Rich asked:

I’m currently in the military deployed to Iraq. When I get back, I will have one year remaining on my contract. I will soon be faced with the decision on whether to stay in or get out.

By the time I get out, I will have served six years and will be at the pay grade of E-5. I have no college under my belt. After getting out, I will not be able to attend college, because I have a family to support. Since I only have experience in combat arms, the best paying job that I can get is with Federal, State, or Local Law Enforcement.

Would it be more beneficial to retire from law enforcement or the military? If I stay in the Army I will have to continue to miss out on my four year old daughter growing up, and miss another countless amount of occasions with my wife. However, I don’t ever have to worry about them going homeless or hungry.

If I get out, I still have a chance at being successful and would be alot happier having the opportunity to come home every day and have a higher earning potential. However, I have to gamble with living on the economy. And that’s even if I actually secure a job with some department.

From my comparisons, it would seem that getting out would be a good option for me, but for some reason, deep down inside I couldn’t imagine getting out of the military, even with the deployments (currently on #2), and putting up with the other BS about being in the military. I don’t even know if I love the military or **** it, my mind changes twenty times a day.

Am I just afraid to take chance in the outside world? Has my six years in the military given me a security blanket that I don’t want to let go of? Or is it a sense of patriotism keeping me in? It’s gotta be something. I’m seriously about to go nuts trying to make my mind up.

I know that there’s alot of you out there that has been through this. What did you decide to do and do you regret your decision? Thanks in advance for the replies.