Do Retirees Really “Deserve” Access to AAFES Stores More Than Non-Retirees?

I served 26 years active duty and retired. Sorry you did not do your 20 years and retire for what ever reason it was. But no, if you did not retire from the Military you do not deserve the same benefit as those who put in the time. Don't know how old you are now, but if your really passionate about this, go back in the reserves, do your time, and retire.

the regulatory guidance is found here: AR 215-8/AFI 34-211 dated 2012


I respect all Veterans Retired or not. hell, i may be out prior to retirement too, and will be sad to see my priviledges limited- but hey- Sh*t happens and we move on.

i have a PDF of the tables, but am unable to to load it...

Ladies and gentlemen this is how you show your ass. If you want to preserve face and avoid a shitstorm, please refrain from making such egotistical posts. Thank you.

I am sure that you are justifiably proud of your 7-month tour in Iraq. I am authorized to use the Exhanges because of my 21 years of active duty. I also spent 12 months in Viet Nam ('68-'69) and another 12 months in support of combat operations. All I can tell you is, get your VA disability upgraded or just do like the rest of us, follow the rules.

I think what you deserve is what the government promised you. The government promised you access to AAFES if you served until retirement. If you didn't serve until retirement, you don't deserve the same things those that did were promised. Simple as that.

And, no, I am not a retiree.

Reality check...if every vet had commisary and exchange access, NOBODY would ever be able to get anything out of it because there would lines of people waiting to get cheap booze and cigarettes. A line has to be drawn somewhere...yeah I know it sucks-but a single tour downrange will entitle you to a couple good stories at the local bar, nothing more. No, you DON'T deserve AAFES access, and neither does anyone else that hasn't done 20+ years or received a medical retirement.

I will not come to your defense, 7 months in Iraq ? There are service members who have had more time deployed than stateside in 5 years and lost 1 or more limbs. They don't get to shop at AAFES due to the fact they got Med Boarded and less than 100%, I don't see them whinning. If uou wanted benifits you should have retired.

Based on the amount of time you served, and the timing of this post, I can only assume that you are under the age of 30. Whether that's in fact the case or not is irrelevant, the fact of the matter is, you are clearly smack dab in the middle of what I like to call the "Playstation Generation." Unlike Playstation, there are no "Cheat Codes" that magically whisk you to the final tournament where victory is guaranteed as a result of your use of an "invincibility code." You've got to make it all the way through this "game" without the use of any “Cheat Codes,” and unfortunately, many men and women better than you and CERTAINLY better than me have not.

In addition to being part of the "Playstation Generation," you also belong to the "T-Ball generation," where EVERYONE gets a trophy. Unfortunately, that logic has skewed your ability to rationalize what fair and equitable entitlements are. It's not your fault; you were taught that you deserve what you believe everyone else is getting regardless of the amount of effort you've put in. It's called a false sense of entitlement. The only way everyone gets the same thing without putting forth any effort is in a communist society. Feel like waiting in line for stale bread? Me neither. Pick yourself up by your boot straps, and go make something amazing out of your life, your 5+ years in the military should make you a great employee wherever you choose to seek employment. Maybe AAFES would be a place to start, and then you can have all the discounts you want, and probably factor in an employee discount to boot!

(Not everyone under 30 can be defined as I’ve stated above, but if the “Cheat Codes” fit…)

Your wrong, No you don't deserve the PX. You signed a contract, you did your job, deploying is part of the job. You got out and you don't get the privilege of going to the PX.
The rest of your post is just plain absurd. 7 months? Really? Try 12/18/13 months
30%? try being a real wounded warrior like our brothers and sisters who are missing a limb.

You can't be from Watertown, we don't snivel like that. Waltham maybe but not Watertown.

Good day to you! I was a Brat following my father, who served 23 years, around the world. I served 22 years after college dragging my spouse and Brats around the world.

Your query is akin to asking if it is right that you cannot go to a military hospital for treatment because you don't have the ability to use TRICARE as retirees and medical retirees do.

I appreciate your service to our country first and foremost, but there is a little more to it than having served over 20 years or not. When you dedicate most of your productive years to the military and retire you exit the service with experience, but you are also older than the rest of the workforce from which the prospective employer hires. Those of you who ETS'd before being retirement eligible have youth on your side. You have been out in the workforce with the ability to make more money than if you had remained. Since you are able to be employed in the civilian sector with the ability for advancement, you have to be willing to give up what was a military privilege.

Part of the "package deal" is that a retiree's family has stuck by their side and sacrificed in most cases the ability to have a career and set themselves up for their own nest eggs. That being said it was for the families of the military members that the PX, BX, NEX, Commissaries and the like were set up. Historically, the military bases sprung up in areas where there were no shopping facilities other than the exchanges. Can you imagine a family surviving the ordeal of a military transient lifestyle without some priveleges? I cannot. They are more of a privilege for the families who sacrificed than for the military member who spent most of their productive years in service to their country.

While serving you had commissary and exchange privileges when all you really needed was a barbershop and military clothing. Everything else (housing, chow, latrines, recreation) was made available to you by the military.