I wondered if you all miss your military service as I do? If it wasn't for my wife I would be God knows where doing God knows what for my beloved Corps'! I feel as if what I do now doesn't matter compared to my service. I'm just wondering if there are others out there like me?

I've been out of the Navy for nearly 4 decades, and there are many days I wish I was at sea.

Funny this should come up.
Yesterday I was walking out of the film studio where I work and I smelt the bacon being cooked at the catering truck, the early morning sun on a very clear fall day, and the chill in the air reminded me of excercises in Alberta when I was in the Canadian Armed Forces.
Do I miss it? Somedays, I don't miss the smell of diesel all the time.

Regards
Peter

Sitting in a HQs type job for the last year and a half makes me yearn for a regular unit assignment. Every morning when I go on my daily runs, I can always hear the echos of cadences in the distance.

We still do some male bonding activities like staff rides and yesterday we cleared our calendars and helped my boss set up his huge furniture units in his house. He's retiring next year and has been living on his couch for over a year. We went in and set up these German shranks (sp?) and the rest of his furniture. At least he can now use his master bedroom. We didn't leave until 8:00 PM.

Well, I've been out for 13 years now, and I still have 'military dreams' - most of which involve showing up at drill without having shaved, or without my BDU's. I don't miss the PT, or the soldier BS (I was MI right after the death of ASA), but I miss being in Germany, and I miss doing the job I did there.

I miss it alot. Those chill mornings going to work make me think of those days in the field. Bus exhaust reminds me of the old M60s. Jet fumes make me think of M1s. I did look into going back in the Guard a few weeks ago but the family and my failing knees said no. My old unit is gone now and my state has lost its armor battalions. I was a tanker full and part time for 27 years all of my adult life it was hard to give up.

Tom

I spent 5 years on active duty and 25 in the Reserve. It's been over 4 years now since I've retired, and while there are some things about being in the military that aren't fun at the time, I absolutely look back on the experiences with very fond memories and miss a lot of things, especially being around some of the finest people I've ever known.

Tom

Well I´m not a American nor Canadian. But I realy miss my machingun. Think it´s called SAW abroad. Here in Sweden it´s called KSP90. Made by a Belgian firm if I remember correctly. Well here in Sweden one do just a short period like 15 month at the most. After that it´s officer that will be the case if you want to remain with the unit for within the military, not as it is in the states. I miss the times we went in the attackboats and getting the butterflyes before we are landed on the beach or the islands where we operate. Must give a big credit for the Royal Marines in the UK whome we have much in comon with....well now it´s many years now. But sometimes the memories comes back. Like when I woke up during the first hours of the morning. Fog in the forest from the sea, the smell of wet gras, birds starting to come to life, smell of the tent. The quiet time before it´s time to go on patrol or similar...man the memories!

I left the army on the 11th of October 2004, I started missing the army right in the morning of 12th October. I miss that morning run to the cookhouse (messhall) passing rows of soldiers in double time in cadence towards breakfast. I felt very lost on that tuesday morning, i sat in bed wondering how life gonna be like from now on. I spend the day unpacking my gear for storage, took a short moment looking at my helmet, going thru those tough time i spend with it.
It would had been a career but the army believe in retaining men for short years, so i had to choose something more stable for the future.
Well I m a firefighter now, for that i m disrupted from performing any reservist duty, so i guess i m never gonna touch a weapon again, or paint my face black and green. The army will always be the best 28mths of my life and i never regret serving in it.

Had some fond memories doing it. Sometimes i do wonder what would have happened had i signed the Air Force contract to be a pilot. I probably would be piloting the F16s by now if not requested to be an Apache pilot. Somewhat odd preferences for me though. Career wise, i wanted to be a pilot but i will always have a fascination for tanks and most track vehicles.

I definitely wont want to relive my recruit days however. Had more downs than ups while being in the army. Realised after a year that this wasnt the life for me.

The best times for me happened after I became an NCO, Being a tank commander was the most fun and exciting thing you can do standing up.
Being an NCO also relieves you of the drudgery of military life. Less details and menial work. The Army molded me into the man I am today and I will be forever grateful. To all you vets of any country thank you for your service.

Tom SFC retired

Hey, Rob, is there a Battalion command looming in the future for you?

Jeff

For some bizarre reason? I miss unreps.

