Retirees Activities Offices are made up of volunteers from all services including surviving spouses. Their charter is to coordinate, establish and staff an office on an active-duty, reserve or guard base through command channels that will assist retirees with myriad actions. These actions include: serving as an information center for space-available travel, Tricare, base services, etc; offering referrals for financial-assistance and pay matters; counseling active-duty Airman nearing retirement; and providing literature on retirement issues. However, the RAO program for the National Guard, as prescribed in AFI 36-3106, "AFR and ANG installation commanders may establish a RAO/SRAO based on local retiree requirements". Therefore, this program, for this installation, is to blend the long established 174th Alumni Association program with the RAO program.