Larry Mooring was pretty excited about his new eyeglasses when he picked them up at Mt. Carmel this past week. He showed them off to most of our staff members and fellow veterans.
“I was treated like a general back there; it’s embarrassing – I don’t think I deserve it,” said Larry of his experience with Veterans Optometry Partners of America, Mt. Carmel’s in-house partner that provided a complete eye exam, digital lenses and name brand frames without out-of-pocket expense – fully-covered by his annual VA optical benefit.
“They really appreciated me for my service and let me know it,” said Larry. “I’m going to tell other Veterans they should do this – they should call Mt. Carmel and use this great service. They even checked for cataracts!”
As he shared features of his new eyeglasses and details of outstanding customer service from Keegan Meyer’s VOPA team, we learned quite a bit about Larry.
After his commission in West Point’s Class of 1962, the retired Army major served two tours of duty in Vietnam, 29 months total, as an artillery and infantry officer. After the war, he served in Panama and Germany with three assignments to California sprinkled throughout.
In Germany, he met and married the love of his life; he and Hannelore mark 46 years of marriage on Dec. 7. Peering through his new glasses, “Isn’t she a looker?”, he asks, holding up a smart phone picture of the two of them on a recent trip to Las Vegas.
Retiring from Army service in 1982, Larry went on to support Colorado Springs students and staff for 20 years leading the supply and logistics team at the Deaf and Blind School as a State employee. He retired from the Colorado Department of Education in 2000.
We wanted to learn more, but Larry wanted to share more about his new eyeglasses.
“…and they have all name-brand frames and great customer service,” Larry continued. “Today, I came in and picked up my glasses, and it didn’t cost me anything. These are super-lightweight, scratch resistant frames — fully-covered by my VA benefit; has to be worth more than $500 with the exam!”
Are you interested in a thorough eye exam, name brand frames and digital lenses? VOPA at Mt. Carmel welcomes military, veterans and families – and all other community members – to access their insured benefits.
“We welcome all forms of Tricare, Medicaid, Medicare, and most other insurance plans,” said Keegan. “For the uninsured we offer affordable packages as well. We consider it a great privilege to serve the military and Veteran community.”
Learn more: https://veteranscenter.org/vopa/