Something for Everyone
Military Officer dishes up content for a variety of tastes.
By Col. Warren S. Lacy, USA-Ret.

This month we serve you a smorgasbord of varied content. The main course — always a favorite — is a report on MOAA’s largest legislative event of the year, Storming the Hill. “Storming” this year focused on increasing the Survivor Benefit Plan age-62 annuity. You may sample this selection on page 17 and the related story on MOAA’s Marix Awards on page 35. 

Another always-popular choice is the military health care system. On page 73, we present a TRICARE entrée: What happens to military health care at home when providers deploy in support of military contingencies? 

For those with a taste for history, how about a sampling of naval aviation during the Korean War? This feature (page 54) also wraps a three-year commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Korean War. 
Finally, for a light tidbit, you may want to check out “The World at Home,” a travel feature about how to taste the wonders of the world without ever leaving the States (page 60). 

We intentionally offer a variety of content because MOAA is an organization with a diverse membership representing a wide range of interests. Yes, we’re all united as members of the uniformed services community, but under that umbrella are many distinct groups. Members range in age from under 25 to over 100. Many are on active duty. Others are retired from the uniformed services and now work full-time in second careers. And even more are retired-retired, enjoying the fruits of their labors. So ... how does Military Officer manage to serve these varied groups?

The simple answer is that we ask you, the member, to tell us what you’re interested in reading. Then we choose stories that — over time — provide something for everyone. We gather your informal feedback through letters to the editor and personal contacts, such as visits to chapters. And every other year we conduct formal, scientific surveys to determine member interests. 

As it turns out, we recently received the results of our latest survey of a representative sampling of MOAA’s membership. These were the top 10 topics in which the overall membership expressed interest: current legislative issues; current defense issues; current national issues; health/wellness; military history, World War II; travel; financial planning; military history, Vietnam; military history, Korea; and retirement lifestyles.

Among active duty and second-career members, the top three topics of interest were current legislative issues, financial planning, and career/employment. 

If you don’t find something to your taste in this issue of Military Officer, then we probably will serve it up in the near future. But remember, we rely on you to tell us your interests. If you’re one of the lucky, random recipients of a readership survey, please complete and return it. And keep those cards and letters coming!