FORT DRUM, N.Y. -- Retiring from active-duty service is a milestone many Soldiers strive to reach. Shooting for that 20-year goal is challenging, both mentally and physically, but sometimes a Soldier reaches well beyond that mark.
The 10th Mountain Division (LI) and Fort Drum community celebrated the 34-year career of Command Sgt. Maj. R. Ray Lewis with a ceremony Monday on Sexton Field.
Lewis served as 10th Mountain Division (LI) and Fort Drum command sergeant major from January 2014 to January 2016, deploying to Afghanistan twice as the division's senior enlisted adviser.
Anyone who has met Lewis knows his hard exterior, gruff demeanor and no-nonsense approach to soldiering. What they may not know is the softer side of Lewis that likes to smile, play with his grandchildren, and jokingly swat away handshakes for hugs.
Just before the ceremony began, Lewis posed for a photo with Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, former 10th Mountain Division (LI) commander and current XVIII Airborne Corps commander, and he was quickly tackled by a hoard of children, all wanting their photo taken with him too. Grinning from ear to ear, Lewis squatted down in his dress uniform to take photos with the girls. As the narrator announced the ceremony would begin momentarily, Lewis shooed the kids back to their seats and glanced around at the hundreds who had gathered to wish him well, the Soldiers in formation on the field, and his Family taking up nearly four rows of seats under the VIP canopy.
Lewis and Townsend took their seats with their wives and looked over the formation fondly as the ceremony began.
Lewis's wife, Guin, was presented with a bouquet of flowers in recognition of her service, sacrifice and dedication throughout her husband's career.
The 10th Mountain Division Band performed a Sound Off, harkening back to when the Roman legions would parade through the streets before going off to war. The last three notes of the sound-off represent the three cheers given to inspire the troops.
After the national anthem was played, the Lewises were presented with their awards. Guin Lewis received the Outstanding Civilian Service Medal for her dedication to the family readiness groups, Soldiers, Civilians and Families of Fort Drum and the surrounding community.
Ray Lewis received the Distinguished Service Medal, an American flag, the Army retirement pin and a letter of appreciation from the president of the United States.
Brig. Gen. Paul Bontrager, 10th Mountain Division (LI) and Fort Drum acting senior commander, spoke briefly before introducing Townsend as guest speaker.
"The world is a better, safer place because of the efforts of this singular American," Bontrager said of Lewis before handing the podium off to Townsend.
True to his past speeches, Townsend began with a joke about the uncharacteristically warm weather, quickly moving on to the heart of the event. On behalf of his wife and himself, he expressed their gratitude in being invited to Lewis's retirement. He shared stories of Lewis's early years in the Army, including a harrowing story of his first squad leader offering him drugs upon arriving at his first unit.
Townsend went briefly through Lewis's resume, highlighting various assignments and reiterating how he came to be the 10th Mountain Division command sergeant major. He spoke eloquently about the time he and Lewis spent in Afghanistan, conducting battlefield circulation, visiting Soldiers at various outposts and forward operating bases, and making sure everything in Regional Command-East was running as smoothly as they could make it.
"Ray Lewis always ensured that NCOs were taking care of noncommissioned officer business," he said, highlighting all the ways he saw Lewis perform this task and knowing there were probably countless other ways he didn't see.
Townsend continued to say how integral Guin Lewis was to the success of her husband and Fort Drum.
"Guin took care of her Soldier and her Family from Oahu, to Alaska, to Fort Drum, and a lot of Soldiers and Family Members along the way," he said, playfully telling a story about her moving to Fort Drum from Alaska, and some "slight" damage to her husband's truck.
After wishing the couple the best, Townsend and Lewis shook hands, hugged and shared a moment only the bonds of shared hardship and trial can allow.
As Lewis took to the podium, he scanned the crowd in attendance and the formation on the field before him, took a deep breath, and began.
"My name is Command Sgt. Maj. Ray Lewis, and I am an American Soldier," he said in his firm, yet down-to-earth way.
"How do you sum up a 34-year career in a five-minute speech?" he asked the crowd, saying he could recite his bio, but it was in the program, so he decided instead to tell everyone why he spent more than three decades in the Army.
"It's all about the people you serve with, not necessarily the job or location, that makes this life so special," Lewis said.
He thanked the Townsends for their friendship, and the leaders of Fort Drum for their professionalism and dedication to the mission and each other.
Lewis took the opportunity to recognize a few Soldiers in particular, noting that he had served with their fathers further back in his career.
If anything can be said for Lewis and his career, it's that Family will get you through anything.
"I am constantly being thanked for my service. … If I had it my way, all that thanks would go to my wife Guin. … She has been by my side at every twist and turn in this chapter, and I am eternally grateful," Lewis said, smiling at his wife.
Before heading off with the Family he holds so dear, he closed his remarks by saying "My name is Ray Lewis, and I am a Soldier for Life."
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