. >> reporter: mcdonald douglas closed its plant in nearby tulsa. kumer, a machinist, had worked there 29 years. >> and all of a sudden, the loudspeaker come on, and it said, attention. mc donnell altadena douglas will close i60 days we stopped and looked at each other and thought, what in the world? to me that was just like you'd walked up and slapped me in the face. >> reporter: because all your plans -- >> all my dreams were going out the door. >> reporter: he was 56 years old with an 8th grade education and one year shy of a full pension. they have never recovered. over the years they burned through retirement savings, downsized their house and life-style, but still have a mortgage they can never payoff. the average american over 65 lives in about $4,100 a month. with his walmart checks, their social security and his partial pension, tom and ellen k, mer live in around $3100 a month. more than a thousand dollars less than the national average. >>> is this the retirement that you imagined? >> no, no. >> reporter: tom's wife of 63 years has four h

. >> reporter: in 1994, mcdonnell douglas closed its plant in nearby tulsa. coomer, a machinist, had worked there for 29 years. >> and all of a sudden, a loud speaker came on and it said, "attention, mcdonnell douglas will close in 60 days." and i mean, we stopped and looked at each other and thought, "what in the world?" to me, that was just like you walked up and slapped me in the face. >> reporter: because all your plans-- 56 all my dreams were just then going out the door. >> reporter: he was 56 years old with an eighth-grade education, and one year shy of a full pension. rsnancially, the coomers have never recovered. yer years, they burned through retirement savings, downsized their house and lifestyle, but still have a mortgage they can never pay off. the average american over 65 lives on about $4,100 a month. with his walmart checks, their social security, and his partial pension, tom and ellen coomer live on around $3,100 a month, more than $1,000 less than the national average. is this the retirement that you ?magined? >> no, no. >> reporter: tom's w