For some retired military personnel, the closing of commissaries at Fort McPherson and Fort Gillem is an indicator that a promise of benefits well past retirement has been broken.
Fort Gillem's commissary closed on Friday and the store at Fort McPherson will shutter on Aug. 1, leaving military retirees who moved to the area because of such post-service benefits with the option of driving about two hours to the nearest commissaries or paying higher prices to shop at civilian-run stores.
“I’ve given them 20 years,” said Victor Lopez, who retired from the Navy 8 1/2 years ago. “If you retire, the thing you’re looking for is facilities. You plan your moves around those particular things. Now I’m stripped of that.”
Under the Base Closure and Realignment Commission’s decisions in 2005, the two military posts that have been metro Atlanta fixtures for decades are to be abandoned no later than Sept. 15. But most active military personnel have been gone for months, already relocated to Fort Bragg, N.C., Shaw Air Force Base, S.C. or Rock Island, Ill.
With them go the commissaries where almost 53,000 military retirees shopped for meats, produce and other items sold at 5 percent over wholesale.
“This thing looks like a pay cut,” said retired Army Lt. Col. Edward Watkins of Lilburn, who served 22 years. “It's an hour and 50 minute drive to Robins [Air Force Base] for me and about two to [Fort] Benning. I guess it's Walmart after ... July.”
A $23 million commissary at Dobbins Air Force Base in Cobb County was approved in 2009 but it’s never been funded, despite efforts of Georgia's two senators and four metro area congressmen.
"I understand the frustration they feel," said Lt. Col. James Wilson, the spokesman at Dobbins. "There's a strong commitment at the highest level to make sure this happens."
As recently as April 13, Georgia's representatives pleaded with the secretary of the Army to keep the two commissaries open until there is one at Dobbins that would serve about 60,000 active, reserve and retired military
"It is critical to maintain convenient commissaries for the Georgia military community," said Sen. Johnny Isakson. "It is my hope that a solution is reached quickly that honors those who have served our country."
But for now, the closest options are commissaries at Fort Benning in Columbus, Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins and Fort Gordon in Augusta. All are at least two hours away by car.
“The sad part about this is you go to the commissary at Fort Gillem and see these old retirees in motorized wheelchairs,” said Lopez. “They aren’t going to be able to tolerate a two-hour drive.”
Retired Lt. Col. Craig Allen said he made at least one trip a month to the commissaries at Fort Gillem or Fort McPherson, each about a 45-minute drive from his house in east Cobb County. He said his family spent $350 to $500 each trip.
“The commissary and the PX (post exchange) are the things they look for when they retire,” Allen said. “The savings is true, bonafide, about 30 percent. You save a lot on meat products.”
But the costs of getting to Columbus or Warner Robins or Augusta may cancel any savings.
"At this point, with the high price of fuel, it's really not something we would do on a regular basis," Lopez said.
He and his wife have already made the drive as a test. In addition to the gas costs, they had to pay $80 for a hotel room. "We won't be doing that often," he said. "We're looking at local facilities like Ingles and Kroger and Publix."
Both living on a fixed income, Edith Smith and her 67-year-old husband made about two trips a week to the Fort McPherson commissary, spending around $60 each time. Their foods costs are relatively high because the Smiths also take care of two grandsons – ages 10 and 13.
“So many friends retired here because of the two bases being located here,” said Smith whose husband retired after 28 years in the service. “We opted to be here. With the [U.S. Armed] Forces Command Headquarters and the Third Army located here in Atlanta, that was a good sign they would stay here. I think a promise was broken to many people.”
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