This President's Message originally was sent to MOAA Premium and Life members by Lt. Gen. Dana T. Atkins, USAF (Ret), MOAA's President and CEO, in celebration of MOAA's 90th anniversary. Want to become a member, or upgrade your membership? Click here.

On Feb. 23, 1929, when Col. Arthur T. Marix, USMC (Ret), and 62 other officers gathered to start The Retired Officers Association (later evolving into the Military Officers Association of America in 2003), they couldn't have imagined how their legacy would enrich the lives of millions of servicemembers and veterans, and their families.

Birthdays are an ideal time to reflect on the milestones of past achievements - like 1985, when MOAA joined 15 military associations to form The Military Coalition; or 2001, when we helped establish TRICARE for Life; or 2017, when we won a 2.4-percent pay raise for active duty troops and helped extend the Special Survivor Indemnity Allowance.

Take a look back at MOAA's first 90 years in this video timeline:

We also take this opportunity to look to our future. This April, MOAA looks forward to mobilizing our members to achieve more wins for the military and veteran community; we'll “Storm the Hill” and educate lawmakers on why we need to eliminate the Survivor Benefit Plan-Dependency and Indemnity Compensation offset (also known as the widows tax), stabilize TRICARE fees, and maintain compensation for currently serving troops.

There's no need for any Hallmark cards poking fun at getting older - with more than nine decades of advocacy experience now under our collective belt, we can proudly say youth is overrated.

Thank you for helping to make the past 90 years so successful. Here's to the next 90!