Look at the pie chart 1/2 way down the article, and see that not a penny comes from the federal government.
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- Tucked away in the heart of the Nation's capital is the U.S. Soldiers' and Airmen's Home (USSAH). Further down South, nestled on 36 acres fronting the Gulf of Mexico in Gulfport, Miss., is the U.S. Naval Home (USNH).
- Steeped in world history and military traditions, these homes were established in the mid-1800s as places of respite for old and disabled Soldiers and Sailors. They have evolved from retreats of security to retirement communities that offer a secure, comfortable life-style filled with activity.
- The stately buildings, located on park-like settings, are testaments of their times, but so too are the people who live there.
- "These homes are filled with service men and women who survived the Bataan Death March, the Battle of the Bulge and Pearl Harbor. There are residents who landed at Normandy on D-day, those who freed Nazi-run concentration camps as well as veterans of World War I, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and every other conflict the United States has faced," said Larry Weappa, deputy director of the Naval Home in Gulfport. "The freedoms we enjoy today are based in part on our residents' sacrifices. We owe them a lot and helping provide a home is the least we can do," said the Wadena, Minn., native.
- The USNH and the USSAH have operated under separate legislation, undergoing many changes. One of the biggest changes came as a result of the Defense Authorization Act, Public Law 101-510 which took effect 1991.
- This new law established the Armed Forces Retirement Homes (AFRH) which combined the USSAH and the USNH under the same administrative umbrella. Regulations such as resident eligibility user fees, operating funds, oversight, etc., are standardized in both homes.
- The mission of the AFRH is to provide continuous care and service in a retirement community for retired and former members of the armed forces; and to provide the highest quality of residential, social and health services to its residents.
- "One of the Navy's biggest selling points in May of 1936, was the promise to take care of me when I couldn't take care of myself," said Odell Williams, retired Chief (Permanent Appointment) and resident of the Navy Home in Gulfport. "I just got to tell it like it is. I'm lucky to be alive to get to use this. It feels good not to worry about bills for once. And the young people ought to remember we did more than praise the Lord and pass the ammo, we served our country. Some even sacrificed the ultimate - their life," said the Apple Valley, Calif., native.
- Retired Chief Interior Communications Electrician Ray Colvard and SFC-6 Catherine Bowie, residents of the Washington, D.C.-based home, remember sacrificing 25 cents for "something" when they enlisted in the military forces. That 25 cents, now 50 cents, is called the Naval Home Assessment. It is used along with fines and forfeitures from military disciplinary actions, interest earned on the trust, and a 25 percent user fee paid by each resident on all federal annuities, including social security to offset the operating cost of the homes.
- "The amount Sailors contribute today is infinitesimal," said Colvard, comparing the meager $7 or so he and Bowie were paid monthly, to the hundreds Sailors are paid today.
- "I knew I was paying this money and I also knew in the long run, that if the deduction didn't help me, it would help someone," said Bowie, an Army veteran of 22 years. "If the military family doesn't support the homes, who will?"
- "Education is the answer. If service members get the opportunity to see where and what their 50 cents is paying for, then there wouldn't be half the complaints," said Ray Harvey, a retired Marine Sgt. Maj. from Tylertown, Miss., who lives in the Gulfport residence. "The services need to do a better job of educating their troops on where the deductions are going and let them come visit and see for themselves; and if they're lucky they may never have to use it.
- Lois Hogan, a former Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Cryptologist with the Navy tries to educate anyone she comes in contact with about the Navy Home in Gulfport. She's proud to show off her extended family and their accomplishments.
- "Some of us have outlived our natural families and feel this home is a blessing," Hogan said. "We all have something in common. We've all been there. This home offers so much camaraderie. But the best part is, I've never [met] so many men in my life - 500 at least," the Union City, Tenn., native said, with a smile. "The best thing I like about the home is the ballroom dancing."
- Retired Chief Aviation Storekeeper Martha Paschal agreed with the dancing, but said, "This place slowed me down. I was out there on the fast track. At 84 I guess I could pace myself more," said the 1942 WAVE who served 20 years.
- Kicking up a heel or two is just one of the activities these cities within cities offer. If residents just want to kick back and relax, there are the lounges -complete with wide-screen TVs, libraries or gardens. The homes also have banks, post offices, chapels, gymnasiums, hobby shops and bowling alleys for the residents' pleasure. USSAH has fishing lakes, and a nine-hole golf course, while Gulfport's home boasts a modest swimming pool and a beach front within walking distance. Trips to outside attractions and catered social events are sponsored at both facilities.
- If residents are feeling a bit under the weather, don't worry. The health care services range from community nursing and assisted living for those in the dormitories, to primary, intermediate and skilled care. Then there's the licensed specialists in dentistry, optometry, podiatry, mental health, internal medicine as well physical therapists and speech-language pathologists, all on hand to take care of medical needs. When these servicemembers were recruited, the Armed Forces promised to provide health care to service members in their declining years. And for the most part, it has followed through.
- "There are just some things money can't buy," said Robert McDonald a New London, Iowa, native, who spent many years in the Army and Navy. "It's a great feeling to know you don't have to worry about cooking the three meals you get. You can relax in your private bunk for as long as you want and you don't have to get up and punch a time clock. That's a feeling money can't buy," said the veteran who boasts about his government paid tour of the South Pacific.
- The residents at these homes come from different walks of life, from nearly every state in the union and have lived in virtually all corners of the world. They represent all branches of service, only in different uniforms. Somehow they remain communities of friendship and compatibility made possible by their common background of selfless service to our country. They all gave part of their lives in support of freedom, and they have all earned the right to live out their lives in dignity
- Steeped in world history and military traditions, these homes were established in the mid-1800s as places of respite for old and disabled Soldiers and Sailors. They have evolved from retreats of security to retirement communities that offer a secure, comfortable life-style filled with activity.