I'm new here but was thinking of this the other day. My wife and I both served and we both miss some aspects. If I had never gotten married I would still be in the Infantry now. I liked alot of it. I miss the good people and the lack of BS in some regards that you face in the civilian world. Anyway, 4 years active infantry, airborne and ranger. 3 years active aviation (attack) maintenance.

The one thing i miss is the way things were, i am retired, so i show up early, last to leave, rarely use sick leave, and only take time off due to use it or lose it. i am always willing to go the extra distance. I work for a local city government, and the things that my co-workers do, just twist me up in knots due to the fact they get away with this. I wrote up one of my co-worker for taking to many breaks and basicly got slapped in the face by my supervisor, and i am suppose to be a supervisor. when it was time to do "evals" i was told not to write anything good or bad, write something that everyone will sign without questions. Sorry.

I miss it sometimes. I left in 93 after 5 yrs. Four as infantry then transferred to the RAMC which wasn't for me at all. I miss the comradeship and loyalty which is something you don't get in civvy life. Plus the thing I miss the most is the weapons...LOL. I don't however miss the PT, the BS, crapping in a bag or sitting in ambushes in the rain for what always seemed like a lifetime and then noone turns up :-)

So i guess its the same on the other side of the world..i use to have that when i was a Specialist trainee. They gave us the location, we wait and wait and wait..and the enemy didn't turn up...

After 22 years I still miss it some. Got the opportunity as a contractor to go with the 1st CD to Baghdad in 04 of thier first stint in OIF. I must say It gave me a whole new outlook on our men and women in uniform and also showed me that I was better off retired

i miss my m60

What I miss most is the people.....some extraordinary friends were made in those days, friendships that pick up and carry on whenever we meet again (as though the intervening time didn't exist).

I DON'T miss the 3AM bugouts or snowballs, the back to back 10 milers, getting called in front of the RSM and so on.

I miss it everyday. I too have dreams of being back in the Army. I hve been out for ten years now, but I wish that I was tanking again.

Been out for 24 years now....I miss my buddies and Germany and all the beer I drank while in the service...but I don't miss all of the Mox nix BS or the jerks that ran the MP company that I was in, or the Ex-wife that went along with Germany.
I was lucky , I got to stay in Germany for another 8 years after I got out.

I wanted to join the National Guard right after 9/11...my wife and parents talked me out of it..saying at 40 I was probably too old to try and keep up with the young kids. They were probab;y right...the unit I wanted to join has been to Iraq and are going to be deployed next year again.
I did the next best thing that I could do....I went to work for the Transportation Security Administration as an Airport Screener...turns out it's run the same way as the military!
My job now at the Dept. of Corretions is also run very much like the military, with the same rank structure (Sgt.,Lt.,Capt.,etc).) as the military.
Some days I feel like I never got out. Plus 95% of the Corrections Officers here are Military Vets.


Jeff

I'm sure I'll catch hell for being a squid, but there are times that I miss being out in the middle of the ocean, and I was genuinely sad to hear that my ship had been scuttled. That was 20 years ago though, and to be honest, I was a really introverted, messed up and lonely kid who got into a lot of trouble, so I dont miss it that much.

I joined for all the wrong reasons; A cute blonde haired Swedish girl told me "If you really love me, you'd join the service, get a transfer to OCS in Newport R.I. and we could get married". So I did just that, and I ended up in Charleston, and she started dating other people. Drinking and fighting ensued for me, and by the time I was done with my service, I couldnt have been happier about it.

But I suppose if I had joined the Army, of my own volition and not at the suggestion of some little mynx with spikey blonde hair and blue eyes, things might have been different.

Sorry guys, "TMI", I know.

I have fond memories of my service still. I spent a four year(1961 to1965) vacation assigned to Pacific Stars and Stripes in Tokyo. Officer's billets for the EM's, houseboy to take care of it. No bed checks or formations, worked in civies, class A pass in my pocket, extra pay.

If you had an asignment after 5:00 P.M. and did more than four hours overtime, you got a comp day. So when I got back, I developed my film, made contacts and put them in the City editor's box. Always had at least four hours OT!

I learned to speak Japanese and covered the Japanese beat, hardly stepped foot on a base. Our billets were in a dependent housing area.

Met my wife, got married and am still married to same woman.

I miss my GPMG. Wanted to drop my SA80 in a river when I got promoted. Broke it within a matter of hours :-)