MCRD/ERR PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. -- Many enlisted service members probably do not realize that they are helping support the oldest military retirement homes in the nation. Perhaps if they gave their Leave and Earnings Statement a little closer look, they would discover that the 50 cents deducted out of their paycheck every month actually helps more than 1,600 military veterans enjoy their retired lives. The Armed Forces Retirement Home, with locations in Gulfport, Miss., and Washington, D.C., is a "model retirement home" where enlisted retirees can maintain an independent lifestyle in an environment designed for safety, comfort and personal enrichment. Both homes feature numerous amenities, including medical and dental facilities, recreational activities, a movie theater, auto and craft shops, casinos, golfing, restaurants and more. "This is like heaven ... you don't have to worry about anything at all. They do everything here for you," Leonard Drozal, a retired Marine technical sergeant who served from 1942-1946. "There's everything you could thing of, a bowling alley, bank, meeting rooms, ball rooms, dancing - they even have a tavern."A lot of this is made possible through the contributions made by enlisted service members. So how much does that 50 cents really add up to? "If you look at a military almanac, count every enlisted person and multiply that by $0.50, you get approximately 7.5 million per fiscal year," said Doug LeMere, a public affairs specialist for the AFRH-Gulfport who retired from the Navy after 20 years of service. LeMere said the 50 cents contributed every month is the best investment an active duty enlisted service member can make. "Giving this money is the best deposit for an enlistee's future," he said. "When a person comes to the AFRH, they have paid their deposit during time served in the military.""Also, the AFRH is a continuing care retirement facility," LeMere added. "Eligible veterans can come and live independently; and, if something were to happen where one might need more assistance, we provide higher levels of care."The homes are funded not only by monthly contributions, but also by interest on the home's trust fund, resident fees and monetary gifts and contributions. In addition, 60 percent of the homes' funding comes from fines and forfeitures levied as a result of military infractions by active duty service members - that adds up to about $40 million a year. These monies will also help pay for the $19 million expansion to AFRH-Gulfport, scheduled to begin this fall, which will add 64 larger rooms and create more comfortable living quarters for residents who use wheelchairs. Caring for elderly disabled veterans was the reason the home was established 170 years ago. According to their Web site, the AFRH-Gulfport originated in 1834 as the U.S. Naval Home for "decrepit and disabled naval officers, seamen and Marines" in Philadelphia, then later relocated. About 20 years later, Congress established the Soldiers' Home, an asylum for "old and disabled veterans," in Washington, D.C. By an act of Congress, he two homes eventually merged and were later renamed the AFRH-Gulfport and the AFRH-Washington. Eligible military veterans from each branch of service can live at either home, said LeMere, who added that he plans on residing in the home after he retires. "I'm eligible when I hit 60-years-old, and I personally want to live here," he said. "I truly believe this is the last best kept secret as a benefit for military retirees."Residents spend an average of eight years at the AFRH and usually move in after the death of a spouse, according to a Mississippi news release. Drozal, who has lived in the AFRH-Gulfport for almost a year, came to reside at the home because his wife passed away a few years ago and "my big two-story house was too much for me," he said. Although "the rooms aren't very big," 82-year-old Drozal said he recommends anyone to live there because it provides all the amenities "anybody could ever ask for."Drozal also said he enjoys living in the home because it keeps him connected with his fellow retired Marines. Although there are only 38 Marine veterans out of the 300 residents living at the home in Gulfport, "the Marines make the most noise." "There's a lot of camaraderie here ... we help each other," he said. "You know, there's that old saying, 'Once a Marine, always a Marine.' That's very true. It doesn't matter how old you are, or how decrepit you are." Fifty cents may not seem like a lot to contribute every month, but somewhere in one of the retirement homes it is helping an aging veteran get medical care, have lunch with his buddies, play a good game of golf or simply catch up on old times. For more information on the AFRH, visit their Web site at www.afrh.gov.