rapid fire
A Retiree Spotlight
Army Maj. Gen. Stephen T. Rippe, a MOAA Life Member who retired from the Army in 1999, has been president and CEO of the Army Distaff Foundation (
www.armydistaff.org) in Washington, D.C., since March 2012.
How did you get involved with the foundation? My wife and I were coming home from Abu Dhabi [United Arab Emirates], where I was working, when an Army friend suggested I might like to work for the foundation. It was a great fit.
What is the history of the foundation? In 1959, Mrs. Maxwell Taylor and other women in the Army Officers’ Wives’ Clubs (OWC) in the D.C. area decided to take steps to care for officers’ widows who [at the time] received no survivors’ benefits. Money for a building was raised worldwide — mostly by OWCs — and the original Army Distaff Hall opened in 1962, offering 16 residents a retirement home and health care. The name was changed to Knollwood in 1989, when admission was extended to retired officers of all services and their families. We’ve expanded greatly, although still all in one building, and have 300 residents. About half are Army; the others are split between Air Force and Navy.
What does the foundation do? We’re very philanthropic. Knollwood has four care levels, from independent living to memory care, and once people are here, we take care of them for the rest of their lives. About 10 percent of our residents are on Medicaid or “scholarship,” and our benevolent care for them is about $1 million a year.
Where do you get your support? OWCs are still very generous, and we also get support from large corporations and individuals. About 100 resident volunteers operate a small convenience store and manage committees for fine arts, landscaping and grounds, the chapel, and other parts of our community. Capital improvements are supported by fundraisers, rather than “on the backs” of residents.
— Marilyn Pribus
Attention!
Check out these military-related entertainment offerings.
DVD WINGS OF A WARRIOR: THE JIMMY DOOLITTLE STORY (Shelter Island, 2013) Filmmaker and host Gardner Doolittle explores the true life story of his cousin, flying pioneer, American hero, and Medal of Honor recipient Air Force Gen. James “Jimmy” Doolittle, making use of rare archival footage.
FILM THE MONUMENTS MEN* (Sony Pictures, 2014) This film starring Cate Blanchett, George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Bill Murray, among others, tells the true story of an Allied World War II platoon tasked with rescuing artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves.
BOOK GUNNY’S RULES: HOWTO GET SQUARED AWAY LIKE A MARINE (Regnery Publishing, 2013) Author and Gunnery Sgt. R. Lee Ermey, USMC (Ret), reveals how the military transformed him into a successful, fit, and prepared leader and how readers can apply the same lessons to their lives.
MO
*read more: Military Officer’s June 2012 issue at
www.moaa.org/moarchive featured the Monuments Men.
32 MILITARY OFFICER FEBRUARY 2014
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