Retiree Activities Office: Taking care of those who served

  • Published
  • By Karen Abeyasekere
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  After retiring from the Air Force or any other branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, some retirees choose to continue living in the United Kingdom, for a variety of reasons.

Although no longer working for the military, there are still times they require help, whether that be for medical needs, pay issues, or even casualty assistance and survivor benefits for spouses whose retiree husband or wife has passed away. The RAF Mildenhall/RAF Lakenheath Joint Retiree Activities Office is available to help those who have retired from active service but still live in the U.K., and may live some distance from their nearest base.

Being staffed by retirees from a variety of active-duty military backgrounds means the office personnel have the experience to assist retirees from any branch of service. Its volunteers support, advance and unify the retired and active military communities.

“Because I’ve been here for a long time, I can give directions to people and feel like I’m useful. I like helping people,” said Darryl Russell, RAF Mildenhall Retiree Activities Office director. Russell is a former U.S. Navy senior chief petty officer with 15 years flight status across a 23-year career. He volunteered for several years at the information desk in the 48th Medical Group, RAF Lakenheath, before applying to work at the RAF Mildenhall office.

When budget permits, the office produces a newsletter which is sent out to the retired community. They also assist in hosting an annual Retiree Activities Day, which alternates between RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath. Retirees living all around the U.K. attend the event which provides a “one stop shop” where representatives from a variety of workcenters provide information and services. Retirees are also able to view static aircraft, watch displays, and learn more about today’s mission of RAF Mildenhall and RAF Lakenheath, and the Airmen who work there. It’s also an opportunity to meet up with old friends, renew ID cards and catch up on medical appointments.

“I’ve travelled around the U.K. quite a lot, and that’s a big help for people coming in and out and want to go somewhere, such as London for the day; I can advise them how to get down there. Transportation can be quite daunting sometimes if you don’t know the ins and outs of it, and it can be quite expensive,” explained Russell. “With the knowledge I have, I like to pass it on; my philosophy has always been if I don’t know anything, I’ll ask one of the others in the office, or I’ll look it up so I can advise others.”

As an information center, the retiree activities office is often the first port of call for spouses who may have lost their husbands or wives, and the volunteers would assist them in getting to see the casualty assistance office.

They also deal with calls on tax issues, social security, casualty affairs, as well as responding to emails from people in the States who want to move to the U.K. and need to know what to do.

“Moving to the U.K. from the States is a lot more complicated now than it used to be,” Russell said, describing how he went through it himself a few years ago and it took about 18 months because of the paperwork involved and required background checks.

“Our office is a ‘clearing house’ and the first point of contact for any of the approximately 3,000 retirees living in the U.K. and needing assistance,” he added.

For more information, or to speak to someone at the retiree activities office, call DSN 238-2039, or commercial 01638 542039. The office is scheduled to be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday to Friday. To keep up-to-date on the retiree appreciation day, retirees are advised to call and provide their email addresses so they can be added to the list as information is updated.