On getting out of active duty.....

Went back through my previous LJ entries and discovered that I hadn't provided any specifics as to why I decided to get out of AD and become a Guard bum.

In one word: promotion. Or in more words, the lack of.

Back in December, I was up for promotion to major. Unfortunately, I was passed over, mainly because I did not have any real leadership experience under my belt. And while I have a second shot this year, the chances of being promoted a second time are extremely slim (only about 3% of those who have been passed over once get promoted on the second board). Plus, right now the AF has an overage of personnel, especially officers, and was actually offering voluntary separation pay, which is double the normal separation pay. The catch for VSP, as it's called? Have to separate no later than the end of September. In my case, my normal separation pay, based on years of service, would have been some $50k. Do the math.....

And FWIW, my next major's promotion board would have met in September, and I would have found out the results in December. And those officers who get passed over for promotion twice are involuntarily separated within 6 months after the results are made official.

So, with all that in mind... getting out was a no-brainer.