Retiree Appreciation Day

Retired Master Sgt. Maurice Bridges Sr., who enlisted in 1973 and gave 33 years of service to the Air Force, believes the military might have saved his life. "To be honest with you, I probably would have ended up in jail or dead if I hadn't joined," said Bridges. "I was born in Chicago, and I went to high school. I had good parents; I was taught right from wrong. And I saw myself getting into ways that was not productive, so I joined the Air Force." He retired as an air technician for the 126th Air Refueling Wing at Scott and considers himself a fixing person, continuing to fix and better things through his service with the Veterans of Foreign Wars. "I advocate for in the Veterans of Foreign Wars, which I'm a member of," said Bridges. "We were responsible for the G.I. Bill. It used to be if you didn't use it in 10 years, it's gone." Many reforms have occurred to a military member’s education benefits. Bridges encourages service members to take advantage of that. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Tara Stetler)