Re: Time to retire from the Military looking for home
I haven't weighed in on this because I'm still figuring this one out.
When I left 'the world' and struck out in search of the Non-Corporate-Culture lifestyle, I had the choices of North, West, or South.
I had been West, and was not totally enchanted with the pioneer heritage point of view. Nice place, but just about five days worth of power shutdown away from death by thirst.
I had some views that coddled my back brain with dreams of a Viking ancestry, and I went North, which is where I am today. But I kept thinking about the problem and alternative solutions.
I visited South, namely Orlando, for extended time, and it has a lot going for it, seen in a Veterans' light.
It's better suited to providing the needs of a retiree, and also better suited to providing the particular needs of a retired veteran. It's just a simple question of the retired veterans' percentage of the local population. It's higher there, that's all there is to say about it.
Jobs. Let's be serious. If there's a good place to look for a job these days, I have no idea where that may be. It sure isn't around here in Central NY. I'm not only carrying my household, I'm also carrying a significant slice of my Daughter's too. There's a lot of that going around these days, and you don't have to be <span style="font-style: italic">my</span> neighbor to understand that.
Which brings us back to retiring from the military right now in the first place. I wouldn't; not now. If you <span style="font-style: italic">can</span> retain a paying slot in the military, by all means you should continue to do so, and at whatever cost it takes. You have rank, seniority, and knowledge that's pertinent to your livelihood. You're at your current and historic earning peak. You have benefits and inhabit a community within which you already fit.
Unless you already have all of those in greater abundance elsewhere, you ain't got diddly, and right now, there ain't a whole lotta diddly going around outside the service. Maybe you're not totally happy in the service right now, but if you want happier, don't look outside; there ain't none. You think things are bad outside right now, you ain't seen nuthin' yet, Bro.
Gun friendly communities. They are what they are, and they are also rather further down on my list of of prioritites. Three hots and a flop come pretty far higher on the list. I got a family to support before I need to worry about range time. I don't care about my neighbor's angst. As long as guns are available, I'll have mine, and if things ever actually reach the push and shove stage, I'll still have 'em. Chuck Heston got it right about cold, dead hands.
Greg.