Sunday, September 18, 2011

RETIREE APPRECIATION DAYS, Ft. SILL, OK

For years I have received an invitation to the Retirees Appreciation Event at Ft. Sill, OK.  This year my wife and I attended it.
On Thursday we went to the huge Reynolds Army Hospital on Ft. Sill.  They really treated all the retirees grand.  There were a lot of medical tests available.  There was an eye clinic, dental clinic, heart health, etc. My wife and I received a shingles immunization.  A doctor of pharmacology & diabetes educator went over our medications and treatment and made suggestions.  I can't express how nice they treated everyone.  There were 475 retirees and their spouses and about 25 widows.  They were coming and going all day.  We had lunch in the Hospital's Cafeteria.
The Army has a new program called Privatization of Army Lodging.  We stayed in a Holiday Inn Express on base.  It is the largest Holiday Inn Express anywhere - 544 rooms in two buildings.  It was very nice and only $65/night including free breakfast.  They have several amenities not offered in other Holiday Inn Express hotels including free telephone call home when you check in, shuttle service anywhere on base, Wednesday night barbeque social, and a snack shop open  24/7.  Thursday we also went to the AAFES and shopped,  then went back that night for pizza.
On Friday we went on a bus tour to the historic Mattie Beal home in Lawton, OK in the morning, ate in a huge chow hall for lunch (what a change from the chow halls I remember).  That afternoon the bus took us to the Ouachita Mountains Wildlife Refuge.
Friday evening there was a banquet in the Patriot Club (I'm guessing it is an officers' club or a joint officers/senior NCO's club)
Before the meal there was an invocation, posting of the colors by an eight member honor guard, pledge of allegiance, national anthem, then some awards, a really good meal, entertainment by an Army Jazz Band and two speakers.  One was SGM Asepermy, an American Indian, who gave an illustrated talk about the Indian Code Talkers in World War I and World War II.  The other speaker was a woman, retired Major General in the Oklahoma Air National Guard, La Rita Aragon, a former school principal in civilian life, and now Oklahoma Secretary Veterans Affairs.  She had an interesting talk and she brought down the house by ending her talk with a video of Lee Greenwood's "Proud To Be An American."  The video showed wounded warriors and caskets coming off the plane in Delaware.  Everyone spontaneously rose to their feet.  There wasn't a dry eye in the place.
Two things impressed me. I'm not used to being "appreciated" because I am a veteran.  They really conveyed that message in  spades.  The other thing is that I had forgotten how easily you are accepted as a friend when you are in a military environment.  It was a long drive there and back but it was more than worth the effort.