MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Marine Corps Community Services hosted the annual Retiree Expo at the Pacific Views Event Center, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Sept. 7.
The event was open to retired service members from any branch of service in the surrounding area, and offered career opportunities as well as information and resources from numerous organizations that cater to or support military retirees.
“Every year, MCCS and the (commanding general) of the base host this expo to allow the retirees to get face to face with representatives of organizations like Defense Financial Accounting Services, Tricare, and many more,” said Ernesto Bulli, head of the Retired Activities Office for MCCS.
The goal of the event is to make retirees aware of some information they may have not received when they first retired, any new changes to different policies regarding them, and provide an opportunity to be surrounded by like-minded individuals.
“One of the things that I really enjoyed is all of the information that is being provided to us, a lot of which I never even knew,” said retired Senior Chief Petty Officer Robert Meyers. “I was happy that this event happened. It gives us an opportunity to interact with other retirees and learn more about things I never knew about.”
Retired service members are a huge demographic in the local communities surrounding Camp Pendleton. The annual event takes advantage of that to ensure that any concerns or issues regarding military retirement can be addressed, according to Bulli.
“We’ve got to let them know that they’re still with us, in our minds and in our hearts,” said Bulli. “What they did for our country is important to us, so we have to let them know that as a nation, we are grateful for it.”