Posted on Nov 5, 2013
Since the Army closed all retiree's AKO accounts in 2014... what do you think of this loss of benefit?
34.6K
165
79
7
7
0
<p class="MsoPlainText">The U.S. Army will close all retirees' and family
members' AKO accounts between Dec. 31, 2013 and Mar. 31, 2014. Additionally, you can no longer store email
in AKO after Dec. 31, 2013.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p><br></o:p></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p>When AKO accounts were created back in the Late 90's they were promised to retirees for life. What do you think about this loss of benefits?</o:p></p>
members' AKO accounts between Dec. 31, 2013 and Mar. 31, 2014. Additionally, you can no longer store email
in AKO after Dec. 31, 2013.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p><br></o:p></p><p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p>When AKO accounts were created back in the Late 90's they were promised to retirees for life. What do you think about this loss of benefits?</o:p></p>
Benefits
Retirement
Army
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 27
11
10
1
I thought the whole point of retiring was not having to deal with AKO ever again :)
(11)
(1)
LTC (Join to see)
Hopefully the Department of Veteran's Affairs can establish an E-mail system for notifications, which since it would be a Federal Government Account could provide DOD-Notifications as well?
(1)
(0)
SFC Charles S.
Maj Thomas V. G., that would be satisfactory. It's a sore subject because at the onset of the AKO and .mil e-mail it was told to us that it would be for life... Having promises reneged on is not a great feeling. The COLA cuts come to mind with this subject as well.
(2)
(0)
(3)
(0)
SGM Mikel Dawson
MSG (Join to see) - I don't have AKO and have no problem. You have been misinformed.
(0)
(0)
6
6
0
I was bummed until I found RallyPoint. That decision was horible because it cut us off even further from our military family.
(6)
(0)
5
5
0
It will hurt the veteran retiree community the most as we will lose those connections and networks that we have built, and also the information pipeline that many need for long distance from any brick and mortar installations for assistance.
I have already forwarded all my messages from my email folders, but will hope for a better way in the near future. Although this is a extremely small cost to the overall defense budget it is claimed that it will have a effect on helping cut costs, really something that probably take about 0.001% of the money from the budget will help cut costs, get real.
(5)
(0)
(4)
(0)
CMSgt Robert Gates
Larry you have noticed a fact that I have seen emerging since January 2009. Even the three congressional persons in my home state do not like the retired military based on the numerous letters I have received from them over the years in responses to my letters sent to them concerning retiree issues. They send boiler plate answers. All of this comes from actions of the top when you look at the recent COLA cuts and VA backlogs of our deserving soldiers and sailors injured returning from combat around the world with no action to correct.
(3)
(0)
SSG Charles King
it really hurts me to because I was all set to get on line only to read from others like you that I can no longer "go there" SSg Charles R.King Supply SSg Of Fox Trot company out of Cabot,Ar
(0)
(0)
4
4
0
So let me get this straight. My orders are 'transfer into the retired reserve". That means in an emergency, I can be called upon. Am I correct? Why take away this channel from those of us who have retired. We still coach, teach and mentor younger troops. If anything, to prepare them for their retirement.
(4)
(0)
SSG Charles King
Sir:
From what I understand about officers in the retired reserves, you are still an officer. That being said. I know this for fact when i was in the navy reserves we had a an officer who trained with us. He said that as long as he was with us (2 weeks) he was able to train with us..
Sincerely retired SSG King AANG
From what I understand about officers in the retired reserves, you are still an officer. That being said. I know this for fact when i was in the navy reserves we had a an officer who trained with us. He said that as long as he was with us (2 weeks) he was able to train with us..
Sincerely retired SSG King AANG
(0)
(0)
4
4
0
This is a pretty sizeable breach of trust in my opinion. Most of my military affiliated correspondence goes through my AKO account as well as years worth of messages sent and received. Worth mentioning also is that this is one of the few ways I can track down old members of my units and help with others questions... "hey SGT Orr, do you have a copy of that unit award from back in '96" or "I need a copy of the deployment order from Kosovo".
I find it hard to believe that cutting this benefit will save any real money at all. This leads me to question the purpose of deleting all of these accounts?
(4)
(0)
SFC (Join to see)
Man... just when you get up after a swift kick in the nuts... here comes another one.
Thanks for the heads up Chief.
Thanks for the heads up Chief.
(1)
(0)
SSG Charles King
SSg Orr ;
your name rings a bell with me. were you in TaJi Iraq around 2003-2005 the reason I'm asking is because there was a funeral held there in Talil Iraq around that time frame amd a Soldier I think his name was Orr was on the list of those soldiers that were missing or killed. were you related. SSg King
your name rings a bell with me. were you in TaJi Iraq around 2003-2005 the reason I'm asking is because there was a funeral held there in Talil Iraq around that time frame amd a Soldier I think his name was Orr was on the list of those soldiers that were missing or killed. were you related. SSg King
(1)
(0)
SSG Charles King
SSG Karl Fowler - I like your comment you gave me a laugh and a memory when I asked one of my sm's about that comment. SSg King
(0)
(0)
4
4
0
I have used my army.mil e-mail account for seeking employment and even qualifying for services to verify my military status. Future retirees will no long be able to use these benefits.
