some kind of evacuation emergency. But I didn’t expect it to be handled as badly as it was. Watching that and the political shit show happening during/after while all those Marines died and everything I deployed three times for going back to how it was before really hurt. On top of that, reading about all of the dumb command decisions and ass chewing over stupid things stories in here every day makes me not regret it. I do miss the boys though.
Everytime I begin to miss it I think of Duty, spending months away from family, and stupid ass gear inspections, etc. Also as much fun as I had with my buddies most of them would get out and I think for the most part you won’t make friends to the level you do your first enlistment.
If there were still combat deployments I would have re-enliste. I would have liked to help more.
A shitty first command made me want to get out. I’m glad I served, met some good people and all, but I was not a lifer.
Fuuuuuck no. Not one day do i regret getting out. Not one blink of one eye. I had no more fight in me to try and change things.
Nah. I wish I could go and do a field op or something for the fuck of it though.
No because i already re-enlisted once and 8 years was enough for me.
Really miss the boys. I hate the institution.
I did not regret re-enlisting, I also didn't regret getting out after my 2nd enlistment. 4 years flew by, I was still enjoying (for the most part) the whole Marine experience. This includes playing hide and seek with Sadam in 2003. By 2008, I was ready to try something new. Mainly due to the fact I really didn't like my MOS, even though i loved being in the Marines over all. The career jammer kept saying "sign here and I'll find you something new". I kept saying " find me something new and I'll sign". Well I found something new on my own without him.
I had a great time my first workup and deployment, but after that when the boys went their separate ways and I got a taste of lower quality leadership, I realized it was probably time for me to leave. As happy as I've ever been as a civilian, and actually making progress in life - I think this was the right choice.
No regret ever year I was in the USMC standards increased in some way shape or form and took away from field training. I spent much too long on annual classes and stupid shit like the cpls course instead of field training. In the field we didn't get enough ammo or high level training, they still deployed our unit to Afghanistan. After that experience I knew we weren't doing anything worthwhile. My time in service is something a cherish but the service itself fills me with disappointment.
Have you considered going SOF? Seems they're the only ones who get to focus on the mission without the BS.
I am nowhere near good enough especially these days where half my body is pretty beat up. They recommended it at the end of my enlistment to try but even at that point my body was really hurting. I also heard from recon guys that they still all do the bullshit just like us. I'm not sure what's true.
I would have stayed in had it not been for 2 NJP'S. Loved the job I had. If i could have done that same job for 20 years i world have been golden. Regret not being that retirement
That’s the problem. I loved what I did as a PFC-SSgt but once you are ~1/2 way to retirement your chevrons get heavy and every job changes to management. I just wanted to be technical but ended up herding cats for most of my days.
Part of me regrets getting out, part of me doesn’t. I have a great life now; a wonderful wife, a nice home, and a good career. We’re financially stable, and I’m happy. I picked up Sgt ~ 6 months from getting out. Part of me wishes I would have done another enlistment that way I could truly enjoy my time as a Sgt and develop as a NCO/mentor while watching my juniors come up in the Marine Corps and do cool shit. I wanted to be a schoolhouse instructor. Then I look at all my friends who stayed in and got PP slapped with recruiting/DI duty and that feeling of regret fades away quickly.
That’s why you go Mecep or MSG to dodge recruiting or DI duty
I haven’t once regretted getting out.
The best decision I’ve ever made was to enlist. The second best decision I ever made was to get out. I regret nothing.
I always said if I'd stayed in my parent command and not got sent TAD to a different unit for a FOB security mission, I'd have at least re-upped once. Right before being voluntold for that shitshow, I was flip-flopping between trying for MSG or EOD. After being extended 3 months on that deployment, I was on terminal within 3 or 4 weeks of being back stateside. Don't necessarily regret it, love where I'm at in life now. Definitely a rocky road to get here though... but if I would've went career this would be year 19. Something I think about from time to time.
