Number one the plan I'm talking about pretty much exists already for the Vietnam era vet. The newbies are getting the shaft for sure. If they served after the first gulf war, chances are they are going to have to sue to get benefits, so that is a good reason to come up with something substantial to try to save the government the cost of that! And since public sentiment is usually in the the veteran's favor, they would probably get way more if the vets themselves and their organizations have to go after benefits.

The other thing pertaining to your post is, lifers in the armed forces are pretty much like nurses (nursing history dates to the military and the church). You have to want to be in that field and like it or no amount of incentive is going to make you stay in for 20 to 30 years other than knowing you are building a retirement.

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This is very true.

I've met some great guys who ate, breathed, and slept love of the Navy.
Even when they complained for days about it.

On the flip side (towards what you are talking about regarding "no amount of incentive") I've also met a guy, on shore tour no less, that was 2 years from full retirement. He had put in 18 years already.
He was so fed up that he was going to get out. Screw the 2 extra years, cause he wanted to make a point to anybody who might ask "why?".

And that's not idle frustration, but a frustration that virtually every military person can understand (regarding various issues....)


One of the other things that I have lost complete track of is "partial" retirement benefits.
When I was in, it was all or nothing. Serve 15 years, and you got nothing for retirement benefits.
While a guy on the outside can accrue TRANSFERRABLE retirement benefits.
That's messed up.

There was "talk" of it needing to change, but I don't know if it ever did.

I did a little search on the web site U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and I didn't see a "partial" retirement plan. There is, however, a pension for qualifying war time vets. They have to be pretty much "up against it" as they say in order to qualify- make less than 11,000 something a year as a single person and 14,000 with one dependent. This includes the dependent's (spouse or child) income as well. There are a lot of specialty circumstances, though as in the case of battle field injury that qualify for a higher or special sum.
On the retirement subject, I know several years ago, they got rid of lump sum (for civil servants-don't know if this extended to the military), which had been an option. I think they can get a partial lump and then take their lumps once a month now!
They did improve just recently the benefit a fully retired disabled and vet gets. He/she can now receive both of those ( if I read correctly U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) instead of choosing either or.

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