When my husband joined the Army in 1983, there were no cell phones, no computers and the Berlin Wall was still going strong. The Global War on Terror was nowhere to be seen - at least for most of us.

Things have certainly changed during the course of what will be a 32-year military career. Furthermore, my husband, a career Special Operations Forces soldier, now may be facing the most difficult challenge of his life: retirement.

Yep, the paperwork is dropped, the orders are cut, and a new beginning is on the horizon. We would stay in longer if we could, but Mother Army says no. It's time to move on. So move on we must.

I'll be honest. It's kind of scary. For the 26-plus years that we've been married, the Army has dominated our lives. It has told us the major things, like where to live, what to do and whether daddy would be home for Christmas or on a battlefield instead. It has told us what hospital my children would be born in. And though it's been a force in our lives, (no pun intended), it has nonetheless been reassuring.

The Army, to me and I'm sure to my husband, has been an extended family. We have friends all over the world. We run into people that we knew 10 years ago in Germany randomly at the local commissary, and it's like we didn't miss a beat. Just recently, my husband went to a 1/75 Ranger reunion in Savannah and met up with "some of the fellas." It was as if time hadn't marched on. Though most of the guys are heavier, balder and no longer wear OG 107s or a black beret (you'll remember that those used to be for Rangers only, back, the old timers like to say, "when it was hard"), there was - there is - an instant and permanent connection. It's what they call camaraderie.

Yet retirement looms. Our official retirement date is next July, so we have time to prepare. We have time for briefings and Tricare meetings and paperwork. But the task is daunting. Where does one even start?

In addition to scheduling the required retirement briefings (there are several, and the spouse should attend if possible - more on this next time), one of the things retirees need to think about while still several months out is college. Do you already have a degree? Great. If not, now's the time to start tracking it - and now's the time to start attending classes if you aren't already. It's best to have a degree in hand - or at least a certification of some sort - by the time you retire so you can hit the ground running. What you don't want to do is wait until retirement to start these things, because your income situation is going to change drastically. You need a seamless transition.

So, if you haven't gotten that degree yet, start taking classes now.

Another important element to think about during the months leading up to retirement is creating a résumé. This can be tricky for a lifelong soldier because, really, how does disassembling and assembling an M-60 machine gun translate into the real world? Soldiers like my husband, who has never needed a résumé before and instead relied on his promotion through the ranks to help him secure positions, need to craft a document that will let potential employers know what kind of mad skills the Army has given them. As you consider your résumé, you of course need to consider what kind of job you want post-military. The always popular choice, government contractor? Corporate professional? Home Depot salesman?

The military offers a myriad of résumé building classes, but in my experience, the best thing to do is find someone in your similar situation who has recently been retired and hired, and see if they will let you use their résumé as an example. This is particularly helpful for someone who is now working in a type of position you want to have, such as government contractor.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to thinking about retirement. You also need to consider finances (that's a biggie), insurance and much more. So as I head to retirement briefings this fall and am sure to get inundated with information, I will share what I learn. Stay tuned, loyal readers.