By Ryan Thompson, Fort Leonard Wood Public Affairs Office
FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. (Aug. 25, 2026) – Fort Leonard Wood’s Directorate of Human Resources has been planning this year’s Retiree Appreciation Days scheduled to take place Sept. 10 and 11, 2026, across the installation.
According to Camilah Jefferson, DHR’s Retirement Services chief, more than 400 retirees were in attendance at last year’s event, and this year, leaders would like to see more.
“On behalf of the entire Fort Leonard Wood community, it is my distinct honor to invite you to our 47th Retiree Appreciation Days,” said Col. Eric McCall, Fort Leonard Wood’s garrison commander, in an invitation sent out earlier this month. “This special time is dedicated entirely to honoring your lifetime of devoted service, sacrifice and continued support of our great nation.
“Please make plans to attend; this day is your day.”
All events are open to all military retirees, dependents, surviving family members and those transitioning into retirement.
Activities planned for this year’s celebration include an installation bus tour, the opportunity to attend the Bi-monthly Retirement Ceremony, a free continental breakfast, town hall, lunch at an Army Warrior Restaurant and a Health and Benefits Expo.
“The goal for Retiree Appreciation Days is to express our sincere appreciation to the retirees for their dedicated service to our nation, foster a continued sense of belonging, continued connections to the military community, and offer updates on benefits, healthcare and other resources relevant to them,” Jefferson said.
The 2026 schedule of events is:
Thursday, Sept. 10
- 12:30 p.m. bus tour of the installation (the bus departs from Nutter Field House)
- 3 p.m. Bi-monthly Retirement ceremony at Lincoln Hall Auditorium
Friday, Sept. 11
- 8 a.m. free continental breakfast at the USO
- 9 a.m. town hall at the USO
- 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. lunch in an Army Warrior Restaurant (cost is $7.25 and transportation is provided)
- 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Health and Benefits Expo at Nutter Field House
There is no need to pre-register for this year’s events.
Jefferson said the 2026 Retiree of the Year will be recognized during the town hall on Sept. 11, and the guest speaker is slated to be Ms. Maria Bentinck, Army Retirement Services director.
Jefferson hopes retirees will gain an increased awareness of available support networks and resources that can contribute to their overall quality of retirement as well as connect and reconnect with fellow retirees.
For more information, call Retirement Services at 573.596.6637 or 573.596.0947.
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About Fort Leonard Wood
Fort Leonard Wood is a thriving and prosperous installation that has evolved from a small basic training post more than 75 years ago to a premier Army Center of Excellence that trains more than 80,000 military and civilians each year.
Fort Leonard Wood is home to the U.S Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence and three U.S. Army schools: the U.S. Army Engineer School; U.S. Army Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear School; and the U.S. Army Military Police School. In addition to training engineer, CBRN and military police specialties for the Army, Fort Leonard Wood also provides gender-integrated in-processing and Basic Combat Training for new Soldiers.
Fort Leonard Wood also hosts and trains with the largest Marine Corps Detachment and Air Force Squadron on any Army installation as well as a large Navy construction detachment.
More information about Fort Leonard Wood is at: https://home.army.mil/wood/index.php/about/mission