Retiree Appreciation Day for southeast MO Vets

JACKSON, Mo. -- The Southeast Missouri Retired National Guard Association recently hosted a Retiree Appreciation Day for retired Soldiers of the Missouri Guard.

The event, attended by retired Missouri Guard Soldiers and Family members, was designed to give guests the latest information concerning retirement benefits.

Representatives from Tricare, the Missouri Veterans Commission, the Missouri Reserve Force and Missouri National Guard Foundation, the Missouri National Guard Association, Retirement Services Office and Social Security were available for veterans to get information.

"The vendors here always want to reach out and educate as many people as possible," said Matt Jenkins, of the Southeast Missouri Retired National Guard Association. "Our goal is to have people walk away with a lot more information and knowledge."

Topics of discussion also included Gray Area benefits, burial services and survivor benefits.

Often retirees can miss out on new proposals and changes, and events such as this help Veterans get all the benefits they deserve, said Jenkins.

The Missouri National Guard's Lt. Col. Ed Gargas, commander of the 1140th Engineer Battalion, spoke to the audience about his battalion's role during the spring floods and thanked retirees for their support not only during state emergency duties but year round.

"You are what have made the Missouri National Guard and the U.S. Army what it is today," said Gargas. "What you've given us - we can only hope to return the favor here today."

Throughout the day the retirees got the opportunity to socialize and visit vendors for one-on-one assistance, if needed.

"You have a lot of good memories from your service," said retired Sgt. 1st Class Alan Kistner, of Jackson. "We're so grateful for events like this because there's a lot of people here I haven't seen in a long time that I get to visit with and you learn so much about the benefits you're entitled to."

The event is also beneficial for Soldiers who are retiring soon.

"Even though I'm still in there's a lot of information here that as Soldiers we don't hear about all the time," said Chief Warrant Officer 4 Dennis Koeberl, who is retiring in January 2012 after 41 years with the Missouri National Guard.

For more information about the Missouri National Guard, please visit www.moguard.com and our social media sites: www.facebook.com/Missouri.National.Guard; www.twitter.com/Missouri_NG; www.youtube.com/MoNationalGuard; www.myspace.com/missouri_ng; www.flickr.com/photos/missouriguard; www.moguard.com/blog

For more information, local southeast retirees are encouraged to contact Matt Jenkins at 573-335-1286, Paul Summers at 573-334-1503.

Guard retirees interested in events or benefits can also call the Missouri Guard's Retirement Services Office at 573-638-9797 and or visit http://www.moguard.com/retirement-services.html.