I decided to give you all an update. Back in June I was confident that orders would soon be received making my (premature) announcement of retirement from the U.S. Army Reserve official.
Cue the laughing hyenas....
Long Story Short a series of SNAFU's and FUBARS ensued. My official retirement orders finally arrived on October 10, 2017. Approximately 3 months late. The official effective date of the retirement was November 10, 2017. For those keeping track; Yes, it took over one year from the time I submitted my packet until the day I am actually retired.
Overall, not a bad finish to a career that spanned 40 years, 9 months, and 17 days. Having had more than one SNAFU in regards to records, packets being lost, and pay being delayed it was somewhat fitting that my career should end with a series of relatively harmless SNAFU's. If I had received my orders with an effective date of August 1, 2017 I would be about $10,000 dollars richer. That's about how much I would have received in retirement pay minus the supplemental pay I submitted for while waiting for orders. Unfortunately, there is no back dating to when I wanted the checks to start coming.
So, officially I am now (no really) retired from the U.S. Army Reserves. I plan to continue to work for the Veteran's Health Administration for about 6 more years before I really really retire.
For those who are not sure about the acronyms I used but are too afraid to ask:
FUBAR = Fucked Up Beyond All Repair (or Recognition)
SNAFU= Situation Normal - All Fucked Up