Retire from the military (enlisted) without working afterwards?

I am in the air force as an E-3 and was thinking about whether it would be possible for me to do 20+ years and retire without having to work afterwards. I am also planning on contributing a substantial amount to my Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) over that time, which i have already been doing for the 1 year since I joined. At what rank (enlisted) and how many years would I need to be at to retire comfortably without having to work?? Have any of you pulled this off ?

Public Comments

1. Chief or officer.
2. That all depends on where you want to retire. If you can find a place that has a very low cost of living then you could retire as a E-7 with out working at all. Allot of Filipino retirees return to the Philippines and live like kings!
3. Make as much rank as possible. If you stay enlisted, Chief should be your goal which is rather difficult in 20 years. Most Chiefs are plus 20 but remember that each year after 20 you will retire with 2 1/2 % more. I put in 27 and am living quite comfortable.
4. Truthfully, no you won't. You say your contributing to the thrift savings plan, thats good. But more than likely, your gonna get married and have kids along the way. That will curtail your thrift savings deposits. I have never seen a retiree, who didn't work after retiring. Who would want to sit on thier butt and do nothing at age 38 ?
5. It will depend if you're single or married with a couple of teenagers.
6. Well it's certainly doable. You will want to save as much as possible of course. You'll want to be frugal during your time in. Wasting money on hot cars and tons of gadgets will eat up your money. But, the biggest thing is don't get married! No wife and especially no kids and you should be OK. You may also want to consider determining where you want to retire and buying a home there now, or when you can afford it. Rent it out and then move there when retired. You may want to consider doing 25 years, you'll pick up another 12.5% retirement pay. You'll still be under 50 and ready to enjoy life.
7. You most likely will have to continue to work - but if you keep your nose in the books (college) and stay in a technical job you will be getting invaluable experience as well as your degree !!