Should Military Retirees Continue to Associate with the Base Community?

Active duty personnel and their family members will usually have a lot to do with the base community. They will work on base, eat on base and possibly even live in base housing during part of their career. But once an active duty member retires, should they still continue to associate with the base community?

Retirement from any branch of the military will bring with it an immediate change in status, as the new military retiree will have to get used to their civilian title of Mr, Ms or Mrs rather than their military rank and they will also need time to make the adjustment. Military retirement will take some time for new retirees to get used to, as it is not an easy transition for many to make.

Military retirees will be pleased to learn that they can still access many of the services that they used while they were on active duty. For example, they can still continue to shop tax free on base and make use of the library, gym and various cafes and restaurants on base that are not accessible to ordinary civilians. Many retirees do not necessarily see this as an active involvement in the military community. It is often cheaper for military retirees to shop and socialize at their local base than it is locally within their community, especially as they will not be charged any sales tax on any purchases that they make. It therefore makes economic sense for some military retirees to continue to access services that they have used for years rather than shop locally off base.