Military Retiree Appreciation Day celebrates West Virginia retirees, holds retirement ceremony

KINGWOOD, W.Va (WDTV) – West Virginians who have retired from military service were celebrated at Camp Dawson in Preston County.

Over 300 retirees attended the event. Vendors were there to connect them with veteran support organizations and provide them with information about benefits.

During the event, two West Virginians who served in the military were honored with a retirement ceremony. Christopher McCreary and Mitchell Shaw were joined by friends and family as they received a medal of appreciation for their service.

West Virginia is the first state to hold a Military Retiree Appreciation Day away from an active-duty base. This allows retirees in the state to avoid long-distance travel to active-duty locations in other states.

“They put a lot of dedication, a lot of commitment, unbelievable amount of commitment, and once they retire, it’s hard to cut those strings,” West Virginia Retired Military Council Co-Chair Thomas Goff said. “They’re really wrapped into it. And I think that’s true with any Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force retiree. It’s part of their life. It’s in their blood and you can’t just cut them off, and they’re orphaned out there. They want to stay connected.”