In thinking toward retirement, is anyone considering relocating to be near a large military installation? If so, where and why?

CMSgt James Nolan — Wed, 23 Apr 2014 23:05:54 -0400

Proper retirement takes careful planning. I was thinking how nice it would be to live in retirement, close to a large military base. To be able to be close enough to take advantage of the things that can only be found near or on a base.

Response by SFC Stephen Carden made Jul 7 at 2014 9:28 AM

SFC Stephen Carden — Mon, 07 Jul 2014 09:28:20 -0400

There are definite advantages to retiring in a military town. However, I am retiring in less than a year, and I am not planning on doing so. My thing is, if I can't be a Soldier any more, I don't want it in my face. I don't want to work for the Army (unless they offer me a bunch of money) and I don't want to see Soldiers every day because I think it will make my transition harder. This is just my thing, while other people would do better transitioning slowly, I think a clean break is the best thing for me. I am still young enough to have a civilian career, so I will not miss the commissary and PX privileges. If I absolutely need to use the medical facilities, I will be within a few hours drive of an MTF. I dunno. I just don't want to be one of those old guys shuffling around base in their (insert war here) Veteran ball caps, too attached to the military to think about building a life anywhere else. The military has been a major part of my life since I was 17. The second half of my life belongs to me.