HOHENFELS, Germany -- Marking the end of 32 years of service, Command Sergeant Major Frank L. Graham relinquished his responsibilities as senior noncommissioned officer of the Joint Multinational Readiness Center to Command Sergeant Major Louis D. Tinsley in a duel change of responsibility/retirement ceremony, August 12.

"Today is really a sad day for me," Graham admitted. "But I feel confident that you will be in good hands with Command Sgt. Maj. Tinsley."

Tinsley brings 30 years of experience to the position, including 10 as a Command Sgt. Maj. He vowed to give 100 percent in support of the Hohenfels Military Community's Soldiers and families.

"We're all going to miss (Graham's) leadership, his experience, and his dedication," said Col. John M. Spiszer, JMRC commander. "While here, he has mentored literally thousands of Soldiers, NCOs, and officers. He's taken all of those years of accumulated skills and knowledge and worked to give something back, to ensure that the training unit left better than it came, that it was ready for its next mission. He's taken care of our Soldiers and families here… striving to make this a better place to live at and work in. A fitting legacy for this great soldier... A great way to end a great career."

Graham seems to epitomize the army retirement slogan "I was a Soldier. I am a Soldier. I will always be a Soldier" He said he had spent the majority of his career helping Soldiers and has no intention of stopping as he retires to Schweinfurt.

"I'm going to miss the Soldiers every day." he said, "But at least I'll be close. I can still reach out and touch some of them youngsters whether I'm in the capacity of an active duty soldier of a retired soldier."

Even Graham's final remarks reflected his continued commitment to the Soldiers and the service. He entreated NCO's to support and help each other, citing how a junior officer had encouraged him to complete his educational degree. He stressed open communication, discipline, and hard training.

"Hard training will bring back a lot more soldiers in one piece than cutting corners and cutting slack," he said.

What he wanted most to impart, though, said Graham, was the importance of taking care of the Soldiers and their families.

"We work for our Soldiers, they don't work for us," he said. "Our Soldiers and our families are the most valuable and precious things we've got."