Photo By Jarrod Vickers | Retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Dave Shultz, Airman Heritage Foundation...... read more read more
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JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-Lackland – The 802nd Force Support Squadron, along with 502nd Force Support Group and 502nd Air Base Wing, hosted Military Retiree Appreciation Day at Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center, March 2, 2024. The event featured more than a dozen local vendors with veteran support programs and a health fair to help make medical services more available to retirees and their families.
“We’ve been doing Joint Base San Antonio retiree appreciation days for a long time,” explained U.S. Air Force Maj. Dari Moore, 802nd FSS operations officer. “This is the first RAD at Lackland and we’ve recently reopened our Retiree Activities Office here, as well.”
The retiree activities office says offering retiree services at all three major operating locations in San Antonio is crucial for the growing city, which is the third-fastest growing city in the nation according to a 2023 U.S. Census Bureau study.
“As a retiree, this event demonstrates that the country, Department of Defense and our community are all willing to continue providing services and we now know where and when they are available,” said Alan Carvajal, U.S. Air Force retiree and JBSA-Randolph retiree activities office volunteer. “I served for 40 years, and knowing that there are different agencies, not just military agencies, that are able to provide for us… it’s a demonstration of gratitude.”
Some of the agencies present at the appreciation day include TRICARE, Texas Veterans Commission, Department of Veteran Affairs, Retirement Service Office, JBSA Retired Military Member Council, Airman Heritage Foundation, Army & Air Force Exchange Service, Defense Commissary Agency, 502nd FSS Morale, Welfare and Recreation and various private organizations.
“Servicing our nation is a lifelong commitment,” Moore said. “Retirees are still invested in what they do. They’re some of our biggest recruiters, too. We want to continue to invest in our retirees so they can continue to tell their story and be able to recruit that next generation to serve in our United States military.”
In addition to the vendors present, Carvajal says he hopes future retiree appreciation day events will take place more frequently in medical facilities for a number of reasons.
“I believe this event is the best approach for a retiree appreciation day,” Carvajal said. “I truly believe all RAD events should be in medical facilities for the different services that can be provided on those days and to demonstrate how retirees can gain access to these facilities. There are just so many different agencies that are tied to medical that I didn’t realize until I was exposed to the community and retiree appreciation days.”
For more information on retiree programs, please visit your local JBSA retiree activities office or find them online at https://www.jbsa.mil/RetireeActivitiesOffice/.
| Date Taken: | 03.02.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 03.03.2024 09:10 |
| Story ID: | 465192 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-LACKLAND, TX, US |
| Web Views: | 40 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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