CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia National Guard, in partnership with the West Virginia Retired Military Council, announces the date for their annual West Virginia Military Retiree Appreciation Day, an event open to all military retirees, immediate family, and surviving spouses from all branches and components. This year’s RAD is scheduled for May 2, 2026, at Camp Dawson in Kingwood, West Virginia, from 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
The event provides a venue for retirees to get updates on benefits and current retiree issues, as well as to reconnect with service and veteran service support organizations.
Interested attendees must register at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RAD2026
Lodging is available at the Camp Dawson Event center on a first come first serve basis.
During past RAD events, veterans and family members were able to update identification cards, learn about new legislation affecting veterans, mingle with dozens of community partners and vendors, and enjoy time spent together with their fellow retirees and families.
RAD events are usually hosted by and center around active-duty military bases. This leaves many retirees in rural communities around the nation with lengthy and often costly commutes to receive services.
RAD is an effort to remedy this by offering state-level events hosted on an active-duty base.
West Virginia was the first state to jump at this opportunity.
Anyone who is interested in the work of the West Virginia Military Retired Military Council, or would like to serve as a regional representative, may contact Thomas Goff at cwotgoff@gmail.com or visit the West Virginia Military Retiree Group on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/WVMILRet. Additional information may be found at https://soldierforlife.army.mil/Retirement/blog, or https://myarmybenefits.us.army.mil.
