dshooter3 Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 After 22 years in the Air Force this will be my toughest decision. Do I retire or take an another two year commitment. If I take the commitment it will add 5% to my retirement. Maybe you can help me, is SC gun friendly(matches, laws attitudes ect. What is Sumter SC like. I prefer rural vs city life. How are the IPSC clubs (I prefer 3-gun) Last what is Shaw AFB like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckS Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 I dunno about Shaw or 3 gun there but I do know that the job market right now is not all that hot. Since you did 22 years already, 2 should be a piece of cake. And giving yourself a 5% raise for retirement is not too bad either. Just my $0.02 Good Luck, Chuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimmyZip Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 I dunno about Shaw or 3 gun there but I do know that the job market right now is not all that hot. Since you did 22 years already, 2 should be a piece of cake. And giving yourself a 5% raise for retirement is not too bad either. Just my $0.02 Good Luck, Chuck Sound advice. If I had that much time, but was looking for a differnce, I'd look towards a new job INSIDE the branch of service I was in. Maybe something close to what you would like to do after you retire. Just my .02. Jimmy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck223 Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 What was your origional plan? If you retire from the military now, will you be retiring outright or joining the civilian workforce? My wife worked in Florence SC and loved it there. She found the lifestyle and cost of living better than when she was in Sebring FLA. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanzo Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 What kind of offers are you getting outside the military? Are you just going to retire and stop working...live off the AF pension? Don't take this the wrong way...but after 22 years you've got to be high up on the totem pole rank-wise and livin' the cush life. At least that's what I see where I am. There's nothing wrong with it....you've put more time in the service than I could ever imagine doing right now. I think you deserve it. But if you're just gong to get out and live off the AF pension I'd think 2 more years would be nothin', unless you hate it, which I don't really see a being all that possible since you've already put in the 22 years. Stay in...get the extra money...Unless you've got a better job offer (more money then staying in) and are going to start that job and have the pension as bonus money when you get out. Thank you for your service...you're a great American. --Lanzo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 My dick brother did 30 years in the USAF. He retired @shaw. The military guys all called Sumpter,"Scumpter". You take that for what it is worth. It looked impoverished to me. When I retired from the Army in 2000 I looked at it like this. I was only 40 and figured I could more than make up the extra pension by being young enough to find a good job, work at it longer and retire from it as well. I had made up my mind that if I reupped again I was going to go the whole 30 years. I had three kids all entering high school age so I did almost 22 and bailed. Whatever you decide keep in mind that the medical bennies are the big deal and if you retire near a military hospital you will save on the cost of buying health insurance through your next employer. In my case well over $100 a month. What is the extra 5% for you? Each of us are different but as an E-8 5% was not that big of a deal to me. If you stand to get promoted in the next few years that COULD make a bigger difference. As for shooting. It seems alot of shooters are in that neck of the woods. But if I had no real urge to go anywhere in particular I would recon an AFB or Army post in Texas or AZ and retire around one with a lot of shooting in the area. I don't think you can get much more gun friendly than Texas either. I retired just south of Wright Pat AFB and I have 3 great clubs within 35 minutes and a super great one 90 minutes away. Go on USPSA and start punching in zipcodes and see what comes up. Good luck and THANK YOU FOR SERVING! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dshooter3 Posted August 12, 2009 Author Share Posted August 12, 2009 Well I don't plan on living off of my retirement ( I would be bored). The only thing is if I start another carer I would like to be young enough to enjoy a second retirement. The only problem I have with the AF is the PT program arthritis (knees hips and hands). I was never a runner and starting at 35 did not help. The AF has been good to me and has allowed me to see the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Suber Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 (edited) South Carolina is a "shall issue" state for CWP. If you live in Sumter, you will have Mid-Carolina Rifle Club (USPSA, Steel Challenge) 35 minutes away; Palmetto Gun Club (USPSA) 1.25 hours away; and, a new club (USPSA) forming outside of Hartsville about an hour away. Mid-Carolina Rifle Club would be the closest. We have up to 200 yd rifle ranges, numerous pistol bays, etc. (CTI was supposed to be at our range this year but the match was cancelled). Palmetto Gun club is beautiful...like shooting on a golf course. We have a good crew (USPSA) here in South Carolina. Sumter has its pros and cons - its a military city. However, it is growing and lots of community development activities are underway (I work for HUD and provide CD funding to Sumter). Downtown has really turned around. You can get a lot of house in Sumter for a reasonable price. That probably will change when the 3rd Army HQ relocates there. Housing will be in considerable demand there within the next 12 - 16 months. I know a lot of people who commute to Shaw from Columbia and Camden(a smaller horse-racing town about 20 minutues from Sumter). The beach is two hours away and the mountains are two hours away. Good hunting and fishing. Lots of golf. Shaw has changed significantly in the last couple of years. lots of work going on out there and lots of new housing being built close to the base. Edited August 12, 2009 by Jack Suber Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SA Friday Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 Wow, I just lived portions of this. The PT program didn't give me problems, but missing 2 1/2 years of my 6 year old's life was unacceptable. I retired. There are so many factors in play, only you can make the decision to pull the plug or not. For me, the time away from the family. As you know, the AF has changed a lot since the Regan era days. 5% isn't monetarily worth it if that's what you are hinging a decision on. For me, it was get out while young enough to start a new job, or stay in till 30 and I just couldn't do it anymore. My wife was tired of being a single parent. Some AFSC's are not that demanding, and that makes the decision harder in a way. The best advise I could give would be to take a serious look at the job condition where you are thinking about landing after retirement before actually retiring and have savings to fall back on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcarter Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 First thing first, Thanks for your 22 years of service!!!!! Second, If I had put 22 yrs into a job and could get another 5% for 2 more I would do it unless I had something really special planned for leaving now. Two years is no time at all after so long in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dvc40jim Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 In my humble opinion... you will know for sure when it is time. There won't be any doubt in your mind at all. I would consider making the most of the move to a new area and let that be the start of your two year plan to retirement... where do you want to go... what do you want to do. The AF just like the Army will work to make the seperation much easier and set you on the right track based on what you think you want to do. And while the retirement check is not all that big... it's enough to provide a cushion so you can do what you want to do with a new job after... and not be stuck with whatever will pay the bills. Two years will pass by faster than the other years did and you will start to really wonder if you are even ready. But trust me... you will know when the time is right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uscbigdawg Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 My Dad stuck it out for 23 just to make sure we had medical through college. Can't fault the old man for that. SC is great and is a bit of a secret IMHO. That said, unless you have an in with the Feds, I'd suck it up and do (at least) two more. Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham Smith Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 I was stationed with the Army in Columbia which is not that far from Sumter and, after some initial adjustments to Southern living, found that I quite liked the area. SC is quite gun friendly and there are a lot of areas for hunting and fishing. Unless you have an aversion to humidity, I can think of no good reason not to take another 2 years to wait for the economy to sort itself out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
11.43mm Posted October 13, 2009 Share Posted October 13, 2009 SC is great and gun friendly and has the potential to "encourage" all the pistoleros to have more fun with more guns Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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