According to the Guard you have to have 3 years time-in-service to retire as that rank. He chose to retire as an E-8
That’s crazy! When I was in the guard, we had E-7+ that would squat their position just to retire as that rank. I know he had started his family around then, but wow that’s almost unheard of.
That dude is fucking dedicated to his family. That, right there, should be enough to prove he’s genuine and not just blowing smoke. To give up that pension to dedicate time and safety for family is aspiring! This is what a true Chad looks like.
For what it’s worth, having a lower retirement grade shouldn’t actually affect his pension at all, at least in so far as I understand it.
Walz joined up in 1981, which was the year after the “High-36” retirement system was adopted. Under that system, the army looks at your career and plucks out the 36 months where you earned the most money. In the vast majority of cases, these are the final 3 years of your career. These are averaged out, and then multiplied by a percentage (2.5% per year of service, e.g. 20 years of service = 50%) to determine your monthly payment.
All of which is to say that his pension calculations do take into account the time he was an E9, even if his paperwork and other privileges rflect the lower pay grade.
Caveat: it’s been several years since I retired, and it’s a very complex process. I could be off base as it applies to Walz’s case specifically, but what I’ve described is generally true.
