[RVN Airplane Driver]

It depends(like anything else)on what you make of it. I retired from the federal government having worked for NASA, Defense, Treasury and Interior retiring (early) as a GS-14 mid-level human resources type. And I gave a lot of thought to staying with it and almost left a couple of times. Looking back, I don't think my experience was much different from anyone in the private sector who works for a large inefficient and ponderous bureaucracy. Recognition and advancement is largely a matter of good work, personality, political (office politics) gamesmanship, and perceived as being smart. I like the mobility, friends and public service idea, but resented affirmative action, political appointeees and (generally negative) public perception of government employees. I also was in the field, as they say, not in Washington DC where the money would go further and the B.S. spread less thin.

OK...let me tell you the difference...I spent 7 years on active duty in the military and as you can see drove airplanes in Vietnam, occasionally got shot at by folks who weren't celebrating new years by shooting their guns in the air....any way after all that I got out of the service....went quietly home and resumed my life and eventually along with some "money" folks got in the Hotel development business.... I was the guy who identified the opportunity, put the group together and secured the financing to make it happen whereupon my partners designed, built and opened the facility (we did franchised Hilton's) and I joined in somewhat in the ongoing management....Sometimes capitalism don't provide for retirement of their participants.... My mistake...however... Every morning I wake up with the good feeling that 100's of people go to work and support their families because of my efforts over the years... I'm jealous...you're on the gummint mammary and I still have to make a few bucks trying to supplement my SS....to pay the bills...and not one of those folks that will draw a paycheck this Friday because of the Hotels that were built because of me know my name, let alone share their bounty with me.....but the gummint still requires me to contribute to pay your retirement....Now you know the difference....

[yetidog]

You are relating a difference in life experience that is hardly germane to the question asked by the original poster. I sense a personalized anger which is never a good thing. I too am a AF Vietnam era vet and would not mention that fact except you use it as something that supposedly separates (and elevates?) your background as distinctive (and better?) than my own. You do not know me; I have worked outside of government both previous to and after retirement. Fortunately, none of my employmnent experiences have given me a perspective that somehow I was being put up upon to pay for the retirement of another or that anyone I have ever met was a lesser person on the basis of the career path they followed.