Moody shows appreciation to retirees

The 23d Wing hosted its annual Retiree Appreciation Week, Oct. 9 to 13, here, to honor retired service members.

With a theme of “Proud to be American,” retirees received discounts and promotions from various base facilities, participated in a golf tournament and celebrated with a Retiree Appreciation Day event.

 “It’s important to let our retirees know they’re still an integral part of our military family and we haven’t forgotten them just because they’re retired,” said retired Chief Master Sgt. James Ingram, director of the Retiree Affairs Office. “Some retirees have been out for a long time and may not know what resources are available to them or may not be aware of changes so we’re here to help them.”

At the end of the week, the base hosted Retiree Appreciation Day, which included speeches from base leadership, a health and information fair, base tour, a military working dog presentation and bingo. During the health and education fair, retirees were able to renew ID cards and learn new information about various resources such as Tricare and Veteran Affairs.

In addition, retiree’s spouses learned about casualty assistance burial information or financial benefits in the case that their spouse were to pass away.

“It’s great to know that I’m not alone,” said retired Tech. Sgt. Richard Ray, volunteer at the Veteran Affairs Office. “Things have changed a lot since I’ve left the military so it’s nice to have events like this to keep us up-to-date about our resources and allow us to get necessary tasks done all at one time.

"It also gives me a rare opportunity to see and catch up with old friends that I wouldn’t otherwise see,” Ray added.

Ingram created the event in the 1990s in order to bring retirees together and make them feel welcome in the base community.

“I thought it was necessary to create an event to enhance what we do for the retiree community and give them something to look forward to each year,” said Ingram. “This week not only provides resources they need to make sure they’re taken care of, it also creates a comforting and exciting environment that they will want to participate in each year in order to keep them involved in our military community.”