I need some advise...

Dave, I\'m sorry to hear that you\'re facing this dilemma with your mother. I\'ll pray for the both of you and hope that you come to some sort of reconciliation. I\'m sure she\'d be glad to see you anyway.

Do you mind if I ask why you\'re wanting to leave the Army?

1) I haven\'t had a promotion since July 2001. 2) I have talked to some government (civilian/GS) employees who were prior service. If you don\'t retire, you can buy in to your retirement. In other words, my military time counts. If I retire, I actually lose some benefits of GS employment. I start near the bottom. 3)I have a college degree, I want to use my degree. 4)I can no longer qualify with my M-16, now that I have to wear a flak vest w/plates. 5)I think working somewhere else would be a challenge, like the State Department. 6)I really do not like being around people who say things like, \\"I like you,\\" when the question was, \\"Do you think I should become an officer.\\" Besides, I haven\'t made a final decision yet. And I have seen some officers, and I think I could hold my own. Dave

Dave, Thank you for your service. Guys like you are my heroes. The work you have done to bring peace and security in Iraq will be appreciated for a long time coming. Your mom loves you, but you are a man that needs to be in charge of your future. My mother would complain to me about my wife when we were first married. One day I turned to her and explained that I love my wife, and that I didn\'t want to hear anything negative about her even from my mother. I think my mother respected what I said and saw me in a new light. She now loves my wife more than me it would seem at times. The situation with your mother is separate from your decision to find happiness in another career. Don\'t let the two challenges meld together or it will become even more confusing to make your move. Ask the Holy Spirit to continue to guide you, and for God to reveal his will for your place in creation. God bless you..... Michael

Mike, Thank you for your honesty. That s one thing I have always hated about the Army. Too many people that don\'t want to be honest. A few examples: I asked an officer if he would approve my OCS packet. He said no. Why? His excuse was that I \\"didn\'t know what a Humvee brake adjustment tool was. That made me angry. A little bit anyway. I asked another officer what he thought about me becoming an officer and he said, \\"I like you.\\" He didn\'t answer the question, but I\'ll be glad to know that somebody \\"likes\\" me. I like you Mike. And if you ever asked me if I thought you were an honest person I would probably tell you that I like you (then pause), then say yes I think you are an honest person. Dave

I want to thank everyone for the advise given so far. Artintel brought up a good point about the economy. There is no guarenteed job waiting for me. But, there is no guarentee that there is a retirement waiting for me in three years either. One thing I have to understand is that my mom grew up in the 1930s and 1940s. If you had a job, you just didn\'t quit. I understand that. But, my mom doesn\'t know that the military is different now than it was 30 or 40 years ago, when my dad was in. It is even different now, than it was 10 years ago. I serve no usuful purpose to the Army in a garrison environment. I only do my job in Iraq and maybe Afghanistan, and before I went to Iraq I only did my job ONCE, at Fort Gordon between 2003 and 2005. I am fully aware of the risk. Also, like the Desert Fathers have said, \\"Don\'t expect you reward here on Earth, expect it in Heaven.\\" It might not be an exact quote, but maybe I am chasing a dream, and will never be happy with any job. Dave

I just phoned my mom, and she was glad to hear from me. She was worried about me, because I am in Mosul, and there was an attack on Good Friday, of all days. Dave

we are glad to hear from you too, Dave. May God protect you.

I feel for you. My son who is in the Navy has similar issues. A rate that is not being promoted, a dead end job (honor guard at funerals) HAHAHA No pun really intended. He has said he wants to get out as well. Unlike you he doesn\'t have a degree, so you have something positive that you can work with. Sometimes mothers are really just voicing their fears about what could happen to you. That fear sometimes comes out in inappropriate ways, particularly if your Mom is going through the change. I know this isn\'t true for everyone, but Moms rarely realize this stuff is happening to them and so they lash out at the nearest person. She\'s afraid for you. She needs to know you love her, and you don\'t want to hurt her, but you are a man, and know what you want for you. It may not work, but if you don\'t try you will never know and always regret it.

Well, I am in Dallas, right now, and will be in Omaha this afternoon. My mom is picking me up at the airport. Dave

Dave, Time to move on. If you have opportunities outside the womb of Uncle Sam, go for it.

Have a Blessed and beautiful Pascha! Hope you get some good R&R. I\'ve never been to Nebraska, always wondered what it\'s like..

I strongly suggest you you discuss this with your spiritual father. In my experience doing so has made a world of difference when it comes to dealing with thorny issues such as these. Thank you for your service and God Bless you.

Hmmm.... Not sure what I typed that got deleted there but forgive me none the less.

I was supposed to re-enlist at the end of July, but the retention NCO told me to wait until October. I wonder why? Dave