AKO

I recently decided to go online and re-activate my Army Knowledge Online (AKO) account just to see what was happening there after having been retired for a few years. I didn't come away with a warm, fuzzy feeling. What a royal pain in the butt the process was. One can buy his/her own domain for a few bucks/month or get free email addresses at will. Does anyone have a common sense suggestion as to why a sane individual would want to jump thru all the hoops necessary to be linked into AKO?

I'm still active duty and use it every day in my operations. I use it for e-mail, researching technical & tactical information, data base's, finance, personnel, retirement info, access "My Pay" and make changes if need, etc, and its free? I can up date my records, look at board files, awards, orders, DA-Photo, check my medical file, assignments, find other Soldiers, Airmen, Seamen & Marines. I can take Rossetta Stone classes through it and many more accredited numerous distant learning classes.

Too much more to list, it has become the one stop shop for all the information you could ever need.
???

The Rossetta Stone classes would be useful. Without my going back to AKO to dig for it, is it available for retirees?

I'm assuming that this is the same thing as Navy Knowledge Online. It was recommended by a former shipmate to help in doing some family history research. I found it impossible to navigate around or find anything useful. Of course, all this computer stuff was well after my active duty time. Since I was never on it as an active duty member it may be harder to get into now. Couldn't really see anything there for a retiree. JMHO.