Members of the U.S. Military Retirees Association Korea
Updated January 13, 2008
All military retirees living in Korea are automatically members of the USMRAK. There are no dues to pay, and there is only one annual membership meeting a year.
There are approximately 1,800 military retirees of all services living throughout Korea. This number is based on the data base of the Defense Eligibility and Enrollment Reporting System (DEERS). Many of the retirees work at military installations as government employees, either civil service or non-appropriated fund, or they are employed as contractors working for U.S. companies on government contracts for U.S. forces in Korea. These positions normally provide SOFA status.
Other retirees have found jobs with either Korean companies or with U.S. companies with branches in Korea and live "on the economy" without SOFA status, but with retiree privileges such as a ration card that allows Commissary and Exchange access and a decal for their vehicle to allow them to drive on base or on post.
And finally, there are a number of retirees who are actually "retired" in Korea. The reasons for retiring in Korea are varied, but the preponderance of reasons given is because of a Korean wife. A happy wife makes for a happy marriage and the Korean wife of a retiree is happiest when she can live in Korea and enjoy the country and culture of her birth.
Another, smaller, component of the USMRAK are the widows of U.S. military personnel, active duty and retired, who live in Korea. The association provides considerable assistance to nearly 200 of these ladies, from a quarterly Korean-language newsletter to assistance in filing claims for benefits, from responding to government correspondence they receive (but often don't understand) from benefits agencies to obtaining relief from or settling indebtedness left by the deceased retiree. A few of the Korean widows were married to non-military personnel, such as civil service or NAF employees, and they receive the same level of support as the widows of deceased military personnel.
The USMRAK also assists former spouses of active duty and retired personnel to ensure that court-ordered support is provided. Although they don't qualify for membership in the association, they are taken care of because of their previous military association. In many cases, there are small children who are U.S. citizens and military dependents, and it is our obligation to care for these smallest members of the military community here in Korea.
