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Mr. Luddite[_4_]

On 2/25/2018 9:44 PM, wrote:
On Sun, 25 Feb 2018 23:02:13 -0000 (UTC), Bill
wrote:

I wonder how many service members are discharged before turning 21
anyway, but I understand your point. Military service matures most.

Very few, I'd reckon.

Kiddy cruise. Join the navy reserves while in high school. When you
graduated, went to basic and 2 years duty. Then discharged. At least
when I was in high school.

That was pretty much everyone who was drafted when that was a thing
and the 4 years after your 2 "in" was inactive reserve.
Unfortunately they "extended" a lot of those guys in the late 60s,
exploiting that inactive reserve clause. The guys in the grass were
usually 2 and out if they didn't re up but there were a lot of support
USAF and maybe even navy guys with critical skills who had to do the
whole 6 year nut.
I was in a 1 year reserve program that got extended by a month (13
months active duty), putting me pretty much in the same VA category as
a 2 year guy. I never used any of it.

I did just short of 9 years active and was supposed to be discharged in
April. Started my short-timer's calendar and also sending out resumes
for jobs. Then, a few weeks before D-day, I was informed that my
enlistment had been extended for an additional 2 months. I went a
little bonkers because my understanding had been that after 8 years of
active duty, your required eligibility for military service was
complete. Anyway, I lost the argument but the CO of the command (this
was in Annapolis, MD) who was also a short-timer told me I could go home
for the last few weeks and just call in every morning for muster. I was
processed for discharge and my discharge papers would be mailed to me.
He also said he'd try to find out what the extension was all about
because it wasn't like I held a critical billet at the command and they
didn't need my replacement. The Navy was beginning to decommission the
command and were already mothballing equipment.

The CO found out that (unknown to me) I had been selected to attend a 5
week prep school called "Officer Development School (ODS)" which would
then lead to a direct commission to Warrant as an LDO (limited duty
officer). LDO's are not flag officers and can never be a CO of a ship
or anything. They usually serve in at commands that require their
educational and technical specialties.

Anyway, I didn't opt for it. The extension was to allow time for the
orders and the school schedule. Only problem was they neglected to tell
me about it in the paperwork shuffle. My only guess is that the Navy
had invested a lot of schools in me during my enlistment plus I had been
taking courses at local colleges and on-line and was not that far from
meeting a degree requirement.

My DD-214 includes the following statement: "Member's service extended
by two months. Extension was at the request and for the convenience of
the government".

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