Photo By Melissa Buckley | Retirees gather Sept. 13 at Nutter Field House, the first stop of a guided tour of the...... read more read more
FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. — Fort Leonard Wood senior leaders and staff welcomed more than 600 military retirees for Retiree Appreciation Days held Sept. 13 and 14 at various locations around the installation.
According to Camilah Jefferson, Fort Leonard Wood’s Retirement Services officer, retirees traveled from as far away as Arkansas to be here for the event.
Activities included a bus tour of the installation, retirement ceremony, retiree appreciation dinner at the John B. Mahaffey Museum Complex, breakfast and town hall at the USO, lunch in an Army Warrior Restaurant, and a health and benefits expo at Nutter Field House.
Event organizers said the goal is to provide retirees and their families with information, services and assistance concerning their personal affairs, benefits, privileges, rights and entitlements — and to remind them they are still valued members of the team.
The Retiree of the Year, retired Sgt. 1st Class Herbert Green, was recognized at the Sept. 13 retiree appreciation dinner. Green was selected by the Retiree Council earlier this year for his continued contributions to the community.
During the dinner, Maj. Gen. Christopher Beck, Fort Leonard Wood and Maneuver Support Center of Excellence commanding general, welcomed retirees and thanked them for their contributions to today’s military.
“We all fully recognize that the only way we are here today — able to be in uniform – is because of the service you all gave, and we truly appreciate it,” Beck said. “I challenge you to take this weekend to look around. For those of you who served on Fort Leonard Wood you are going to see a lot of change. The men and women you will see around here, those trainees, are doing much different training than they were even a year ago. We are focused on them being lethal men and women who are ready to serve their nation when they leave here.”
U.S. Army retiree Glen McKinney, from Houston, Missouri, said he was impressed with the “informative” bus tour of the installation.
He said his favorite place to visit was Training Area 236, where he observed transportation operators using simulators to learn how to drive large trucks.
“It is pretty high tech. They can learn on there without hurting themselves or damaging equipment,” McKinney said. “When they get inside the real thing, they already have a good idea of what they are doing.”
U.S. Army retiree Ronald Hurley, from Jefferson City Missouri, agreed.
“Those simulators for the truck drivers are amazing,” he said. “I was a truck driver for the Army and those would have been nice to have.”
This was Hurley’s second time attending Fort Leonard Wood’s Retiree Appreciation Days, and while he enjoys the ceremonies and dinners, he said his favorite activity is touring the training areas.
“I learned today that in addition to Soldiers, Fort Leonard Wood trains Marines, Airmen and Sailors, too,” Hurley said. “They are all training together here — it is marvelous.”
For more information on Fort Leonard Wood’s Retirement Services, call 573.596.6637.
| Date Taken: | 09.13.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.30.2024 10:47 |
| Story ID: | 482075 |
| Location: | FORT LEONARD WOOD, MISSOURI, US |
| Web Views: | 31 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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