I find myself on the horns of a dillema, I have definately made the decision to retire after 21 years. My situation is different from the norm here it is; I am presently administratively assigned to an ISC after being PCS'd from a ship due to surgery. I'm not sure whether to put in my letter to retire 01 jul 08 now or wait until I am FFD at which point I will likely recieve orders for a new assignment and then RILO. I expect to be FFD sonetime in JAN but want to get the ball rolling ASAP.

Are there any experts out there that can give me some guidance?? Or is there anyone that has retired similarly?

Best Regards,

BMC Buzz

Chief,
not a pro on retirement but, I know the place that you reside in is one of the best on earth. You only live once enjoy Hawaii make it there if you can. If you don't think you can (make it there) re-evaluate your needs and make it happen. I would also like to pump Chaminade University. Got my degree there when I lived out there. Don't get out(retire) without at least a 4 year degree. Good luck enjoy the surf.

I hear what you are saying about the area it is a nice place but it is either for you ar not for you. I love to surf for sure but you can surf anywhere with a coast.

We're just too far from family out here. Looks like new england for retirement. I'm ready for the next step and can't stay any longer degree or not.

mahalo for the advice,

aloha

Did you ever bump into a BMCS Homer Westmorland out there??? I think he retired there.. if ya see him, tell him I said hi....

Wray....

No and sure,

Buzz

bump

Consider hiring an attorney familiar with medical boards to determine any disabilities that you have. The medial board process is adversarial. Additional maladies could be discovered during your retirement physical. take care of your interests.

Use your recovery time for job searching.

Good luck.

How time flies. Good luck on retiring, Buzz

Chris H.

Chief, I know you may not want this advice, but its sincere, so here it is.

Don't retire. Not yet. Maybe not ever. You don't have near enough grade or years in to retire anywhere comfortably. Certainly not Hawaii. I have a 4 year B.S. degree and still count pennies at times. I have a good job, like what I do - but it's nothing like working for the CG. If you get out now with less than 25/26 years in I guarantee you are going to have regretful "what ifs" in a few years. I have heard it time and time again..even in the voices of those who deny it. There is just something about being on the edge of 'what's going on.'

I don't know what's caused you to want to cash in your chips, but trust me, no one is going to give more meaning or compensation for amount of work given. At least stay around until you get promoted at least one more time -either to warrant or senior chief. You will have changed your mind by then.

Some good advice here from others. Allow me to add my two-cents. I always said that I would retire when it wasn't fun anymore. I was transferred to HQ - not fun - so I retired. I had a plan - which is very important, and have not regretted it at all.

Plan, plan, plan. But only you can decide whether to "retire" or not (I put it in parenthesis since most don't really retire but just change career paths) - and don't forget to involve the family.

By now, you will have decided - good luck in your future endeavors - whether that is staying in or getting out.

nickap
retired and still having fun

Nick, I agree... orders to HQ or Miami would have made the retirement decision a simple one...

I would probably put a little more on family and stability.... many retirement eligible have kids in high school.. mine were not.. they were younger.. I am glad I gave them the stability in their formative years... my daughter graduated #2 in her class.... retirement was right for me, despite the fact that I was forced into it by HYT.

Wray...

Wray, agreed. I should have put more emphasis on the family part. My oldest was already out of the house but my youngest (10 at the time) was still with me (single parent), and ADHD to boot. That is where the planning came in. I did manage to move to where I had support (not from my family but from friends). I moved to a state where the retired pay was not taxed, finished school, etc etc. The youngest is now out of the house (thank God) and none have returned (even a bigger thank God).

But it all goes back to planning again.

nickap
retired and still having fun

My only problem was trying to retire to Alaska and my last station was Hawaii. This was pre-internet days so it made it hard to try to get things set up in AK before I got there. Then I found that I was either too qualified for some jobs or under for others...all I wanted was a 9-5 job that I wouldn't have to worry about after hours and on weekends.

Still looking for that job! Not really, love teaching, 3 months off, and I only go in Monday to Friday. I refuse to work weekends, need down-time at my age or at least that is what I have convinced the younger teachers to believe. Although during the week, I am in at about 7:45am and leave at about 4:30pm daily. Six hours teaching and the rest for prep and meetings. Not to mention Academic Decathelon, Future Teachers of Alaska, and Battle of the Books. Four more months!!!!!

WOW!, some really good advice here and thank you all for your wise word's. The voices of experience are heard loud and clear.

