Can Guardsmen/ Space Marines retire?

[Marcus]

Hi just wondering. In the odd chance that space marines and guardsmen survive numerous campaigns is there a possibility for them to retire? Especially for Guardsmen because at some stage old age/ wounds make them unable to fight anymore.

[Belmont]

Only in death does duty end.

Bjorn the Fell-handed "walked, ran, pissed and killed" with the Emperor during the Great Crusade, and he's still around in M41 stuck inside a Dreadnaut armor.

Astartes do not retire. They exist to serve.

[Homuya]

Read the wiki for simple stuff like this but generally service ends in death

[FromChaosTheory]

Only in death does duty end.

[Dastian]

ONLY IN DEATH DOES DUTY ENDS AND EVEN IN DEATH DUTY CONTINUES!!!

And the average lifespan of an guardsmen in battle is very short...and the chances of getting old and retiring are very very low.

[Rasluka]

Would you even want to retire?
It would be like a soldier retiring in the middle of a seige.
You're still surrounded by enemies with nowhere to go but instead of being on the castle walls watching everyone die you can sit on your front porch watching everyone die.

[Nokturnal]

You don't retire in the guard, at best you get promoted until you die. Think Commissar Yarrick is the oldest well known member of the Imperial Guard.

Space Marines aren't even allowed to die to escape duty, they get put in Dreadnaughts if anything can be salvaged from their corpse and put back to work.

Space Marines were created to be disposable super soldiers and once there was no need for them, pretty sure the Emperor intended to kill them all off like he did the Thunder Warriors, but in the 41st millennium, there is only War, so they got a lot of work to do.

[Lanius]

for Space Marines no, they carry their duty until death and sometimes beyond
Guardsman whoever can retire, granted they are able to live up to retirement

[Doomvora]

Originally posted by Marcus:

Hi just wondering. In the odd chance that space marines and guardsmen survive numerous campaigns is there a possibility for them to retire? Especially for Guardsmen because at some stage old age/ wounds make them unable to fight anymore.

Space marine retirement is being thrown into a dreadnought.
IG don't retire, simple as.

[St0rmFury]

I understand space marines probably don't get paid, but do guardsmen get paid?

[Angry Nord-Grunge Syndicate]

Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer mentions there is a retirement planet for Guardsmen with beer and beaches (though it's written as in universe propaganda book).

Also as a side note book also mentions how that particular planet is known as a major servitor manufactorum (take that as you will).

[Voodoo]

Marines dont retire.

Guardsmen if their regiment suffers massive losses administratum might determine that its not worth reinforcing it and leave survivors to live on planet they just conquered.

Theres also a chance even conscript eventually gets promtoed to sergeant, somebody notices they are not entirely stupid and get promoted to lieutenant, then they continue climbing ranks till they retire as advisor.

Third option is desertion, if you avoid initial search chance that youll be discovered is rather slim.

[Metal Izanagi]

Astartes don't get to retire. They're created to fight and will fight until they die. And then ya know...get stuffed in a big metal coffin and keep fighting for a while longer anyway.

Guardsmen...most don't live long enough to think about retirement, and for the ones who do, their "retirement" consists of being promoted enough that they're not really close enough to the frontlines to have to risk their own lives in combat often if at all.

[No hay pan duro]

Originally posted by Marcus:

Hi just wondering. In the odd chance that space marines and guardsmen survive numerous campaigns is there a possibility for them to retire? Especially for Guardsmen because at some stage old age/ wounds make them unable to fight anymore.

Only Ciaphas Cain

[Mercurio]

Originally posted by St0rmFury:

I understand space marines probably don't get paid, but do guardsmen get paid?

there is currency still in use in 40k but that it looks like or is even called differs from system to system some might use credits while others might use paper notes.. hell seeing how both medieval and Savage aka tribal/stone age Imperial worlds exist some might even trade in silver/gold or barter furs etc but the guardmen do receive some sort of payment as well rations. The food alone is enough for people to happy sign up on some of the more desperate worlds. side note in the Table Top 40k RPG Dark Heresy they used a currency called "Thrones" which the closest thing to a universal accepted currency used mainly by agents of the Inquisition (the players are members of an Inquistor retinue in that RPG) as more of an IOU e.g "Im taking this tank, you can reclaim its worth from any ecclesiarchy HQ by presenting these tokens" kind of thing

[EvilJoshy]

I think only 1 guardsmen was able to retire and he refused too until he killed his arch nemesis. Sadly GW killed him off camera -.-
Every time the guard get sent to battle they lose like 1 million people. Thats a drop of water in the ocean to the imperium. People simply dont live long enough to retire.