JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. – Military retirees of all branches and ages and their families attended the annual Retiree Appreciation Day at Joint Base Lewis-McChord on June 27, visiting Lewis Main’s Waller Hall to receive services, information and resources.
ID card and legal services were available, along with medical screenings and immunizations, as part of a combined health fair with Madigan Army Medical Center. Veterans service organizations and nonprofits that advocate for retirees were also represented to about 450 participants.
“In the service that they gave to us, we owe a debt to them, and that debt is repaid through ensuring that they continue to receive the benefits that they should receive,” said Heather Albright, director of JBLM’s Directorate of Human Resources.
The event provides “a tie back to the installation” for retirees and brings some to the base who may not typically visit, allowing them to double-check their benefits and entitlements all in one place, she said.
“Recently, our Retirement Services Office and our Veterans Affairs benefits advisors co-located in the same building,” she said. “These advisors will provide one-on-one assistance to soldiers and retirees. For example, the VA benefits counselors can discuss disability compensation, education, insurance (dental and life), home loan guaranty, personalized career planning and where to find local support. All of that is now located in Building 2150 – next door to Waller Hall.”
Anna Skretting of DuPont, a former Navy sailor who retired in 2000, attended the event for the first time.
“I think it’s great,” she said. “I’m like a sponge. I want to absorb what information is out there.”
Retiree Appreciation Day is essential for retirees, Skretting said.
“I’m starting to learn that we need to find out all the benefits that we deserve or earned, being military,” she said. “So, that’s why I think this is very important, because it gives you the other sources.”
Additionally, Retiree Appreciation Day included the inaugural JBLM Department of Defense Employee Hall of Fame Ceremony. Lt. Gen. Matthew McFarlane, I Corps commanding general, addressed the retirees before naming the first hall of fame inductee.
“We host this day to let you know how much we appreciate and recognize the importance of this community, continuing to support you and your families based on your service to the United States of America. This is a special Retiree Appreciation Day because we get to recognize a special person.”
Michael Fuller, an active-duty veteran and retired DA civilian with more than 49 years of federal service – 25 of them at JBLM – was awarded a certificate of appreciation and a trophy. He served in multiple positions with I Corps, retired and was recalled from retirement to serve during I Corps’ first deployment to Iraq in 2009, then retired again before serving the Corps as civilian deputy chief of staff. His photograph and biography will be placed on the I Corps DA Civilian Hall of Fame wall.
“His picture is going up because he’s already left a lasting legacy in the hearts and souls of those uniformed and civilian members of the JBLM and I Corps community because of the way he led so well throughout his tenure,” McFarlane said.
To learn more about JBLM’s Retirement Services Office, visit https://home.army.mil/lewis-mcchord/about/Directorates-support-offices/dhr/mpd/retirement-services.
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