Wright-Patt, military retirees invited to one-stop ‘appreciation day’

Lou Salerno, a military retiree, asks a question of David Hayes, prosecuting attorney for Greene County, Ohio, during Retiree Appreciation Day on Oct. 28, 2022, at Hope Hotel near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez.

Lou Salerno, a military retiree, asks a question of David Hayes, prosecuting attorney for Greene County, Ohio, during Retiree Appreciation Day on Oct. 28, 2022, at Hope Hotel near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Air Force photo by R.J. Oriez.

Tens of thousands of Air Force and military retirees rely on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, with its busy commissary and exchange and the second biggest medical center in the Air Force.

On Dec. 19, Air Force personnel want to show their appreciation for those retirees.

That’s when Wright-Patterson will host the return of its “Retiree Appreciation Day” at the Wright-Patt Club.

There, retirees can expect a “one-stop shop” for retirees and their families when it comes to services and questions in the realms of finance, health care, networking and more.

David “Bones” McCoy, a retired Air Force senior master sergeant and interim director for Wright-Patterson’s Retiree Activities Office, estimated that perhaps 56,000 retirees living within a 70-mile radius rely on the base and its services.

88th Air Base Wing flyer

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“Wright-Patt being the single largest employer in the state of Ohio, you can just go to the gate during the morning traffic and just see the immense numbers of people who access the base every day, let alone those who take advantage of things the retirees do,” McCoy said in an interview. “Many of our military retirees are in civilian positions as well.”

Retirees who attend can expect discussions with representatives of the Ohio attorney general’s office, Wright-Patterson Credit Union, the 88th Medical Group, the Social Security Administration, the Dayton Veterans Administration Medical Center and others.

The cost? Free, and lunch will be provided.

“It’s sort of like that one-stop shop,” said Master Sgt. Jasmine Brown, the Air Force Materiel Command’s personnel programs manager.

“It’s a good investment in getting updates and knowing what’s going on,” McCoy said.

Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. that day. The event starts at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 2:30 p.m.

The event is open to all military retirees, their family members and survivors.

The Wright-Patt Club is at 4771 Lahm Circle, building 800, in Area A.

For more information, contact the Wright-Patterson Retiree Activities Office at (937) 257-3221 or email rao-wp@hotmail.com. The office also has a Facebook page.

Attendees don’t have to register before the morning of the event, but organizers encourage it.

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