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Military Connections
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ccording to a 2002 report from the U.S. Dept of Defense,
there are 73,289 retired military personnel receiving retirement
pay in North Carolina and 50,009 in South Carolina.
Most career military officers and their families have lived in lots of different places.
Some are glamorous, others less so, but as a result of establishing homes and raising
children throughout the world, military families learn what they want in a community.
That's what happened to Maj. Gen. John Renner, former commander of Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C. when he and his wife Mary Lou decided to retire.
When he was summoned from Turkey to the Pentagon in 1993, he and wife Mary Lou didn't think twice about whether to go. For them, it was time to retire, and not to their native Arizona. Their hearts were in Columbia, S.C. where Gen. Renner had been commander at Fort Jackson. "I've served in a lot of places all over the world and they just treat the military better here than any place I've ever been," Gen. Renner says. "It was friendly people as much as anything else."
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olonel Roxanne W. Cheney retired from the Marine Corps in 2002 and recently was appointed to
serve a three-year term on the Secretary of the Navy's Retiree Council. The group of
24 retirees (17 Navy, 7 Marine) meets for one week each year to discuss issues of interest
to retirees and make recommendations for policies and procedures. Her husband,
Brigadier General Stephen A. Cheney, is a thirty-year veteran who retired in 2001
after serving as the Commanding General at the legendary Marine Corps Recruit
Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina.
Both of them say the relationship between the people of Beaufort, South Carolina,
and the military is remarkable. "The relationship is unlike anything we've seen," said
Col. Cheney. "We were integrated into the community immediately, and appreciate
the longstanding good will between military and civilians in this area." She is an active
member of the local chapter of Zonta, a worldwide service organization dedicated to
advancing the status of women, and co-chairs the Adult Programs Committee for the
Friends of the (Beaufort County) Library.
Her husband, General Cheney, is involved in a local Rotary; chairs an oversight
committee for the County School Board; and swims with a local master's swim team
made up mostly of civilian professionals from town.
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He calls the geography "spectacular," and says that quality of life was their number one
consideration in choosing to remain in the low country.
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Beaufort's enthusiastic support for the military and the facilities at its three military installations
(MCRD Parris Island; Marine Corps Air Station, Beaufort; and Beaufort Naval Hospital), made it an
attractive option for their retirement.
"I could have gone to jobs in virtually any major city in the U.S., but having served a fair
portion of our careers in Washington, D.C. and southern California, the hustle and bustle
weren't very appealing to us," said the General. "We're 'birders' and love to kayak; here,
we live on an estuary, so nature is instantly accessible to us." The Cheneys are enthusiastic
about the way Beaufort has been able to protect its history, as well as the arts and culture
available to them.
Retired Major General Hugh Overholt is just as enthusiastic about his chosen retirement town
of New Bern, North Carolina. A native of Arkansas, he came to North Carolina in 1995
after a number of years at the Pentagon.
"I had been stationed at Fort Bragg in the mid-70s and had enjoyed North Carolina a lot,"
he explained. "I liked the people at the base community and spent time at the beach as
often as possible. When we decided to make a move out of the more congested DC area,
we looked at New Bern and decided that was the place for us." The General's wife, Ann, is
an avid golfer which also contributed to their decision. As a member of the North Carolina Bar,
Major General Overholt practices government regulatory law, traveling frequently to Washington.
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"During my spare time, I really enjoy sitting and looking at the water," he laughed, noting that
North Carolina is just a "marvelous place to live."
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His advice for retirees in general and military retirees in particular is to rent before buying, and
to try to settle within reasonable driving distance of a military base as well as a university (in this case,
East Carolina University offers the Overholt family sports entertainment as well as ongoing educational
opportunities.) He believes that New Bern's development has come a bit more slowly than
some other locations and that has contributed to its charm. "Both the Carolinas are extremely
attractive for these and other reasons," he said. "I'd sure recommend that folks take a look
at them."
For most veterans looking for a retirement location, proximity to a military base offers instant access to
medical care, shopping, and social activities, plus recreational benefits. But, in addition, veterans and their
families want to feel welcome in their larger communities, and appreciated for their years
of service to America.
Friendliness and patriotism won the Renners over. "Heartwarming" is how Mrs. Renner
describes the way citizens cheered, lined the streets, and hung American flags when troops
returned from the Gulf War. When Gen. Renner was assigned to Fort Jackson in 1989, both
had to check maps to see where they'd be living. But good vibes were immediate:
then Senator Strom Thurmond, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee,
welcomed Gen. Renner in person.
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Patton Adams, Columbia's mayor at the time, called
on the phone. "He had the most lovely southern accent and he said, 'We just want to
tell you how much we're looking forward to your coming,' " Mrs. Renner recalls. "I thought, 'now that's a friendly town.' "
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But Col. Angelo Perri could have told them so. An Akron native, he got his first taste of Columbia's hospitality
in 1947. He was 17 and stationed at Fort Jackson for basic training. Despite the summer heat, he
was "charmed" by the architecture, the USO dances and Main Street's busy coffee counters.
Twenty years later, he was back as a major and pleased to get instant credit at a department
store because of his profession. The clerk said,
"If you're a major at Fort Jackson, you don't need
any references." The military continues to be held in high esteem throughout the Carolinas.
"But that's tradition in a region where its aristocracy sent its sons to West Point before the
Civil War," Col. Perri says. The admiration is mutual.
According to Col. Perri, the military retirees have strong skills and a great work ethic, and are
seeking abbreviated second careers for themselves and their spouses in a region well known
for a strong pattern of growth, and a welcoming nod to entrepreneurs.
Many of them hit the ground running, finding new careers in banking, real estate and insurance,
teaching ROTC or other subjects. More work at universities and colleges as instructors and
administrators. Those who are retired in the purest sense volunteer. General Renner, for instance,
serves on a number of boards and mentors at the Salvation Army.
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"They've always had a sense of mission accomplishment," theorizes Col. Perri.
"They get the job done.
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"And they've lived all over the world and have a broad perspective." That's why Mary Lou Renner gasps when asked if she's bored in a small city in a small state. "Let me tell you about my day: I've been decorating the Woodrow Wilson home for the Christmas candlelight tour; and we're getting ready to go to the President of the University of South Carolina's party tonight. I'm a member of the symphony league; we can't even get to all the concerts. We have wonderful amateur and professional theatres, the ballet is wonderful. You can have anything you want."
Although military downsizing has occurred, the region's military scene remains strong. Fort Jackson even benefited, picking up $121 million in new construction as army bases elsewhere were shut down and their centers moved to Columbia. "Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter will continue as long as unrest continues in the Middle East," Col. Perri says, and Beaufort's marine recruit training base is the only depot on the east coast. Likewise, North Carolina's military bases are known and admired worldwide.
The Renners say they're in heaven. Gen. Renner fishes in his back yard -- his Arizona hometown, where he used to dove hunt and fish, is "wall-to-wall subdivisions now," -- and Mrs. Renner glories in the arts and year-round flowers. A favorite pastime is attending reenactments and visiting South Carolina's many historic battlegrounds. Gen. Renner is helping raise money to preserve those battlefields; he even was asked to inspect Revolutionary reenactors in Camden.
The Renners will tell you, and so will the Perri, Cheney and the Overholt families: For military retirees, there's no place like home. For them, home is in the Carolinas.
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Katherine O. Pettit has worked as a writer, magazine editor, printer and
public relations consultant. The Columbia resident has published
more than 250 articles in magazines and newspapers. Her writing
explores a variety of subjects including travel, lifestyles, business
and management.
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