PRESIDIO OF MONTEREY, Calif. - The U.S. Army Garrison, Presidio of Monterey (POM), and the Fort Ord Area Retiree Council held the annual Retiree Appreciation Day at General Stilwell Community Center June 11. More than 500 retirees visited information booths representing organizations such as TRICARE, Social Security Administration, the PX, the Defense Commissary, Veterans service offices, and various local & national service organizations.
The chair of the Retiree Council, Lt. Col. Richard Novak, USMC, Ret., kicked off the formal program that included: Shary Farr, president, Partners for Transition; Stephen Jorgensen, assistant deputy for Veterans Memorials and Cemeteries, California Department of Veterans Affairs; and Maj. Gen. William Matz, U.S. Army, Ret., president of the National Association of Uniformed Services.
Following the program, food generously donated by Defense Commissary Agency vendors, was prepared and served by service member volunteers from the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center with guidance from the Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare & Recreation personnel.
Fernando Casao, POM retirement services officer, who coordinated many details of the function, said that the support was outstanding across the board. “The response this year to support the Retiree and Family member attendance was noteworthy. Everyone really puts a lot of effort into this every year” he said. “It helps us provide the military retirees, who have given so much to their country, with the latest and greatest information available on their benefits, changes to programs and updates ongoing projects like the proposed veterans cemetery at the former Fort Ord.”
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