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Scott hosts Retiree Appreciation Day

  • Published
  • By Monte Miller
  • 375th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  Despite the impending storms last weekend, more than 200 military retirees visited Scott Air Force Base Saturday for the annual Retiree Day festivities.

"It went very fine," said Retired Senior Master Sgt. Denver Baldwin from the Scott Retiree Activities Office. "We are very happy with the event and have already started planning for next year. We want to thank the wing for all of their support and for hosting our event."

He added the weekend weather forecast caused more than 100 expected guests to cancel their plans.

"They were concerned about what was happening down in Texas and how it would affect us," Mr. Baldwin said. "We have people travel to this event from as far as 250 miles away. After the rains we had on Sunday, their concerns were justified."

The day began with breakfast at the Scott Club and greetings from guest speakers, including 375th Airlift Wing Commander Col. Gary Goldstone, 375th Medical Group Commander Col. Diane Ritter and James Lynch from Express Scripts.

There were also several updates from various groups that deal with senior and retiree issues, including money management and medical insurance.

"There was a lot of information regarding health," Mr. Baldwin said. "We'd like to especially thank the 375th Medical Group for conducting cancer screenings and blood pressure checks and providing lots of information on dietary issues. Those booths were swamped and people were standing in line to get to them."

Mr. Baldwin said another highlight of the event were the remarks from Colonel Goldstone about the state of the 375th Airlift Wing, the future of Scott Air Force Base and where it stands in the grand scheme of things.

One of the hot topics that caused quite a buzz during Retiree Appreciation Day was the recent addition of the Scott Field Heritage Airpark, which was presented at the event and gained new support from many of those in attendance who have personal stories and history with the aircraft displayed there.

Retiree Appreciation Day has roots to the mid 1970's and is hosted by the 375th AW and the Scott Retiree Activities Office. The office includes 30 volunteers from all branches of the Armed Services and a director, who works on planning the event for about six months.

Throughout the year, RAO volunteers work with the partner offices at Ft. Leonard Wood and Whiteman Air Force Base., Mo., to get and share ideas with each other on how to make the events bigger and better every year.

"We try to get all kinds of input," Mr. Baldwin said. "The biggest thing each year is to find a guest speaker. We try to focus on issues of concern to retirees in Illinois and Missouri."