Commander's Message

Garrison Commander

Fort McPherson and Fort Gillem

Last year I spoke to you all about our final Retiree Appreciation Day, which was held June 19. It was thought this year's activities of closing down Fort McPherson and reducing Fort Gillem to an enclave would have made it difficult to prepare an appreciation event.

However, the Fort McPherson Military Retiree Council felt we needed to do it one more time and asked me for one more "final meeting." As the military retiree community is extremely important to me and this command, we are going to make it happen. In our day-to-day travels, we may sometimes overlook our "seasoned servicemembers" as we go through the final days of our mission here at U.S. Army Garrison.

Aside from visits to the ID card section, along with the post exchange and commissary, many of us don't have regular interactions with our "distinguished" visitors and their Families. While we are concerned about where we will work after Sept. 15, we should also be thinking about what our retirees will do without one of their best connection to their military lives.

Retiree Appreciation Day isn't just about free coffee and donuts, although those elements certainly help with the fellowship aspect of the day. It's about showing genuine gratitude for those who have gone before us in service to country and are now witnessing how we are carrying the banner forward.

However, our retirees are more than just casual observers. They were among the nearly 400 volunteers recognized during our April Volunteer Recognition Ceremony. Many of us who still proudly wear the uniform benefit from their valuable mentorship. In so many ways, our retirees are indeed still serving.

Whether you are providing them with top-rate customer service or pass them during trips to the commissary, I encourage you all to thank them for both their sacrifice in uniform and their continued dedication to service.

This year's 39th Annual Retiree Appreciation Day, Saturday, will be a bit smaller than previous years. Instead of being held at The Commons at Fort McPherson, the event will take place at the Post Theater, Bldg.183.

As always, there will be coffee and donuts from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. to facilitate fellowship. I will have the honor to address the gathering and bring our retirees up to speed on where we are with BRAC and how we will proceed to the Sept. 15 closure.

Col. Cheryl Taylor-Whitehead, the commander for Lawrence Joel Troop Medical Clinic, will provide information and updates on clinic operations. Col. (Ret.) Ben Malcom, the chairman for the Fort McPherson Military Retiree Council, will also be on board to address the group. TRICARE will send a representative to provide the latest information.

In addition, we will have representatives from the Fort Gordon and Fort Benning Retirement Service Offices to talk about which counties they will be supporting after we close. Fort Benning will also send a casualty assistance representative to address survivor and honors support. From 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., folks will be able to go to One-Stop, located next door to the theater in Building 181, and take care of any DEERS, ID card or vehicle registration issues they may have.

This will be a wonderful opportunity for our retirees to receive services focused only on their needs. The diminished size of this event should not mean abbreviated information. I believe that knowledge is power and we want our retirees to be as powerful as possible. Also, the information flow won't stop with this one-day event. We will continue to keep our informed through the Sentinel newspaper, our website and council meetings.

I'm looking forward to seeing all our seasoned servicemembers at this event and having the opportunity to thank you for all you continue to do.