Military retirees were honored at the 60th annual Retiree Appreciation Day — an event featuring informative speakers, performances by Leavenworth Junior ROTC unarmed and armed drill teams, small group performance, and a health fair offering flu shots, oral cancer screenings, and more — Oct. 26, 2024, at the Lewis and Clark Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
As the morning’s first speaker, Garrison Commander Col. Duane Mosier welcomed the retirees gathered in Eisenhower Auditorium, thanking them and their family members for their service and for attending RAD. Mosier explained that his job as Garrison commander involves rotating through roles similar to those of mayor, city manager and city planner, for which he is assisted by the Garrison command sergeant major and Garrison deputy.
Proclaiming himself as a “history geek,” Mosier shared some of post’s history, starting with why the post is situated where it is on what is now the Kansas side of Missouri River after Henry Leavenworth defied orders in 1827 and placed the post in a better location on higher ground. Mosier pointed out that there are pecan trees still growing on Fort Leavenworth that were noted by the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1804.
“Those pecan trees are still here; they are on the north side of our airfield, in a 2,500-acre virgin forest that has never been cut and is protected because Fort Leavenworth is here. A lot of the natural conservation that has taken place is because we were the very first entity as far as military- or settlement-type of establishments here.”
Mosier told the retirees that Fort Leavenworth is arguably the oldest continuously operated installation west of Washington, D.C. — thanks to a short hiatus at West Point, New York, which claims that title — but that it is definitely the oldest continuously operated military post west of the Appalachian Mountains.
Mosier listed the writing and testing of Army doctrine at Fort Leavenworth — known as the Intellectual Center of the Army — and that officers transit through the post at some point in their careers, as some of the reasons why the post is an extremely important location to the U.S. Army and the Department of Defense.
Mosier used his history overview of the installation to help explain some of the “projects and facelifts” currently happening on Fort Leavenworth.
Mosier said that of 104 Army installations, Fort Leavenworth has the most historic homes built before 1919.
“It is an old installation with old infrastructure — we have a lot of buildings, roads, curbs, even our trees that are very historic in nature, and that creates challenges for us.”
Mosier shared some of the projects underway to help breathe new life into the post’s aging infrastructure. He noted the construction of the new Child Development Center that will start Nov. 4. Hancock Gate will open at that time to help with construction and neighborhood traffic. He explained the Army’s transition to privatized housing in 2006 and the contract partner’s responsibilities to housing on post.
“Our housing partner, Michaels Military Housing, is responsible for all aspects of outyear development plans, what they are going to do to invest money into the infrastructure of the installation, new construction, renovations, road work, curb work, all of these sorts of things,” he said. “I am very happy today to announce that the United States Army and Michaels Military Housing has reached an accord. We have been negotiating for about eight or nine months, and we have landed on what we call the Outyear Development Plan.”
Mosier said the ODP means that Michaels has pledged approximately $120 million for renovations of Fort Leavenworth’s historic district.
“They are going to preserve that incredible fabric of history for our (descendants), which we are thrilled about. They are going to build brand new homes over the next three to five years in the area of Hancock Pool,” he said.
He said the 1950s-60s apartments in that area will be brought down in about a year to make way for those new 2,200-square-foot military family homes.
He said repairs that have been lower on the priority list will also be taken care of, including window replacements and new sidewalks, as well as other projects already underway or that will start within the next year, with a focus on maintaining the installation for future generations.
Munson Army Health Center
Munson Army Health Center Director Col. Jolanda L.J. Walker followed Mosier, thanking the retirees for attending and explaining some of the services MAHC was offering following the speakers.
“Thank you for your service and the sacrifices of your family members, and thank you for allowing Munson Army Health Center to be a part of your wellness journey,” Walker told the retirees. “We definitely appreciate the opportunity to be able to bring those services to you.”
Walker urged good hygiene during cold and flu season to help reduce illness, and said the MAHC was ready to provide flu shots and dispense over-the-counter cold packs. In addition, oral-cancer screenings were offered during the RAD health fair.
Walker said the MAHC wants to know retirees’ suggestions for how things could be done better, noting the availability of patient advocates to assist them, as well inviting the retirees to apply to participate in the Patient and Family Partnership Council, volunteers who are active-duty military, active-duty family members, retirees and retiree family members who meet quarterly.
“We are hopeful that you will take the opportunity to share a bit of your experience with us, if you so choose.”
Walker mentioned the upcoming TRICARE contract change, which subsequent speaker Kathryn Styhl, of Health Net Federal Services, also addressed. The change and what it means for TRICARE users will be further explained in an upcoming issue of the Fort Leavenworth Lamp.
“Thank you so much for what you have done for our nation,” Walker told the retirees. “Thank you so much for continuing to allow us to be a part of your wellness journey and for allowing us to be part of the Fort Leavenworth community. We truly enjoy getting to see your faces when you come through our facility.”
Styhl followed Walker with TRICARE information, and multiple iterations of the small group discussions “Military Retiree Survivor Guide,” led by retired Master Sgt. Hans Hull, and “Care Giving,” led by retired Brig. Gen. Stan Cherrie, were offered as the MAHC health fair was conducted in classrooms, and area businesses and organizations provided information to the retirees.
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