But the Andrews man, who just returned from a year in Iraq with his National Guard unit, decided not to call it quits.

He plans to re-enlist as soon as his commitment expires.

There are financial incentives to stay. The Guard recently boosted retention bonuses, and Elliott is close to 20 years, a key to retirement benefits.

Elliott says it's about more than just the money, though.

"It's also a sense of duty," he said. "It's a sense of pride, of doing something for your country."

Staying in could mean getting sent back overseas. That might not happen, but it's a possibility.

"I'm not eager to go back over there, but if I had to, I would," said Elliott.

Not everyone is following in Elliott's footsteps. It's a tough decision.

Some find that they have other duties.

Michelle Cato of Florence returned from Iraq about a year ago. She decided not to stay in the Guard.

The reason? Her new son, Wilson. Cato missed her family when she was away. She didn't want to miss a son, too.

"I didn't want to have a son and turn around when he was two months old and get called up and leave," she said.

Cato said she would have stayed in the Guard otherwise. She is from a military family and felt a duty to serve her country. "It was an obligation," she said.

Cato is not alone.

Many National Guard soldiers are choosing not to re-enlist after serving overseas. In South Carolina, the Guard missed the National Guard Bureau's manpower goal for the first time in at least 10 years.Still, many others stay, enticed by a mix of factors, ranging from financial to patriotic.

Lt. Col. Ronnie Taylor, who is involved with recruiting, said he doesn't believe the new bonuses are the only reason someone would stay.

"I truly believe you're not going to stay in the military or the Guard because of money," he said.

Some say there are regional differences at work in the decision to serve or not, to stay in or to leave.

Lt. Col. Pete Brooks, a spokesman for the Guard, said there is a Southern tradition at work.

"I think in the Southeast, it's more of a sense of duty," he said. "The Southeast has always been more supportive of the military."

In Elliott's case, the family tradition played a big role. His father served in the same unit, the Guard's Kingstree-based 1052nd Transportation Company.

In Iraq, the unit transported supplies all over the country.

"Everything from beans and bullets to spare parts," he said. "Whatever needed to be hauled, we hauled."

It wasn't easy. The unit often encountered small arms fire, and land mines were a menace.

One man in the unit, Jerome Lemon of North Charleston, died when his convoy was attacked. That was not easy to take, said Elliott.

"Jerome's loss was hard," he said. "I don't think a day will go by that I don't think about him."

Elliott said that support from the Kingstree community was a huge help for the soldiers when they were overseas.

One of the toughest things about being in Iraq was being away from family, he said.

When Guard units are called up, they go through months of training first, which adds to the time spent away.

It's not easy. Still, even though there's a possibility that Elliott could be called up to leave his family again, he's staying.

"It's a good way to serve. I can't complain about the Guard," he said.