I Am Thankful For My Military Retirement

Written By:  Andrew Eide

I retired from Active Duty in the United States Navy in April 1996. At that time I started receiving my Military Retirement Pay. The initial pay was 50 percent of what my Base Pay was at that time. Since the Base Pay for an E-6 with 20 years of service was $1,800 per month my initial Retirement Pay was $900 per month.

Fortunately that amount has been increasing nearly every year of the 19 years I’ve been retired. When I reach April 2016 I will have been fully retired from Active Duty in the Military for 20 years.

I cannot reveal to you the monthly amount I receive today but it is significantly more than when I first retired. Also those of us who are Retired Military should receive a very small Cost Of Living Adjustment (COLA) increase starting in January 2017. I don't know the exact amount yet but I anticipate it will only be between $5 to $7 per month before taxes.

I am thankful that the amount I receive is enough to pay the rent and a few other bills each month. That alleviates some of the burden from what Becx has to give to me each of her paydays in order to ensure all the bills are paid.