(4)
(0)
SFC (Join to see)
Very true. Just last week I was able to renew a discount via email just on the strength of it's .mil address.
There is only one way to get a .mil account - through service; it's instant credibility.
There is only one way to get a .mil account - through service; it's instant credibility.
(3)
(0)
3
3
0
Some of us retirees still maintain contacts in the .mil community. It feels like we're being closed out.
(3)
(0)
LTC Martin Metz
What limited access there was to AKO without access to webmail and the mil suites has been deactivated it looks like. This is in keeping with the plan to cut off not-CAC access after 1 Jan 2015
(1)
(0)
3
3
0
Your AKO account is not closing only your AKO email. Plus all Retirees have a new email, [login to see] . You can always set it up in outlook. You do have access to your AKO account. AND if you had forwarded your AKO email to a civilian email you would still receive AKO mail; you just cannot access old mail on the AKO server
(3)
(0)
CW3 Michael Danberry
MSG Hawkins, where did you get information about a [login to see] email address? This is also the first time I've heard of this, and I work with some people at Enterprise Email. How will you access this email account without a CAC? Current CAC carrying members of the Army have their AKO email addresses forwarding to their [login to see] accounts. The username and password option is still alive and well (despite hardly anyone remembering their password). I have as much information as I can find for retiring personnel located on http://militarycac.com/retiring.htm
(2)
(0)
CW3 Michael Danberry
SFC Staley, There is no @mail.mil email accounts for retirees. The CACs you are speaking of was a pilot program that ended. Visit: http://militarycac.com/faqs.htm#OTHER_QUESTIONS #4 for information about this pilot program that was going to cost too much to maintain. It is true that retirees and familiy members are losing thier AKO accounts. They had until 31 January to set up a forward to a civilian email address. The intent of this was to capture all of the sites that you used your AKO email address on. And notify them that you will be losing it.
(2)
(0)
SFC Charles S.
Chief, Michael D. Thank you. I knew the CAC's for Retirees was only a test program. I didn't know that it had been discontinued. I could have seen that coming though. Yes, I have already captured all that I can from my Army.mil e-mail and it's been being forwarded since it was announced they were going to discontinue it. It just sucks that one more promise that was made to retiring service members is being broken under this administrations behest.
(1)
(0)
SGT (Join to see)
This is per Sep - Dec 2013 Echoes for AKO. It does appear that all retired individuals AKO accounts will be closed. This is a snap shot of only the dates, but there is a whole write up on the subject.
Key AKO transition dates
Dec. 31, 2013
• Inactive AKO accounts closed
• Email storage removed from active accounts
• Retirees complete set up of autoforwarding of AKO
email to commercial email
Mar. 31, 2104
• All remaining AKO accounts closed
Dec. 31, 2014
• Autoforwarding of AKO email to commercial email
ends
(2)
(0)
2
2
0
SPC - Do me a favor and live a little before being such an expert. Hard for me to imagine a Specialist knowing more than a little, especially as it comes to the need for change. In fact, I wonder about you.
(2)
(0)
2
2
0
I feel that we are being cast aside, I use AKO .Mil account for many reasons. We need more of a voice out there to get this crap changed before our year is up with the forwarding to a civilian account. Any suggestions let me know.
(2)
(0)
1SG David Niles
I also used my .Mil account to get verified on this site, if I did not have it, I would have had to send documentations to this site for verification.
(3)
(0)
SGT Ben Keen
Okay, so while I agree that retirees should keep their .mil email; I find the comment from SFC (Ret.) Staley a little disrespectful toward the Specialist. He was just asking what the purpose of having a .mil account would serve when anyone can go out and get a free email address. Sure, the Specialist has only been in a few year but why be so quick to come at him like that? I think the answers provided by the MSG and 1SG (Ret.) Niles are great answers and will hopefully help the young soldier understand why losing the .mil account would be bad. To question his pride in service or to assume that he isn't committed to serving with pride was a poorly played move and a wasted opportunity to correctly mentor a young soldier. Then again, maybe you know this Solider better than I do or have served with him to allow you to make that assumption. Feel free to comment back.
(0)
(0)
SFC Charles S.
Sgt Keen, I would agree with you If that was all the specialist was asking except, I read the SPC's last comments at the Bottom first which let me to the assumptions which I wrote my comment on this post. He was Responding to the 1SG Niles's Post and had already posted this comment "This is yet another sensible move in light of tough economic climate." (Referring to taking away the .Mil e-mail accounts.) Which I find him utterly clueless to the subject. So, I stand by my comment.
(0)
(0)
SGT Ben Keen
SFC Staley, No problem with standing by your comment. I did read the specialist's comment below and I agree, the SPC may just be spitting out the verbiage from whatever memo that was released.
That aside, I agree with everyone that taking away the .MIL email is a bad move. People have years and years of contacts stored there.
That aside, I agree with everyone that taking away the .MIL email is a bad move. People have years and years of contacts stored there.
(1)
(0)
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google