Day 3 - Hurlbert Field

Friday July 9, 2010

John's retirement party was as touching and patriotic as I had imagined.

We were up and out of the house by 7:20 a.m.  The wall of heat that greeted us also fogged up our cameras.  But the boys managed to get some nice shots of Kim, Cindy and I on the driveway.

 

I'm not glowing - that's condensation on the camera lens. My hair was considerably bigger and wilder 4 hours later.

We assembled in an air-conditioned room in the chapel prior to the ceremony.  Despite the institutional background, everyone began to snap group shots.  I would have preferred a better setting, but a cool climate won out over an aesthetically pleasing backdrop. 

Here's John with his nieces and nephews:

And here is the rest of the family capturing that moment:

In anticipation of sitting in the heat at the ceremony, Kim splurged on fans for all the ladies:

I ventured outside to watch the preparations.  The crowds were gathering and the uniforms were inspected:

John's grandmother Leila had her very own escort and vehicle to take her to the ceremony:

As we stood, and many saluted, John and his retiring officer were led by the colour guard to the podium

We remained standing for the national anthem and the Invocation. Next were remarks by John's former commanding officer.  I had heard that Tommy was quite a character and he lived up to his reputation.  As he made his opening remarks, he reached into the podium and pulled out a can of diet coke and an unusual container.  It was a large cup made from one of John's original prosthesis.  I found out later that John "tricked it out" and presented it to Tommy in recognition of the support provided to get John back into service following his accident. 

Following Tommy's funny and touching speech, he presented to John the Award of the Defence Superior Service Medal.  We found out later that this medal is one of the highest award that can be bestowed upon members of the United States military by the Secretary of Defense.   

I cannot do justice to John's speech.  He acknowledged the many people who supported him throughout his career.  I was in awe of the people he described - the doctor who saved his life in Nicaragua; the colleague who, after finishing his 2 hour plus marathon run, ran back to find John and spend the next 4 hours running with and encouraging John (with a stress fracture in his good leg) to finish the race: the pilot who crash landed a plane in the jungle to rescue John after his accident; the people who believed in John before, during and after his accident. John's tribute to his family was equally touching and throughout his speech, John kept his composure.  There would be no tears shed by him during this formal ceremony. That said, John (and Kyle, or so he says) were the only ones with dry eyes during the ceremony. 

We all blubbered some more when, after presenting bouquets to his wife, daughters, mom, aunt, grand-mother and mom-in-law, John handed his son a wooden box.  Jake is just a bit older than Leah, and like Leah, the youngest in that family.  John recognized that Jake missed out on a lot of time together while John held higher and more demanding responsibilities and assignments that took him all over the world.   My understanding is that Jake learned to accept this life. Imagine how Jake felt when he opened the box that his dad presented to him. It was an original coin from John's favourite squadron, and the following inscribed in the box:

Jake

It is time to make up for lost time.

The adventure begins.

Love

Your Dad

We finally had to laugh through all the tears. 

The formal ceremony over, we moved inside for the informal awards and speeches.  Both John and Shelley were recognized by the Department of Defense for service to their country.

We met many of John's former colleagues.  All of them raved about John, his leadership and his dedication to family and country.  We knew John was special, but until then, we had no idea how special.

Before we headed back to beach house, the family was invited to get a closer look at the helicopters that John had flown. I'm surprised my hair fit into the cargo bay:

Speeches and tours over, it was party time!