USS Fitzgerald

Since I was already married, I spent 6 years in the California Army National Guard. Rank was pretty quick.
Got sworn in on July 1 but didn't go to basic training until January - had already been promoted to E2 before Basic and was surprisingly promoted to E3 at end of Basic (Fort Polk, LA). Made E4 (Corporal - NCO route, not Spec) about a year later and E5 not quite 2 years after that. Was promised E6 if I signed up for another 6 years, but was tired of 'donating' my annual day-job vacation time to my Guard summer camp time every year so got out.
That and the fact that I should have been getting "semi-combat pay" because my unit was in Compton, CA! The local civilians didn't take kindly to any form of military uniform or vehicle.
The Guard wasn't a bad way to go - add up all of the days in uniform including Basic, AIT, all weekends and 2-week summer camps (Fort Irwin, CA) and I spent less than one calendar year in uniform. At the time, the 40th Armored was the only desert-trained armored unit in the reserves.
Looking back on it, I should have stayed in another 14 years to reach 20 and been eligible for partial retirement pay.