You all keep this sentimental " missing the service", your going to have a recruiter from every branch of the service knocking on your door.

I miss being inside my beloved Abrams and the time I served in the military will undoubtedly be the best times I have/had in my life, bar-none. Would not trade the bad chili mac, crappy mess hall food, rumor control, constant B.S, waking up early, going to bed late, P.T (well maybe P.T) for anything.

Oh oh...someones knocking at my door.................

It'll be 2 years for me on the 31st and I miss it everyday. Nothuing better than being an FMF Doc and nothing compares to my 23 years on active duty. When people ask how I am doing my wife usually answers with "we don't know because he is still adjusting".

S/F

Phrogs Phorever!

I served from '69-'94 and miss it very much. I never wanted to do anything else, and still feel I don't really "fit" into civilian life. I miss the earlier days a lot more than the latter ones however.

Got my draft notice in May 1966 and graduated from high school in June and reported in July.Joined the Air Force hoping to get a job I could use. They made me a medic. I think we were paid something like $86 a month. I got out in 1970 as a sergeant and used the GI Bill to graduate from college but couldn't fine a job, I learned not to tell prospective employers of my military service. I June of 76 I joined the National Guard as they had just the place for me. Went to OCS and became a 2nd Lt in May of 78. Went full-time and AGR. Officially retired as a Major in 1994. In the 23 years of military I saw the best of times and the worst of times. I did a tour in Vietnam and with the guard went to Germany several times. Started collecting retired pay last December and now I get paid a day what I used to get a month.

Hey guys! I `m admired by all of you really!

as for me I`m still serving for the time being

Hey all new here.

Do I miss it? yea. Sitting on a FP in the back of a 548 with your buddies at 2am talking about life and all sorts of things. Sending the new guy..or better yet the new 2LT for high angle primers over to the 577 and hearing the captain laughing so hard you could hear him a hundred yards away.

Or the ground shake when we did a battery TOT (time on target) and six M110A2 firing at the same time.

I miss it with a passion. But I love my kids more. I think my last 3 years in the Corps i seen them like 10 month total. When I got out I felt like Magneto at the end of X-Men he lost his power and was a normal person again. But you know what i wouldnt change a second of the 12 years i served.

In a word...yes. Don't miss all of the Mickey Mouse BS, but definitely miss being in the field and on my M1...soldier stuff. I get all misty eyed evertime I see an M1 on the Military Channel.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Now that'll give any artilleryman a hard-on!!!

Semper Fi.
Dave

I was in the Canadian reserve from '79 to '88. I got called up a few times to the Regs, Once for a year, a couple of times for 3 months, mostly for large exercises. Once to Germany (NATO), Once to Norway (NATO), most times to Central and Western Canada.

I never went on a tour, but I miss alot of things with the Military.
I missed throwing Grenades at old tires. I miss blowing more holes in old Sherman tanks with the Karl G. I loved to shoot, so I miss the days on the range.
I do not miss cleaning my rifle (I always saved the Gas Plug for last (think FN-C1).

I miss doing a combat insertion from a Griffin (Huey) in winter.
I do not miss lying on the ground in the wet snow as the Huey flies out over me in the winter, it is already cold enough.

I miss the peace and quiet of a defensive position in the early morning, the smell of the dew, the chirping of birds, the snoring from the next trench.
I do not miss digging trenches in rocky ground.

I miss the isolation and calmness of being on a recce patrol in the middle of the night, secure in the fact that I had a loaded weapon and could deal with anything that came my way.
I do not miss being so tired after out walking all night, the pungent smell of unwashed bodies, and walking in wet bog up JUST PAST my belt buckle. (oh, the shrinkage and chafing!!)

I miss driving around southern Germany in the back of a 113 on sunny days.
I do not miss driving around southern Germany in the back of a 113 on rainy days.

I miss getting a hot meal in the field after days of rations (salsberry steak - how many readers just cringed
I do not miss getting a hot meal in the field when it was raining, the water dropping off your helmet into your potatoes and bread, then holding your hand over the whole thing and tipping it to drain the water (and gravy – gravy? What gravy?).

The smell of Diesel reminds me of Grizzleys and M-113s.
The smell of gunpowder at fireworks reminds me of every weapon I fired.
The smell of an old building, reminds me of mouldy barracks (must be the floor polish)
The sound of a shovel on a rock .. well you know…


The Army made me the person I am today, every event in my life is always compared to my time in the Army. It was my defining moment, the part of my life I remember best until my kids came along.

And I miss my buddies the most.

It's been almost 20 years and yes, I miss it. When Generation Kill was running, it was like a trip down memory lane. I miss that brotherhood, I miss the people. I keep in contact with those I served with, but it just isn't the same as it was in that setting. Yeah, I miss it.

