Somebody higher up allowed him to retire. Was his time up and his retirement rubber stamped? Probably so. That said, he could have been kept around through stop-loss programs if properly activated by congress or executive order..
He asked to get out.
Once he did that, he couldn’t go back.
The Sergeant Major is known as “The Father” of the battalion.
The father decided to cut and run.
The Soldiers in the battalion would have no respect for him.