You guys giving up the promotion for lifestyle, family life etc have made the right choices for the right reasons. Good Command decisions and you are worthy of your LHS. Pity it does not fit the overall picture. I bumped into a SFO for a large Yankee company in Paris, years ago. He was on DC10 (I think), based Paris, could write his own roster (years of Seniority & a bidding system). He had just been offered his LHS, finally, but it would be back to a rusty old 727, Based somewhere horrible in the USA, and as a Junior Captain.No bid. He chose to stay in La belle France. Good decision, eh ?