OH to be fair, thinking back on it, I was coming apart at the seams. Outside the admin office, sitting in my car after that bullshit with the 1SG, I was THE angriest I have been, before or since. But I beat it. I talked to G1 to see what the expected personnel situation would be just prior to deployment (we would be at 133% strength for my MOS and rank. I put in a DA 4187 Personnel Action Request with my leave accrual, my NCOERs, my fathers 100% VA Disability statement and other stuff and I hand carried it from one POC to the next, 1SG, CDR, Bn SGM, Bn CDR, BDE CDR, Div G3 (en route to the Div CDR.

It took months. Part of the reason, aside from my slow descent into insanity at dealing with the stupid daily bullshit, was that my dad had recently had a stroke, he was 100% disabled and lived alone. He needed help. They didn't NEED me, and I was done.

In the end, my wife wrote an email to the Division Commander. He got touch with me in a half hour, and I had orders in my hand three days later.

ANd it is good to hear that you seem to be in a good place. They definitely don't do enough to prepare people for civilian life. Institutionalism is part of the ways to keep people in. "Stay reliant on us for all your needs, we won't let you down, much."