By Judy Christie

Col. Thomas P. “Tom” Waddell, USAF (Ret), believes that retirement from the military does not mean the end of responsibility. “Service to country continues on; it’s not something you walk away from,” he said.

A Life member of MOAA, Waddell, 72, was drawn to the organization’s mission more than 30 years ago for its “true voice” for veterans and military retirees and has been a committed MOAA leader in a variety of ways, particularly in addressing legislative issues that affect servicemembers, veterans, and retirees and their families at the national level and Arizona state level.

“This is important work,” he said. “You can see where it changes people’s minds.”

For his service in 2023 with “distinction and honor” as the legislative liaison for both the MOAA Grand Canyon Chapter and Arizona Council of Chapters, he has been named the chapter-level Colonel Steve Strobridge Legislative Chair Award recipient.

His chapter president, Col. Rebecca Seeger, USAF (Ret), said: “When Tom moved to Flagstaff and joined our chapter, he immediately made an impact. He is the type of member that chapters dream of … focused, engaged, selfless, and a great sense of humor.”

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With a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s degree in human resource management, he began his Air Force career at age 22 — a commitment that spanned 39 years, including 13 years of civilian Air Force work after retirement in 2000.

A navigator, his military accomplishments include more than 3,500 flying hours with more than 150 combat hours during Desert Storm. Among other assignments, he ran the foreign missile intelligence collection missions for Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet Headquarters at Camp Smith, Hawaii, from 1987-90 and served as the Air Force ROTC detachment commander at Northern Arizona University 1993-96, named best Air Force ROTC detachment in 1994. 

His legislative work for MOAA integrates face-to-face meetings with officials at the Arizona capitol and writing skills honed in the military. “You learn to be persuasive on paper,” he said.

Examples of his accomplishments include educational monthly articles for the chapter newsletter to promote MOAA’s legislative priorities and to encourage fellow MOAA members to personalize letters to political leaders with information about service history and why an issue matters.

In 2023, he focused legislative liaisons across the state and chapter membership on three Arizona bills that affected uniformed service personnel and their families. Two bills were successfully advocated for: property tax exemptions for disabled veterans and providing National Guard and Reserve members the right to be buried in state veterans’ cemeteries.

The third bill, to exempt U.S. Public Health Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration active duty pay from state income tax, commensurate with armed forces active duty pay, did not pass and continues to be a priority for him. “We’ve got a plan for next year,” he said.

“Grassroots advocacy works,” he said. “It doesn’t take a lot of voices; it takes persistent voices. … I can’t overemphasize that grassroots advocacy is the heartbeat of what we do at both the national level and the state level. Write a letter. Make a call. Vote. You could be the one voice they need to push them.”

Judy Christie is a writer based in Colorado.