Of the Troops
Steve

Yes, like has already been said I miss the feeling of your buddys being like a brother. I miss the disipline and the code everyone basically went by. At the same time I don't miss the poitics of it, the rumors that went around about everything.

I busted up my knee and they denied my re-enlistment or its hard to tell where I would be now. Probably for the best though I have two wonderful boys now, and I would not want them to have to go through the deployments and the moving from base to base.

I miss the army everyday been 14 years now. The military was good to me got a wife out of it never would of meet her if I wasn't in. But after growing up as a military brat I couldn't see myself doing that to my kids. once they started school.

I miss it often, especially when I see some G.I.s serving in the war on TV or anywhere. I miss the people, the cameraderie, the experience of sleeping in the hot desert on top of my sleeping bag and watching the falling stars. The smell of jet plane exhaust and diesel fumes....ahhh....smells like...Victory! I've been out a long time but I would go back in heartbeat!

Semper Fi,

Wow, sign me up! My team's idea of male bonding is seeing how fast we can run up Pike's Peak in the morning, so we can beat the afternoon snowstorm.

I WOULD miss it, if I wasn't still doing it.

I see this is an hold thread but..I need to say something too ..I'm missing it every day! I spent five years in the Army as a paratrooper Sgt serving in the "Folgore" Brigade..Will you know what's the worst thing? well the worst is that I went out ..about a century ago...in 1974!!! I wish I was there.. watching News sound easy to know "where"...dusty and sand everywhere but doing something I still believe it was my way o' life...I left the Army becoming a Corporate pilot ,loved my job...but devote to my "red beret" forever...
As you can see..differents uniforms ,differents Country..same "soldier soul"..
Cheers mates
rinaldo

I served in the USMC from 89-93. I got out, and after 3 months I missed it too. Not the same old military BS, but the good things, your buddies, and sharing the hardships that you all laugh at later over beers! I also didn't like getting shot at, so that was one big reason to get out, of course back then I could shoot back!!

Well a good question and a feeble answer on my part! Well when I first Retired I did miss the Army (Nope not a Marine) but after many years of not getting up before dawn and not getting shot at or Yelled at as well. I find nope I no longer miss it but have many great Memories of my service and some not so good. All in all happy to be retired and relaxing!
Cheers
Jeff Larkin

There isn't a day goes by that I don't remember something, and how much I really do miss it.
I survived 8 years as one of Uncle Sam's Misguided Children. A semi-permanently stiff ankle made me rethink that as a career. Left 30 years ago and went to work at N/A Rockwell's Sabreliner division. Most of my coworkers were airedales, I was a grunt, but I couldn't take the attitudes of management .
So I did the next best thing, joined the PD and made almost 28 years before the old injuries said enough.
Retired to Las Vegas, sat around, said F-it, and got a Nevada State Police job. Not the same, but my partner was airborne, he's 59 now, so we have a lot in common.

It's a love/hate relationship for me.
I had some the best times of my life in the Army as well as some of the most miserable times of my life in the Army.
George

Shure do miss all the neat stuff we did and the places that I traveled to. Do not miss the B.S. I am extremely proud to have served and am increadably proud of our young men and women who serve now in time of war. They get a great big attaboy from me.........Al

Without a doubt,
I would join up again tomorrow if it wasn't for my age and slovenly civvy body. Too old for the TA, to far away from a Raf reserve to even attempt it anyways.
Civvy life is a walk in the park, the only challenge I have is getting the enthusiasm to go to work with boring know-it-alls, doing a boring job for no real reward. I work with people who have no real integrity, that apply for there own workmates jobs and would stab you in the back if it meant they could get higher up the ladder. If I got myself into a real bind , I wouldn't trust any of them to watch my back or help me fight my corner. Even trying to get minor procedual changes at work to happen is a one man battle ,because nobody wants to rock the boat.
I work with a guy who, when we had to re-apply for our jobs because of a take over of another school, he also tried to apply for our foremans job. Nice bloke or what!!!!
I would still be in if it wasn't for my ex-wife, something else to hate the b##ch for.
Oh well, just have to get on with things i suppose, things could be a damned site worse, I could be Gordon brown, you know,...... fat, ugly, scottish and knowing I was going to lose my job at the next election!!!!!!!!!!!!
13 1/2 years in...11 boring years out.

What I miss the most (in no order of precedence).
1. Mandatory PT. Now I have to pay for it just to stay in shape.
2. The camaderie. Someone to do the things I didn't want to like meetings and such.
3.Going out to the field, so I could get away from the desk.
4. Traveling. Miss those SATO trips.
5. Female AIT trainees. So alone and far from home, they'll do ANYTHING to feel special.
6. BDUs. It was easier when I didn't have to decide the days wear.

i miss it for many resons then again when i see my scares i am glad im retired from it