Why don't more of these people just quit?
1. Because they just can't turn it off!
2. Because they didn't save enough money!
Last week we were at a Class of '50 college reunion. It attracted about 250 people, which is no mean feat considering that most of them are 75-80 years old. (I guess the original alumni & spouses numbered about 1500.) Admittedly the herd has been culled pretty thin, we only saw the alumni who could travel, and ~98% of them are still married (which for some inexplicable reason has been noted to extend longevity). Among the attendees were several retired flag officers.
These reunions seem pretty important to the flags and I think that all of the class' living flag officers attended. One of them had flown three thousand miles the week after his third surgery for bladder cancer. (He was joking that the surgeons ruined his six-pack abdominals.) Another had completed a 10,000 mile round trip to receive an award followed by a quick return to make the reunion. (No week or two of sitting on one's laurels basking in the adulation.) Another had spent the weekend in the hotel getting everything ready by working 12-hour days. (Everyone was horrified that a professional reunion company had wanted thousands of dollars for the same accomplishment.)
You would think the flags would be set for life and ready to party by the time they reached 20-30 years after their military retirement. A retired flag officer today receives a pension of over $100K/year (as high as $136K). I couldn't find the numbers for '50 but I suspect that these alumni were pulling down at least $65K/year and perhaps even over $100K.
However a flag's lifestyle is hard to leave behind. The month before you retire, you have great offices with wonderful views. Hundreds of people vie to satisfy your every whim. You never have to make a pot of coffee, and in fact your cup never actually runs empty. You rarely drive a car, let alone shop for groceries or tackle household chores. About the only thing you have to do for yourself usually involves a bathroom. The month after you retire, your view has been reduced to cleaning bathrooms and you have to buy your own coffee while your spouse is wishing for a little less togetherness. Is it any wonder that you take a civilian job hoping to recreate the active-duty environment?
Despite their stratospheric career achievements, one or two "retirees" can't afford to retire. One woman pulled my wife aside and said "I like your husband's ponytail. Is he really retired?" When my wife explained my pension, our savings, her PT income, etc. the woman said "Oh, we never had any of that." Had what? "We never had any investments." They're pushing 80 and her husband's still working to pay the mortgage. Admittedly it's a nice home but after 30 years in the military (and with a pension in the high-five figures) you'd expect some savings to stick to their bank account.
BTW, I hope I'm that spry when I'm that age. Alumni in wheelchairs were joking about winning the dance contest at the dinner party. One widow-- not a member of the class but married to one for over 50 years-- had written a Hawaii travel guide and attended the reunion just to give a free copy to her husband's classmates. Some of these people looked 20 years younger than their chronological age and almost all of them BEHAVED at least 60 years younger. So there's still hope for all of us, JohnGalt, regardless of our ages.
OTOH I sure hope it's not the office that keeps them young.