I can walk away at 19 years of federal LEO service and start all over or I can put in a few more years and hope that I get what I signed up f
Brothers first off Thank You for your service as you did the role I wouldn't / couldn't.
That role is NOT easy, Military service in my opinion is way easier. Even though you go through those ranks on the civilian side there are a a Lot of vets. funny how that works
Hopefully Congress can see a way to ease your pain within the budget and do what is right inside the senate now, as it's not finalized yet.
Federal service be it SSA, DHS, DOJ, DoD, etc is at the whims of the Executive branches wishes and Congress budget constraints /staffing. It sucks at times we all get shafted at times, although not all at the same time. Time in the barrel I guess is a good way to put it.
MANY Americans do Not understand the system, Some do.
My hat goes off to any active / former /retired Federal Government employee (yes Virginia, Vet's are in that crowd, remember my us vs them statements, yes it is U.S. ) they have /had a "tuff row to hoe" so to speak.
I got 70$ a month if I carried 15 hrs (GI bill), nothing else, except a bunch of nasty looks - Nam. Got terminated from many companies as my work was done.
Yes popper43 you as well (especially your era of vets), the Vietnam era Vets was treated the worse of any, outside the WWI era via news/ social protests. My father was retired Army that served from the end of Korea to the end of Vietnam. The way that era of Vets was treated is in my opinion the shame of the nation. JFK's vision was not met when he attempted to help that nation .
So I grew up as a Army Brat that joined in 1980, I served until literally I reached a time frame that Federal law said I couldn't serve a day more. I was forced into retirement when Trump went into office in his first term (June). I caught Grenada to Iraq / Afghanistan during my time in. I chose to serve, and honestly didn't want to do any other type of employment. My son joined that same June and continues today (whom caught the tail end of Afghanistan ) which I find great pride in that he carries the torch of his Grandfather's legacy whom was drafted, and passed away later that same year of cancer related to agent orange exposure, yet the VA gave him a 5% disability award. It was a bitter sweet two years. And that I was allowed to serve a nation as great as ours for as long as I legally could (which far outweighs any bitterness I could ever feel).
My point in all of this is NOT to get any sort of thanks or praise, as honestly I'm not a fan of receiving thanks when a era of Vets close to mine was spit on (which I'm bitter about). I do understand why folks do the "thank you for your service", some actually mean it, some just don't know what else to say, to some it is a nice catch phrase.
But I did want to post to sort of publicly say "I understand and have been in your shoes / situation" and your gripes, or rather statements are not falling on deaf ears.
Edit to add:
the very last was not directed to you Doublelungrage as I know you actually mean it, sincerity can't be faked .
Rather it is just me stating my feelings about how I'm treated vs when my father came home from Vietnam.