JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
Ask any member of local retiree offices who Col. John Moser was, and they'll say he was a hard worker who was never afraid to speak his mind.
Much to the dismay of many in the D.C. area, Col. Moser passed away Sunday, October, 12th.
Getting things done was something that Moser was best at. From being director of Retiree Affairs Offices at Joint Base Andrews and Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, to becoming the first state lobbyist for the city of Rockville where he lived, to chairing various cultural arts commissions and committees; Moser was always working on something.
"That was who John was," said Lucas. "He always had plans; he always saw new opportunities. If he was going to be a part of it, it was going to be the best."
"It's a great loss to the retiree progam," Lucas continued. "He always went above and beyond."
Moser was born near East Berlin in 1924. Due to his Jewish heritage, his parents sent him to live with relatives in the United States in 1937.
Moser joined the Army 101st Airborne Division before becoming an Air Force intelligence officer - receiving the Legion of Merit among other awards.
"He was always proud of his Air Force service," said Ronald Teufel, member of the Retiree Affairs Office. "He always introduced himself as a colonel."
Moser was also heavily involved in local cultural arts - chairing the Rockville Art in Public Places program and founding the F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Conference, Inc. among other organizations.
"He wouldn't take 'no' for an answer," said Jackson Bryer, current president of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Literary Conference Inc. "Without him, we wouldn't have lasted 18 years."
Before anything else, however, Moser was a hardworking military man.
"He was the face of retirees in the National Capital Region," said Lucas.