Good point, I was one of the guys who wanted to get out ASAP. However, there always seemed to be something in the way. I was getting out at the 9 and 14 year marks for QOL. But now that I got to the 20 year mark, the long term benefits of pension and health make up for it.

At DAL, the same basic coverage I get with TRICARE prime would be about $200/month for the cheapest option, I pay 460/year. There is no more pension for us just 401K etc, so the extra security is nice. The advice to stay in is just that, its advice using experience YMMV.