Military Officer - September 2008 - (Page 10)

fromtheeditor Ready to Retire? Whether retirement is two months away or 20 years away, now is the time to start preparing. MOAA helps you sort through options so you can get the most out of your retirement. A s you heft this month’s issue, you might notice it’s unusually weighty. Of course, we’d like to think our content always is weighty! But this month, we bring you an extra measure of news and information in the largest issue MOAA ever has published. So what’s the reason for the super-sized magazine? September is one of two occasions each year when we take a look at retirement topics, which prove to be best sellers with both readers and advertisers. You’re not ready to retire? No problem. Whatever your status, I think you’ll ﬁnd something of interest this month. Let’s start with a look at the concept of retirement. At some point, we all hope to retire. But one person’s dream retirement might be another’s nightmare. And today’s retirement is not our parents’ retirement. The story “One Step at a Time,” page 80, explores the evolving concept of retirement. One increasingly popular approach is “phased retirement,” the process of an employee gradually reducing his or her workdays before completely leaving the workforce. Reasons for phasing include earning income, retaining medical beneﬁts, and having more time for travel and leisure while remaining active and productive. “Phaser” Col. H.W. “Buzz” Buse, USMCRet., who headed MOAA’s transition program before retiring, says, “Within six months, I was antsy. I was ﬁne until about two each afternoon, then wondered what I’d do with the rest of the day.” Buse now 10 MILITARY OFFICER SEPTEMBER 2008 works three days a week at MOAA’s Pentagon ofﬁce. “I think phased retirement makes sense,” he says. This issue, we also cover the operational side of our military. “Practice Makes Perfect,” page 106, looks at 21st-century combat training. Today, virtually anything that happens in combat can be realistically simulated. Simulators have been around a long time. Their legacy goes back to Ed Link’s invention of the Pilot Maker in 1929. But, again, today’s simulators are not our parents’ simulators. Also in the current military operations vein, we visit an organization that is saving U.S. servicemembers’ lives — the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO). “The enemy is ﬁghting an irregular war with asymmetric weapons, and the one killing most of our soldiers, Marines, sailors, and airmen is the IED,” says Army Lt. Gen. Thomas F. Metz, JIEDDO director. “We’re here for the long ﬁght and will make the IED business extremely difﬁcult and expensive for the enemy.” Read more in “Reducing the Threat,” page 90. — Col. Warren S. Lacy, USA-Ret. PHOTO: STEVE BARRETT

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Military Officer - September 2008

Military Officer - September 2008 Contents MOAA Online From the Editor From the President Your Views MOAA Directory Rapid Fire Washington Scene Chapters in Action Financial Forum Ask the Doctor Middle Ground Finance Your Future One Step at a Time Cover Story: Reducing the Threat Slow Boat Through China Practice Makes Perfect Pages of History Faces of MOAA Information Exchange Member Books MOAA Scholarship Donors Advertising Index MOAA Member Services MOAA Calendar Sounding Taps Encore

Military Officer - September 2008

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