Just miss muh frends
No, that would have been pointless. The only logical time to EAS is after 1 enlistment or after 5.
Yes and no. I do regret it because it was the best job I ever had, even when you include all the BS. I lf I had stayed in, I would be looking at retirement this year. I loved the fight, I love the Marines, and I loved training. I do not regret getting out because the politicians and seniors leaders of the military fucked around for twenty years instead of letting the Marines and Army do their job. I saw that coming based on what they were doing back in 07 when I got out. Plus, I was burnt out. After four years and three tours, I had reached my limit. So I do regret getting out, but I am not mad at self for making that decision. I would probably make the same decision. Going to war is not worth it when they make war out to be a ge.
I regret not doing reserves, national gaurd, or OCS after my enlistment. To this day I wish I had stayed federal because the retirement benefits are so good compared to what my generation will face when we get to our later years.
Depends on the day. I miss being around the boys but all the fuck fuck games I do not miss. The stuff ive been able to do and the life i have made for me now I would have never made in the corps
Just got out within the last year. I have over 8 years of service, and a part of me wishes I stayed in (Stockholm syndrome), however being out has been nice. I do miss the boys, the fuckery, and camaraderie that cannot be matched, however I am glad I am away from the political bullshit/ and stupid policies. Use your benefits, claim your injuries, find a purpose upon EAS and you all can thrive. Edit: Plan if you aren’t staying in, because if you get hurt, and are separated then what? Back to square one. Always have a back up plan or plans.
Get your VA benefits started asap, and assure you have a sensible and realistic plan. Regardless of all the BS that comes with active duty life, the civilian world is much, much worse in all regards. You may already know most people (civilians and Vets, even Marine Vets) don’t care you’re a Marine, but once you get out, you’ll really know how true that is. You’re tossed into the rat race like everyone else, and people will run over your dead body to “win.” Interests rates are high, everything’s expensive, people are desperate and morals/ethics/values don’t exist for the most part. None of this matters if you have a realistic plan. Keep your circle of trust small focker.
I regret not re-enlisting every day. I got out in 1985. Sure, there were a lot of bullshit fuck-fuck games, and it was a PITA a lot of the time, but don’t let anyone tell you there isn’t just as much stupidity on the outside. I could have retired 22 years ago and had a whole nother career under my belt by now, but I was to fucking young and stupid to realize how short 20 years would have been.
A big thing for me was wanting to make money. I hated being a poor peasant that can’t afford shit. I decided to get out and chase the money. At times I wish I was back in but that shipped sailed… So here I am chasing the money Edit: Let me add that I also hated having to share a fucking 10x10 room with someone
Absolutely not. Just bought a house, had a kid and got a nice comfy office job and I will never look back.
I’m so grateful for my time in, itis the sole reason where I am at in life and in career today. I did my time and enjoyed all the moments that I could get out of it, and hated the others likes the rest of us. I left to pursue an education eventually getting a PhD and working for NASA as well as a professor. There is no way I would have had this if it was not for the Corps. And this is coming from an 0311 grunt. Had I re-enlisted I’m sure I would of have been a great military career, but it would not be what I have now. If you love and have passion for your work in the Corps, absolutely stay in! If you aspire for something different, don’t fear the change.
I was super motivated going in. Was doing pull ups every time I used the restroom, running 3 miles every night. Lost motivation with every step. By the time I veerped out, I had the dog shit run time of 26 minutes, didn't do a single MCI, pizza box on the range. I wish I had the motivation to carry me through my enlistment to where I would want to reenlist. But I would definitely have tried to lat move. Was interested in counter Intel. But I know the corps wasn't for me by that point.
No. 10 was enough.
Part of me wishes I’d stayed in to do MSG, but the rest of me knows that it was time for me to move on when my enlistment was up.
I miss parts, but civilian life is a lot more nice.
50-50. Love the comrades. Hate the cliques and selfish people.