On April 23, the McChord Field Clubs and Community Center was a hot spot for the 100 guests on hand for the 32nd annual Retiree Activities Office's Dining Out event.

In addition to providing local retirees a chance to swap war stories and memories, volunteers from the RAO were recognized, and attendees were brought up to speed on the 62nd Airlift Wing's many ongoing missions.

This year, Col. Glenn G. Rousseau, 62nd AW Operations Group commander, delivered the keynote address. After thanking retirees and their families for the wonderful legacy they'd left the Air Force community, he told the crowd about some of the unique assignments carried out by the airmen at Joint Base Lewis-McChord McChord Field.

Since the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, the 62nd AW has deployed 14,513 troops and completed 758 missions. Currently, there are 62nd AW troops deployed to 18 different countries, and over the next 16 months, Rousseau will constantly have aircrews from his command deployed.

Recently, crews from McChord Field have played an active role in the United States' humanitarian efforts in Haiti and Chile. The base sent 17 aircrews to Haiti, evacuated 1,300 Haitian refugees and transported more than 5.7 million pounds of cargo to the emergency field hospitals.

"The minute I see it on the news, I put my crews on standby," said Rousseau, with regard to his command's quick response to the earthquake in Chili. "We're ready before they even call."

Retired Maj. Gen. Don Brown, who serves as an advisor to the RAO, urged people to join the retirees' group.

"These are the finest group of people I have ever worked with. Truly it is an honor to see them all here tonight," Brown said.

He went on to present service awards to four longtime RAO volunteers and introduce retired Maj. D. D. Hoffman, who gave a brief, emotional tribute to recently passed RAO members.

The McChord Field RAO has been around for 32 years.  Volunteers staff the group's kiosk, located in Building 100, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to noon. Meetings are held at the Community Center the second Thursday of every month, and new volunteers and members are always welcome.

Call the RAO at (253) 982-3214 for more information.

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