Posted on Apr 2, 2015
Do Retirees Really “Deserve” Access to AAFES Stores More Than Non-Retirees?
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* Please vote in the survey here *
Note: I am a RallyPoint member (served in USAF for 5 years) and wish to remain anonymous, because I need to be 100% honest that I feel the DoD is discriminating against non-retirees like me. Please tell if I am right or wrong here.
While I was serving in the USAF (5 years active), I enjoyed shopping at AAFES locations and online as well. It saved me a lot of money and the deals always seemed good. Now that I am a civilian, and did not hit retirement before I got out, and am not rated 100%, I can’t shop at AAFES anymore. I think that’s flat out wrong. I put in my time as much as anyone.
I know there are going to be RallyPoint members who respond with, “You only did 6 years, and you knew AAFES rules full well.” Well, here is what I say to that.
I did a 7-month tour in Iraq at FOB Taji. Easily left the wire more than 10 times. I hurt my shoulder due to wearing my kit a lot (30% rated). I did as much as most retirees, including retired grunts. I deserve AAFES access as much as any retiree. I respect that retirees served a little bit longer, but I did 7 months in Iraq.
Am I justified in thinking I should get full AAFES access?
Please vote in the survey below. Thank you.
Note: I am a RallyPoint member (served in USAF for 5 years) and wish to remain anonymous, because I need to be 100% honest that I feel the DoD is discriminating against non-retirees like me. Please tell if I am right or wrong here.
While I was serving in the USAF (5 years active), I enjoyed shopping at AAFES locations and online as well. It saved me a lot of money and the deals always seemed good. Now that I am a civilian, and did not hit retirement before I got out, and am not rated 100%, I can’t shop at AAFES anymore. I think that’s flat out wrong. I put in my time as much as anyone.
I know there are going to be RallyPoint members who respond with, “You only did 6 years, and you knew AAFES rules full well.” Well, here is what I say to that.
I did a 7-month tour in Iraq at FOB Taji. Easily left the wire more than 10 times. I hurt my shoulder due to wearing my kit a lot (30% rated). I did as much as most retirees, including retired grunts. I deserve AAFES access as much as any retiree. I respect that retirees served a little bit longer, but I did 7 months in Iraq.
Am I justified in thinking I should get full AAFES access?
Please vote in the survey below. Thank you.
Posted in these groups: 
Benefits
Benefits
Posted 9 y ago
Responses: 625
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It's always tough to separate your personal agenda from the purpose of a policy, but you have to at least TRY to see why the policy is the way it is. In your post, I don't think you even tried to look for the counterpoint to your self-centered argument. In addition, you have to ask yourself if your personal desires (using AAFES) are worth hurting your reputation (falling on your sword) over. To me, AAFES access is just not worth your reputation.
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First of all, Thank you for your service. You must remember that AAFES and other on-post amenities are privileges not rights. As a veteran you should know just as well as I that we don't "deserve" anything. The sense of entitlement that I felt reading this rubbed me the wrong way. If it's saving money that you're after, I'm sure household 6 has plenty of coupon ideas.
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SGT (Join to see)
We are not entitled ..We are privileged to have served and earned the privileges we have . We were not entitled to serve , We had to earn the right to serve , Earn the right to stay.
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Now I know he/she wanted to remain anonymous.... lol 10 times??? That's all? I am a disabled Vet (50%) as well and served in OIF07-09 there is now way I would ever say a retiree done "a little more time". I'm sorry to say this but honestly you just made the most disrespectful remark I've ever read on here and Insulted all the retirees with this stupid post. I'm really amazed at how you injured your shoulder from "wearing my kit so much" yet only left the FOB so few times. To say you just as much as Grunts and retirees in just 5 years... wow you must be ranked America's most accomplished Service member ever... right? Oh yeah didn't think so.
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AAFES access is a benefit of being on active duty or retired. The primary foundation of this benefit is funding. If you think that benefit should be expanded to include vets or wounded vets or disabled vets or what ever, quit your whining and get busy. Band together with others of like mind and convince your senators and congressmen to increase the military budget to fund the extended benefit. While you are at it, get them to raise funding to put enough military personnel on duty so that our guys and gals are not having deploy to forward hazardous assignments so often that they cannot possibly recover mentally and physically from the effects of said deployments. Get them to reopen the closed bases so I don't have to drive 300 miles to utilize the benefits which I served 39 years to earn. But, I tell you what. Give me your address. I'll send you some cheese and crackers to go with your whine!
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I'm sure there is a reason for that decision. I think the reason is they don't want people who only served for one term get all the benefits than those who committed most of their life to the military. I wouldn't mind seeing it drop to having 10 or 15 years service to shop there/commissary.
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CW4 Larry Curtis
If I am not mistaken, due to cuts in the military strength, there is already something in place for an early retirement program. If you qualify under those conditions, once you receive your gray ID card it is a done deal. My nephew was a victim of cut-backs in the Navy a few years ago. He was in the zone for consideration for CPO (E-7) but the Navy made significant cuts in his career field so he had no option but to be cut. Fortunately for him he had enough active federal service under his belt to qualify under the rules of early retirement and so he was awarded with the gray ID card upon separation and receives his monthly stipend for his pension. He really lucked-out to be sure. Personally, I think if a person wishes to make a career of the military they should be motivated to continue to press toward the mark of doing so. Awarding benefits for 10 or 15 year diminishes those goals and would probably reduce the level of professional motivation for those to continue beyond those milestones. Personal opinion, of course, and we all know how opinions are...
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If you take a good look at the consumer reports, you would see that AAFES is not much of a store for savings. Everything that AAFES has to offer can be found elsewhere for a cheaper price.
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I hear you; but, how can you compare 5 years of service with an early discharge due to injuries sustained; with others who have served more than 20 years, sustained greater injuries and are over 30% disable. Does 10% discount and no-tax really that cheap to you. I did a 1-year tour in Iraq and conducted over 250 patrols, and recently retired with 22 years of active service with possibly over 50% disability. I'm sure you believe your service entitles you to it; but, changing the policy to save you a few dollars is not justified.
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Take this as you will brother, but you volunteered for it. No one owes you anything, we earn what they give us. But, a lot of those retirees can't afford to shop elsewhere, because it's all they have. You did 6 years with a seven month deployment, some of those people did 25 plus with several years over seas. I personally spent twelve months in the Stan with over 158 missions outside the wire, but if I left now I wouldn't ask for something I didn't earn. I'm not entitled to it. And that's all it is.
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Whomever wrote this is a troll. Let me turn this around for you so that maybe you can understand - Should you be able to shop at Costco, Sam's Club, or PriceSmart without paying their membership fee? The simple and finite answer to that is NO.
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To tell the truth, I'm med retired with 19 active years, 27 all together. I didn't even get my retiree card. AIN'T NO WAY IN HECK AM I GOING AROUND ANY MILITARY POST......just keep on sending me my check and let me shop at wal mart.
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SGM (Join to see)
That's pretty much what I do, SGT Goode, yet MWR funds are generated on post, not off.
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