So what you are saying is after I went through all this stuff I was stupid for staying in? I do think more get out than stay in, I believe only 15 to 17 percent retire but without those that stay in till 20 or more you would never have any senior enlisted and the knowledge base that goes with it. As for the pension I wish I got more it's nowhere near enough to live off of but we knew that when we signed up.
Also most of the stuff I mentioned still goes on in peace time, because deployments still happen, troops are forward deployed and there is always somewhere that the US sends the military into.