Retirement gift ideas for Military personnel?
My sister and her husband are retiring from the Military (U.S. Navy)after 20 years. They are having a big retirement bash in May and I am not sure what I want to get them. Any ideas?
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- Have abunch of you and everyone else going pitch in and get a little speedboat.
- thats a hard one! if you have pictures laying around you can make a special scrap book for them? Or, maybe get them a scrap book with supplies so they can work on putting one together???
- A job?
- Gift cards/certificates always work. For your brother-in-law, you would have to have your sisters help but, you could have a shadow box made with his rank and military ribbons, that sort of thing. For your sister - maybe a vacation to a spa. Military wives are under appreciated for all they go thru. Don't know if they live in military housing but, if they do they will be moving and need help with that. Possibly also small appliances and lamps. That sort of thing. Good luck and hope that this helps you.
- Being a Navy wife myself, I have been to many retirement ceremonies, as well as planned many of retirement parties. And I can tell it varies from person to person as what to get. Chances are the command they are at will have a flag flown there, and possibly else where as well. The last retirement party we (my husband and I) planned, was for one of his Chiefs, and my husband and the other guys wrote a letter to the Steelers ( the retirees fav team) and had them sign a foot ball for him..... they did indeed do it, and sent it back in time for the party. I myself, have given a map... it was a huge map of the world, that I marked with dates, where they had been stationed over the years, and marked as many places as I knew they had visited. They loved it. They soon completed it with every spot the Navy took them, and is now hanging on a wall in there house. We have also given a $500 Visa Card, with instructions that it was to be used towards a much needed vacation... after 20+ years in the Navy a vacation is definitely needed!! Best of luck to you. What ever you decide will be great to them.
- I got my grandfather a "History of the Navy" white book with the Navy emblem on the cover that takes the reader back with narrative and charts of the 18th century Navy up to about the year 2001. He enjoyed it. Otherwise, it depends. You could get him a plaque with a ship engraved that says "For a job well done."
- Start off with a shadowbox for each of them. Make sure that eac box has a compartment for the flag as well as space for their medals and rank insignias. Next, try to see if there is someplace that they have been wanting to go for some time. Once you have that idea, get some family members to chip in and set up a trip for them to go to their ideal vacation spot.
- Blueprints for an old navy cannon. You could pick two different cannons. http://www.spanamwar.com/storeartillery.htm
