Congrats on pulling the pin and retiring.
I retired the first time in 94 at age 40, not by choice, but because of injury on the job. After a year I was told either retire medically (tax free) or be transferred to a civilian part of the city and work to age 55 for the same retirement. Either way the Dept was not going to keep me on with a bad right wrist (dominant hand). Funny thing, 6 months later my wrist got enough scar tissue to not be painful with raw bone on bone contact.
Retired from the Army Reserves in 2000. Couldn't justify leaving the wife alone for 6 weeks in the middle of chemo and radiation therapy. Had plenty of "good years" and enough to retire at my current rank (05). No pension until age 60 so a long time to wait.
I had been teaching part time from 95 then worked as a director for a non profit until 2000. Left the organization as the "owner" of the non profit was an Air Guard pilot who I out ranked. He got kinda pissy about it even though neither one of us served in any capacity with the other. It led to some significant personality clashes as I wasn't impressed with a Capt, later Major rank being touted in a position where it did not belong. He being an A-10 pilot was frustrated that I wasn't interested in being treated as a subordinate as in tote those bales lift that object.
Went to work for the mechanic (IA) who supervised me doing the annuals and maintenance on my plane. I had been doing the work for several years and he needed help with other customers. Then 9/11 happened and the business stalled because no one was flying. I went to Cochise College for their full time school for A&P on a 15 month program. I came in at the top of the class, worked on the schools planes the last 6 months for extra credit and some money for tuition. Ended up doing a little teaching myself for some minor stuff the school didn't really cover, like how to change tires on a light aircraft.
Went back to work for my mechanic buddy until 04 when the wife was finally able to retire, then retired myself finally and permanently. We then went on the road as full time RVers for more than a decade.
Sounds like most things worked out for you.
As anyone can imagine in my field there’s a lot of ego and embellishment for the top job. I never fit in the competition crap. If my resume and reputation didn’t speak for itself I don’t want to work for that company.
I’ve been in 36 states, but haven’t taken a vacation since 98. You can bet I’ll be burning that road up.
Ya I leaving like a beat up football player. Working at the biggest convention center in the country, walking an average of 9 miles on concrete per day on setup mass productions my hips and legs need some healing time. Torn rotator cuff, torn cartilage in my hand. Pretty beat up.
But I lucked out. 15 guys on my crews had knee replacements. Being how I was born with a leg pitched in I wore leg braces to fix it like Forest Gump. Pain in that knee most my life. Flipped my motorcycle, engine landing on the same knee cap you’d think I’d be first in line fir knee replacements. Nope
When I was 23 and green I had a severe heat stroke, and ambulance people laying me in ice because they said my insides were cooking, sent me into shock and heart attack.
So I guess I made it out OK.
Said part, average life expectancy in my field after retirement is 6 mos-1 yr. Since we move so much fir decades, many will sit around and do nothing, stroke or heart attack tends to happen. So fir us, keep moving or die. lol
Even our oldest guys are in prime physical shape, just don’t sit down when we’re done.
After 45 yrs on the run its quite the change for the phone not to ring and blow out the door. I also get to sleep more than 2-4 hrs.
