Military service

[dory36]

Discussion about the draft made me curious.

 

[REWahoo]

Dory, I'm a combination of two responses, so didn't vote (joined in lieu of draft, I stayed in beyond my initial hitch, but didn't stay until retirement).

I left the military after 8 years when the post-Vietnam Carter Administration had an "early out" program for skill sets in oversupply. It was elegantly simple and very successful: give unpopular assignments to encourage people to leave (pilots assigned to 3 years of flying a desk , for example).

Less than two years after the program started the Pentagon began offering retention bonuses to those who agreed to stay....

 

[grumpy]

In my case I was called for my draft physical 3 months after spending 10 weeks in the hospital having major back surgury (1965). A couple of army doctors looked at my x-rays and said I could leave. When I got my new draft card, I was classified 1-Y. I called the draft board to ask what that meant. They said "when women and children are fighting in the streets, we'll call you". My back held up pretty well for about 15 years but has gotten progressively worse since then. On some days I am pretty disabled despite taking several different pain medications. It really limits my physical activity to swimming and walking. My health was a major reason I planned for and acheived FIRE at age 55.

Grumpy

 

[dory36]

Dory, I'm a combination of two responses, so didn't vote (joined in lieu of draft,  I stayed in beyond my initial hitch, but didn't stay until retirement). 

I was figuring that "I stayed in beyond my initial hitch, but didn't stay until retirement" would apply regardless of why you went in originally...

 

[REWahoo]

I was figuring that "I stayed in beyond my initial hitch, but didn't stay until retirement" would apply regardless of why you went in originally...

OK. But it leaves out the influence of the draft on my military service.

 

[dory36]

OK.  But it leaves out the influence of the draft on my military service.

OK, OK, I added an option for you. But you have probably already voted. So NOW look at what you have done!!

 

[REWahoo]

OK, OK, I added an option for you. But you have probably already voted. So NOW look at what you have done!!

No problem. I "unvoted" and then revoted... Thanks.

 

[dory36]

No problem.  I "unvoted" and then revoted...   Thanks.

I tried to do that in an election a few decades back...

 

[Dreamer]

What about I volunteered, but did not stay in for the full hitch? I did get an honorable discharge though!

Dreamer

 

[Nords]

I joined the Navy in 1978, a few months before I turned 18.

A few months after my birthday I received a nasty note from the registration people admonishing me about the severe penalties for failing to register. It took a couple more mailings before I decided to take them seriously and it took a few more months beyond that to update everyone's computers.

I hesitated to incur an obligation past my first tour, but one tour at a time it suddenly became time to retire. My "lack of commitment" during the two decades cost me a few bonus bucks but each time the feeling of imminent freedom was priceless.

 

[dory36]

What about I volunteered, but did not stay in for the full hitch?  I did get an honorable discharge though!

Dreamer

Well, your time was up, wasn't it?

There were lots of strange situations. I was in OCS in 1970 when Nixon declared "Vietnamization" a success.  Somehow a byproduct was that our whole OCS (at Ft Belvoir VA) was shut down 3 weeks before graduation (for my class), and many hundreds of OCS candidates were offered discharges to be effective immediately or shortly thereafter, or else we could transfer to the infantry OCS at Ft Benning and become infantry lieutenants.  (It being 1970, I decided to remain an intel NCO with a no-combat-zone travel restriction instead of an infantry sacrificial lieutenant. This will make sense for those paying attention to the situation in Southeast Asia at that time.)

Some time later, I received a $10,000 bonus for re-upping, while friends in the same job with over a year left on their hitch were offered early discharges.

Logic and consistency were not widespread...

 

[REWahoo]

... many hundreds of OCS candidates were offered discharges to be effective immediately or shortly thereafter, or else we could transfer to the infantry OCS at Ft Benning and become infantry lieutenants. (It being 1970, I decided to remain an intel NCO with a no-combat-zone travel restriction instead of an infantry sacrificial lieutenant. This will make sense for those paying attention to the situation in Southeast Asia at that time.)

Think you pretty much explained this with your opening question...

Well, your time was up, wasn't it?

 

[REWahoo]

I joined the Navy in 1978, a few months before I turned 18.

A few months after my birthday I received a nasty note from the registration people admonishing me about the severe penalties for failing to register. It took a couple more mailings before I decided to take them seriously and it took a few more months beyond that to update everyone's computers.

Similar situation here, but with my induction (draft) notice, not registration. Got my "Greetings" letter from Uncle Sam in July of 1969, a month prior to graduating from college. Scheduled to report for induction the first Monday in October. I knew it was coming so had started to try to qualify for USAF OTS, but the only slots open were for engineers and pilots. I wasn't an engineer and had never flown, not even as a passenger, but what the heck. I took all the tests and the flight physical and waited for word that I was accepted as my induction date grew closer. I was three days from boarding the bus to basic training when I was accepted and sworn in to the AF.

When I didn't show up at the induction center to board the bus on Monday morning, the Selective Service sent the sherrif to get me. Had to call the AF recruiter to verify I was already IN the military. Nothing like cutting it close...

 

[Mr._johngalt]

Logic and consistency were not widespread...

And little has changed.

JG