Vietnam memorial wall a highlight of Retiree Appreciation Day

  • Published
  • By Nick Stubbs
  • Thunderbolt Editor
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Sept. 24 will be a day of special appreciation at MacDill Air Force Base, an annual event that celebrates the contributions of military veterans and all they have sacrificed for their country.

This year's installment will be all the more significant, as the centerpiece of the event will be the traveling Vietnam Memorial wall, a scaled-down replica of the memorial known simply as "The Wall," in Washington, D.C. It will be on display all day of the event, inside the common areas of the MacDill Base Exchange.

At first it appeared efforts by the MacDill Retiree Activities Office to bring the wall to the base would be for naught when it was discovered the cost to cover the appearance, $1,200, was too much for the RAO to pay, said Diep Gotich, the RAO volunteer and counselor who reached out to try and bring the wall to the base.

"We didn't have the money," she said. "We told John (Monaghan, the BX merchandising manager) we couldn't afford it, and he said, 'let me see what we can do.' "

What he did was get Apple (computer) to help sponsor the visit by picking up half the tab. The BX pitched in the rest, ensuring the memorial wall would be here for the "big day."
"It was wonderful," said Gotich. "Without the BX and John, we wouldn't be able to do it (have the wall)."

Monaghan said he was happy to assist, and looks forward to having the memorial on base for the appreciation day.

Showing appreciation for retired military members is important at MacDill, said 1st Lt. Christopher Taylor, a member of the 6th Communications Squadron who is coordinating the event for the Wing.

"It's about recognizing their service, and the camaraderie and family," said Taylor. "They may be retired, but they are still a part of the military family."

Taylor said as many as 4,000 retirees may show up for the event this year, which features a host of things to see and do (see adjoining schedule of events).