Academy sponsors annual Retiree Appreciation Day

  • Published
  • By David Edwards
  • Academy Spirit staff writer
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  According to the Pennsylvania Dutch, we get too soon old and too late smart.

Airmen here believe they can help remedy that problem, which is one of several reasons they maintained the annual tradition of Retiree Appreciation Day with an event in the Arnold Hall ballroom July 23.

Senior Master Sgt. Patrick Luda, one of the organizers of this year's Retiree Appreciation Day, deemed the event a success. More than 40 information booths were available to the military retirees who circulated around the room throughout the morning.

Luda, who is the 10th Surgical Operations Squadron superintendent, said organizers were pleased with the outcome and are already exploring the possibilities for next year's event.

"Most likely there will be some changes so we can improve this event even more than we did from the previous couple of years," he said. "This may include (an) alternate venue, more in-depth services like legal wills, and maybe even more medical booths."

Dispensing pertinent information Saturday were a variety of entities that play roles in the lives of military retirees. Medical knowledge, support organizations and assorted local groups and networks were well-represented.

Although former members of any branch of the U.S. armed forces are welcome to attend, Luda said the vast majority of people who showed up this year were Air Force retirees and their family members.

"While we had a significant-size crowd, we expect even better success next year while trying to reach more people through various methods of advertising and marketing," Luda said. "The key is for those who attended this year's event to spread the word to their friends as well."

If that happens, military retirees from southern Colorado could defy the Pennsylvania Dutch wisdom, getting smart with plenty of time to spare.