End Of An Era

Folks that have served in the military know that they make friends with others that have bonds that are very deep.  I have met and become friends with men and women that are more like brothers and sisters than just friends.  This past weekend, Marti and I had the privilege of attending the retirement ceremony of one of my close friends, Scott, who was retiring after thirty years of service in the U.S. Coast Guard.

He is the last of my Coastie friends that I served with to retire from the service after an amazing career.  Not only is he an amazing guy, but his career took him to many places and trouble spots all around the world.  We should be very thankful there are many men and women serving today just like him to protect and keep us safe.

One of the best things about this ceremony was it brought together several other Coast Guard Special Agent friends of mine that joined the retired ranks some years ago,  I hadn't seen some of them in years and it was great to meet and catch up.  Of course a picture was required.

There were many touching parts in the ceremony, including passing the flag, an American flag that was flown over each of Scott's duty stations where he had severed during his career.  A solemn and moving sight.

The flag was passed through nine Coast Guardsmen until it was finally handed to Scott, a real way to honor both the flag and his service.

There were many moving moments, some hard to hold back the tears.  Scott's wife spoke about the times of worry and fear she experienced as well as the good times.  Tears and laughter.

When it came time for Scott to read his final orders sending him into retirement, we all lost it.  Tears flowed through the crowd, myself included.  A lifetime of service, a way of life, is hard to handle when it comes to an end.   Thankfully it opens new doors and opportunities.

After the ceremony, there was a great celebration party that lasted well into the evening.  It was a wonderful time and I'm so happy I was able to go, even though I had back surgery two weeks ago.  I'm glad that Scott and I live pretty close together so we'll be able to visit often. 

As to my back, all is going well.  I feel better every day and in another week I'll be able to return to a more normal schedule, volunteering at the USO and even being able to cut my own grass.  You can be sure I'll be very careful not to overdo it, I don't want to go through a painful experience like I've been through ever again!  :c)

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