Rose Edmond pauses for a few seconds to gather her thoughts.
While searching for the right words, she looks out into the crowd and into the faces of the people who, for the last three decades, have supported her. These are the faces of Service members, coworkers, friends and family.
Edmond grips the microphone in her hand and tries not to let her emotions get to her.
"I was trying to hold it all together, but today's going to do it for me," she said.
After 30 years of service to military personnel and families, Edmond retired from being Fort Jackson's Chief of Child and Youth Services.
"I think we in child services are the most hardest working personnel in the Garrison," said Edmond. "I couldn't have done anything without the team of people that supported me."
A retirement ceremony was thrown for her on Jan. 30. More than 100 people showed up to see Edmond off.
Chris Welde, who works at Child and Youth Services Headquarters, said Edmond was her mentor.
"We both started out together in this career field and she was a legend then and she's still a legend now," said Welde.
Edmond says that best part of her job was seeing the growth of childcare at Fort Jackson. She especially takes pride in the extending of childcare hours to 4 a.m. to 9 p.m. which placed less stress on drill sergeants with children.
"We start off at a job, then in a few years move to something else," said Garrison Commander Col. James Ellerson Jr. "To have 30 years in one place shows a true commitment to what you believe
in."
Social Sharing