Ten years ago, few people thought that the Rhode Island Military Organization (RIMO) lounge at T.F. Green Airport would last long, according to RIMO president and Ward 3 councilman Tim Howe.

This past Wednesday, however, Howe joined other local officials, military members and airport staff to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the RIMO Lounge, as well as to rededicate it to the late Nick Cardi.

RIMO opened the lounge on Sept. 6, 2013, with the intention to offer the space to a national organization specializing in airport space. According to Howe, that organization refused the space, stating that Rhode Island was too small of a market.

“It was decided- we got the room, so let’s go and at least give it a try,” Howe said.

Since then, RIMO has operated  it in order to give traveling service members a peaceful place to themselves.

According to Howe, T.F. Green recently had the third-most military movement of any airport in the country recently. He praised the Rhode Island Airport Corporation (RIAC) for allowing the RIMO lounge to expand, calling them “our number one partner.”

“They realize the need and the usefulness of this,” Howe said. “We don’t advertise ourselves. Our best advertising is results.”

Cardi was a veteran of the U.S. Army Reserves, and alongside brothers Ron and Pete, donated all of the furniture used within the lounge.

The lounge is adorned with a painting of Cardi painted by Donald Mong, a veteran whose artwork mainly focuses on the military.

In addition to the painting of Cardi, Mong’s artwork can also now be found on Beavertail Lighthouse Museum Association charity license plates, which the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) released over the past weekend.

Mong, who is originally from Greenville, OH, settled in Rhode Island after being stationed here and “falling in love” with the state.

“Rhode Island is just stunningly beautiful,” Mong said. “There’s always something going on, and so much material for me to use.”

Mong said that he was honored to receive the request to do the painting of Cardi, and was happy he got the chance to commemorate him.

“That’s the veteran community,” Howe said. “Making sure that we’re always looking out for each other.”

Cardi’s brothers were both in attendance, alongside other members of his family.

In addition to the painting of Cardi, the lounge also has Rhode Island memorabilia adorning it, as well as QR codes that include links to the Warwick Tourism Department and current flight statuses.

For Howe, that’s just part of a natural process to connect the city and state with veterans and service members passing through or visiting it for the first time in a way that’s mutually beneficial.

“We’re going to highlight Rhode Island,” Howe said. “This is a great state. Some people don’t realize it and understand what the city of Warwick and the state of Rhode Island has to offer. We’re going to do it in the way we’ve always done it- with a lot of pride and within our community.”