FORT SILL, Oklahoma (Nov. 30, 2021) – Sixteen Soldiers and Department of Army civilian employees and their families retired from the Army during a ceremony Nov. 19, at Cache Creek Chapel.
A healthy assemblage of masked family members, friends, fellow Soldiers, co-workers, and post leaders attended the ceremony.
Among those retiring was Maj. Courtney Paterson, 2nd Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery. For the first time in 23 years she will experience life as a civilian. Paterson entered the military a mere five days after graduating high school.
“My greatest accomplishment was I started at the bottom as a private and made it into the officer ranks, which is normally not what most people do,” she said.
Paterson said the hardest part about leaving the military is meeting new people. But, she will take on that challenge as she plans to leave southwest Oklahoma and open a business in northern Georgia.
“I would like to thank all the Soldiers I have served with,” she said. “I’ve had a lot of good teams.”
Col. James Dunwoody, chief of the Concept Development Division and ceremony guest speaker, addressed the audience on the significance of the occasion.
“Today, we formally bid farewell to 16 great Americans, all exceptional members of the Army team,” he said.
The colonel said each of these Soldiers demonstrated their willingness to endure hardship, and if called upon to risk their lives for the good of the nation.
Dunwoody said several may have responded to the nation’s call to service in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks 20 years ago. Some may not have joined intent to make the Army their career, “but those assembled today, at some point, made a conscious decision to fully commit themselves to a career of military service.”
Dunwoody pointed to austere countries, such as Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria, that these Soldiers may have deployed to. He also drew a few laughs when he said they also soldiered through assignments to Germany, Hawaii, and the Johnson Atoll.
“Their selfless service was a testimony to their strength of character, and we are all better for their service,” he said.
During the ceremony, all the retirees were presented Army end-of-service awards, commanding general’s coins of excellence, retirement certificates signed by the Army chief of staff, and cased U.S. flags, which were courtesy of the Fort Sill Retiree Council.
Each spouse was given a small token of gratitude and a certificate of appreciation “in honor of their faithful, unselfish, and devoted service,” said Kenneth Emerson, the program narrator.
All the children of the retirees received Army B.R.A.T. (Bravery, Resilience, Adaptability, and Team Work) certificates.
Retiring Soldiers
Lt. Col. John Ratliff, Defense Intelligence Agency
Lt. Col. Don Yamashita, Fort Sill Medical Department Activity
Maj. Courtney Paterson, 2nd Battalion, 6th Air Defense Artillery
Maj. Jared Pipkin, Directorate of Training Development and Doctrine
1st Sgt. Marques Johnson, Fires Center of Excellence (FCoE)
Master Sgt. Shaunte Hypolite, FCoE
Master Sgt. Mark Reid, 8th Army G3/5
Sgt. 1st Class Robert Blalock, 1st Battalion, 78th Field Artillery
Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin Dalbeck, 2nd Battalion, 4th Field Artillery
Sgt. 1st Class David Deatley, 2-4th FA
Sgt. 1st Class Marcus Johnson, FCoE
Sgt. 1st Class John Pitts Jr., FCoE
Sgt. 1st Class Jose Rosa-Torres, 30th Air Defense Artillery Brigade
Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Sale, 1st Battalion, 30th Field Artillery
Staff Sgt. Scott Shrout, 75th Field Artillery Brigade
Staff Sgt. Miker Stigler, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Field Artillery
Retiring civilians
GS-12 Robert Hendricks, Fort Sill Casualty Assistance Center
GS-9 David Willett, FCoE Protocol.
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