“The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the Veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation.” 

    – General George Washington, 1781

The Fort Bragg Garrison Command will host its Annual Retiree Appreciation event Oct. 22-24 to celebrate the service and commitment of retired service members and their families.  

“The three-day event includes the Retiree Golf Tournament, the Retiree Luncheon and the Retiree Appreciation Day at Womack Army Medical Center,” said Donnell Edwards, the Fort Bragg and State of North Carolina Retirement Services Officer. 

“This is Fort Bragg’s way of communicating back to our retirees thanking them for services rendered over the years, to keep them engaged with current soldiers, and to remind them we consider them Soldiers for Life,” Edwards said echoing the RSO motto of “Soldier for Life.  Once a Soldier, Always a Soldier... A Soldier for Life.”

The Retiree Golf Tournament is at Stryker Golf Course Oct. 22. The Opening Ceremony begins at 8 a.m. with a shotgun start at 9 a.m.  

The Retiree Luncheon on Oct. 23 is from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. at the Fort Bragg Conference & Catering Center with entertainment provided by the All American Chorus.  

“We get a lot of positive feedback for the annual event,” Edwards said.  The most popular is the Retiree Appreciation Day at Womack, he said.

The Appreciation Day at Womack Army Medical Center will kick-off with a welcome in the hospital’s Weaver Auditorium at 8:30 a.m. on Oct. 24. The day will feature numerous medical and dental services, classes and giveaways from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pre-registration is not required.

Services offered include assistance preparing wills, living wills and advanced directives; mammography; pharmacy counseling; vision, dental and hearing screenings; flu shots and other vaccines; diabetes information; TRICARE; physical therapy information; mobile blood drive; nutrition information; blood pressure screening; yoga and more. 

In addition to services, classes will be held throughout the day:

Time Class Location

           9 and 11 a.m.                          TRICARE Brief                         Weaver Auditorium

9:30, 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m.           Advance Directives     Family Medicine Conference Room

                 10 a.m.                     Healthy Meals in Minutes            Weaver Auditorium

                 10 a.m.              “Ready to Quit” tobacco info session   Internal Medicine 

   10:30 and 11:30 a.m.                             Yoga                        General Surgery Waiting Room

                 Noon                   Dealing with Life Changing Events    Weaver Auditorium

   12:30 and 1:30 p.m.           Meditation and Relaxation               Internal Medicine

                1 p.m.                         Healthy Sleep Habits                          Weaver Auditorium

For more information about medical services or classes offered, call the WAMC Public Affairs Office at 907-7247.

On Oct. 24, the ID Card Facility will provide services to retirees and family members at the Soldier Support Center from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.  No appointments needed on this day, but two forms of identification are required to issue new cards. For more information or to make an appointment for a future day, call 396-9339.

For general information, contact the Fort Bragg Retiree Services Office.  The RSO is located on the first floor of the Soldier Support Center in Building 4-2843 on Normandy Drive, Fort Bragg.  Hours are Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.  To make an appointment or get more information about services provided, call 396-5304 or 800-535-6067.