Fort Jackson honors military retirees

Fort Jackson kicked off its annual Retiree Appreciation Days Thursday with a breakfast and a visit to the Army post’s weekly basic training graduation.

Attending the graduation was important for the retirees, who believe they are part of the fort’s mission of providing basic training to more than 40,000 soldiers a year, said Col. Mike Molosso, chairman of the Retiree Council at Fort Jackson. As “soldiers for life,” retirees want to help influence “young men and women to serve their nation.”

“We celebrate that life cycle where we bring new soldiers in as we celebrate the service of our retired” soldiers, Molosso said.

Retiree appreciation events are planned through Saturday. They include a golf tournament Friday at 9 a.m. at the Fort Jackson Golf Club. On Saturday, a Retiree Health and Benefits Exposition will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Solomon Center. The exposition will feature information about health services and organizations.

This year, the Moncrief Optometry Clinic will offer retirees the opportunity to order glasses at the expo. Retirees should bring a current written prescription and an ID. Trial eyeglass frames will be available at the clinic.

This story was originally published May 19, 2016 at 9:38 PM.