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Veterans, Gold Star Families Get Free Lifetime Pass to National Parks


Sedalia Dave

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Veterans, Gold Star Families get free lifetime pass to national parks, wildlife refuges, other public lands
New pass provides free lifetime access and waived recreation fees for Veterans

 

On Veterans Day 2022, the National Park Service will unveil a lifetime pass providing free entrance to national parks for Veterans and their families. The Interagency Military Lifetime Pass waives entrance fees for the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and standard amenity recreation fees for the Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sites for current military service members and their dependents, Veterans and Gold Star Families.

 

Veterans and their families have free access to approximately 2,000 public locations spread out across more than 400 million acres of public lands, which host activities to fit any lifestyle—from serene to high octane, including hiking, fishing, paddling, biking, hunting, stargazing, camping, and much more.

 

The Military Pass has been expanded to include a pass that does not expire for Veterans and Gold Star Family members. The National Defense Authorization Act of 2022 authorized a free lifetime pass to national parks and other federal recreational lands for eligible Veterans and Gold Star Families. In recent years, they were able to receive annual passes.

 

 

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I bought the lifetime pass for about 12 bucks years ago in my early 60s; gets me into Nat Parks, Nat Forest trailheads, BLM lands, etc. The price has gone up alot since.

 

I'm of two minds about it. When you are young, with a young family: that's when you need a price break on park passes like this. But the seniors get them instead. It's sort of a leftover from the idea that seniors were broke and eating dogfood. Whereas most of them are better off than the young.

 

Remember the idea of a 'fixed income', like it was something bad? A lot of people would like to be on a fixed income. Depends on where it's fixed.

 

I have more money than when I was young. But I pay less because I'm old....well, ok.

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Until a couple of years ago, the Lifetime Senior pass was $10.00.  It is currently $80.  It's a one time fee and still a bargain if you use it.  We camp in Corps of Engineers and Federal campgrounds for 1/2 price.  

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46 minutes ago, Red Gauntlet , SASS 60619 said:

I bought the lifetime pass for about 12 bucks years ago in my early 60s; gets me into Nat Parks, Nat Forest trailheads, BLM lands, etc. The price has gone up alot since.

 

I'm of two minds about it. When you are young, with a young family: that's when you need a price break on park passes like this. But the seniors get them instead. It's sort of a leftover from the idea that seniors were broke and eating dogfood. Whereas most of them are better off than the young.

 

Remember the idea of a 'fixed income', like it was something bad? A lot of people would like to be on a fixed income. Depends on where it's fixed.

 

I have more money than when I was young. But I pay less because I'm old....well, ok.

I’m 69 years old and have been paying into the “system” since I was 15. I’ve been self employed since 1985 and have never received, nor have been eligible for a dime of government support/subsidy. I figure I’ve earned every penny that is accorded to me in my “senior” years, even when it’s used as a marketing angle. 
 

 

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Here in Canada, our Vets have trouble getting a pension or getting a cost of living increase and it's been going on for years.

Our Prime Minister thinks they ask for more than he can give!

 

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Justin and Veterans.jpg

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2 hours ago, Badlands Bob #61228 said:

Until a couple of years ago, the Lifetime Senior pass was $10.00.  It is currently $80.  It's a one time fee and still a bargain if you use it.  We camp in Corps of Engineers and Federal campgrounds for 1/2 price.  

Yeah. I got one a few years ago. 80 bucks. With the entrance fee to parks so high now it’s a bargain.

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2 hours ago, Red Gauntlet , SASS 60619 said:

I bought the lifetime pass for about 12 bucks years ago in my early 60s; gets me into Nat Parks, Nat Forest trailheads, BLM lands, etc. The price has gone up alot since.

 

I'm of two minds about it. When you are young, with a young family: that's when you need a price break on park passes like this. But the seniors get them instead. It's sort of a leftover from the idea that seniors were broke and eating dogfood. Whereas most of them are better off than the young.

 

Remember the idea of a 'fixed income', like it was something bad? A lot of people would like to be on a fixed income. Depends on where it's fixed.

 

I have more money than when I was young. But I pay less because I'm old....well, ok.

I don’t know about “most” of them being better off. Many seniors, especially around here, worked for years with no pension plan or saw it evaporate in various recessions and Union mismanagement. Their jobs didn’t pay enough to start a stock portfolio. The high cost of health care today also has many people strapped for cash. I am lucky to be in good shape and don’t take advantage of veteran or senior assistance programs. But I can’t criticize them. 

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Thing is, nearly everyone who did not opt out to be part of an "alternate economy" paid in their whole lives with the expectation of a return of value.  Taxes, Social Security, Medicare.  They paid over a lifetime for benefits that are now free to illegals, hard for them to access, and into funds that have been looted by politicians who have voted themselves fabulously superior benefit packages. Go figure.  That doesn't even address the Investment issue.

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I think of veterans discounts and 'senior discounts' as different things.

 

Can't generalize, I suppose. But I know that when I was a young man with a young family, discounts would have been a lot more valuable to me than they are now. It can take a lot of money to take several kids into all sorts of venues. And I have kids with lots of kids.

 

I'm not complaining; just reflecting. I'm far from rich, I just have more disposable income than I did in those days, that's all, and so do many others. Especially these days, when various entry fees are not so small....I sometimes wonder how working people  with kids make it nowadays.

 

Ten bucks for a lifetime pass to all Federal lands was a pretty good deal. So is 80, as it is now. I use the card happily.

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