I always said that I would stop when I didn't want to go into work every day, Turns out that my wife became ill to the point where I was considering a HUMS to keep me ashore. It was around that time that my shoulder needed surgery and I was Adassigned to ISC Honolulu. There was no need for that HUMS. My son is finishing his freshman year in high school.

Why retire? I'm tired. Tired of being away from my family, tired of turninig their worlds up side down every few years. Tired of feeling guilty when my wonderful son has to start over and make new friends, new school and all the time hoping and praying that this is not too much for him. One notion is that it builds character and this is correct to a certain extent but I know that he needs stability as he moves into this part of his life and I want to give him that gift.

My family has sacrificed over and over for me and my career. They deserve the opportunities that come with knowing they don't have to move again, make new friends, or be away from loved ones. So there it is.....no regrets and no fear.

I would tender that those that "wished they had stayed" probably had too much invested in the service to begin with. PLEASE DO NOT HUCK ANY GRENADES AT ME! I see this business as a Job, nothing more. It took nearly losing my wife and son for me to see that; I put this service before them and myself for a long time....wrong thing to do... but it is just a job. I believe that there are alot of people in this service that have bitten off on the company line and done exactly what their supervisors wanted; given all of themselves to this business. The Coast Guard is Who they are, so what do you you do when it goes away? Lament your lost identity?

There is, even now a great deal of money to be made and rewarding and fulfilling work to do, You have to be willing to do the work, nothing those on this board do not already know but being a new retiree I have to acknowledge what the future holds. A big change ?, yes. The end...no. I can't wait to start something new and as to the idea of living on my retirement pay.......I didn't just fall off the boatswain's mate turnip truck, no one can lose more that half of their income and not work, even at 30 years the loss is nearly half. I'm one of those work till you die guys anyway.

Thanks,

Buzz

Buzz - congratulations - welcome to the world of "retirement."

Those of us that have already taken the step realize that you have given it a LOT of thought before you took the step.

If yoou haven't already done so, please, please, please, get to a TAPS class. I found the Army ones extremely helpful. And, I understand, the Air Force ones are quite nice too.

It appears that you got to the point where it wasn't fun anymore too. That happens. And when there are those days if you wonder if you made the right choice (and those days will pop up once in a while), just keep telling yourself: The Coast Guard is paying me not to work.

Good luck to you and your family - let us know how things are working out. If there is anything you need help with - email me.

I retired to Kansas. Not because of the weather - but is is still relatively affordable, they do not tax retired pay and RAS is right upstairs - so if something goes wrong with the retired pay, I can walk up and talk to someone. So its not all bad.

nickap
retired and still having fun

Hey Buzz,
I'm sorry it quit being fun, but glad that you saw it was time to retire at that point. Lots of hard-headed types try to hang on after it quits being fun. They generally make life miserable for themselves and everyone around them.
I found that I had to quit before it quit being fun. I was prepared to stay for 30 and enjoy every minute of it, but I ran into one of those detailers whose only priority is to take a list of twenty people and match it to a list of twenty openings with no thought of whether talents, inclination, and training correspond to job requirements. He wanted me at Headquarters - where I would have been booked within a week of reporting. I asked for sea duty as a first choice and LORAN duty as second. I would not have had a problem with being told none was available, but when he told me, "You are way too senior to ever have to WORRY about sea duty again.", I knew I had reached the point where it would never be fun again.
I joined the Coast Guard to be a sailor, and when the people in charge of assignments can't understand how that works, they deserve to be given as much trouble as possible. From the people I have relieved and been relieved by, I can guarantee that they will have a lot more trouble trying to fill sea billets than HQ billets.

quote:

Originally posted by nickap2000:
Buzz - congratulations - welcome to the world of "retirement."

Those of us that have already taken the step realize that you have given it a LOT of thought before you took the step.

If yoou haven't already done so, please, please, please, get to a TAPS class. I found the Army ones extremely helpful. And, I understand, the Air Force ones are quite nice too.

It appears that you got to the point where it wasn't fun anymore too. That happens. And when there are those days if you wonder if you made the right choice (and those days will pop up once in a while), just keep telling yourself: The Coast Guard is paying me not to work.

Good luck to you and your family - let us know how things are working out. If there is anything you need help with - email me.

I retired to Kansas. Not because of the weather - but is is still relatively affordable, they do not tax retired pay and RAS is right upstairs - so if something goes wrong with the retired pay, I can walk up and talk to someone. So its not all bad.

nickap
retired and still having fun

Thanks for all the words and advice, I'm closing in on that 01 jul retirement date. I cannot wait!!