Originally Posted by
USMCFLYR
I wouldn't trade my active duty time for anything.
I seem to have had a more satisfying career than many on this board though.
I'll admit that when I joined - I didn't know much about the Air National Guard or the Reserves - though the USMC doesn't have such options.
I second that opinion. The AF allowed me to go places and do stuff that would otherwise have been impossible, plus it got me to a Legacy airline by age 30, with a savings account and no debt. In addition, I was reasonably assured of a secure job in case the airlines didn't hire for years. It seems unlikely today, but that could happen again. Guard/Reserve would have been a good deal, but at that time ('70s), most of their slots went to pilots with a few years of service, and Regional airlines were barely getting started, so the choice of Active Duty was pretty clear.