Military Retirement Gift Ideas

Military retirement often comes after 20 or more years of service, moves, deployments and early mornings, and it marks the start of civilian life. The best military retirement gifts honor the career and help with the next chapter. Here are 12 ideas, from keepsakes for the ceremony to gifts for life after the uniform. Our top pick is a song about their service, because it can hold the duty stations, the people and the family who served alongside them.

Hear a Songbond song for yourself

This one was made for another family. Yours would carry their name, their service and your family's stories.

12 military retirement gift ideas

1. A song about their service ($39.90). Share the branch, the duty stations, the call sign or nickname and what the family did while they were away, and Songbond turns it into an original song, ready within 24 hours.
2. A flag display case. For the flag presented at the ceremony, with room for rank insignia and medals. Usually $80 to $250.
3. A framed map of every duty station. Each base marked with the years they were there. Around $50 to $150.
4. A challenge coin display. A wall rack or case for the coins collected over a whole career. Usually $40 to $100.
5. A reunion trip. Pay for a trip to see the people they served with, or host them for a weekend at home. The cost depends on the distance.
6. A suit or blazer for civilian life. For interviews, weddings and the first job after the uniform. Usually $200 to $600.
7. An engraved brick at a veterans memorial. Many local memorials offer bricks with a name, branch and years of service. Usually $100 to $250.
8. A photo book of the ceremony. Hire a photographer or collect guests' photos and have them printed. Around $50 to $150.
9. Their service story, recorded. Sit down with a recorder and ask about their career, start to finish. The Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress accepts interviews like this. It costs nothing.
10. A leather portfolio and business cards. For the next career and the networking that comes with it. Around $50 to $150.
11. Hiking boots they choose themselves. Boots for a walk they decide to take, at their own pace. Usually $120 to $250.
12. A keepsake plaque of their song. A printed plaque of the song to hang on the wall beside the flag case.

How to choose a military retirement gift

Ask whether they are looking back or looking forward. Some retirees want to honor the career with the display case and the map. Others are already focused on the next job or the next move. Often the best answer is one gift for each. If you are unsure, ask their spouse or a close friend from the unit.

• If they are proud and sentimental: the flag case, the map or the song.
• If they are ready for civilian life: the suit, the portfolio or the boots.
• If they already miss their unit: the reunion trip or the recorded story.

Timing gifts around the ceremony

Most military retirements include a formal ceremony, often followed by a reception or a party at home. Keep formal gifts like the flag case for the ceremony itself, where they fit the tone. Save personal gifts for the reception or the family dinner afterward. A song works well at the reception, played after the speeches, when the unit and the family are in the same room. It may be the only time those two groups hear the whole story together. If the reception is on base, check with the organizer before planning to play anything.

Make a military retirement song

Create a song for a military retiree. Share their service and your family's story, and the song is ready within 24 hours. If the ceremony is tomorrow, express delivery gets it to you in about an hour.

Also in the Journal: songs to honor a veteran and military homecoming songs.