"John H" wrote in message

Except that I had to work for it. That's the big difference,

In more ways than one. I recall when I was on active duty (about late 73),
the Pentagon was in process of revamping the retirement system. I knew I
was separating, so it was of little concern to me, but we all attended the
briefings nonetheless.

One figure (as of 1973) that stuck in my mind to this day is this: of all
thirty-year military retirees, only 3% live to age 60. That's a cost of
serving, too.

JG