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ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. –An Army civilian and two Soldiers were honored for their dedication and commitment to the U.S. Army during an installation retirement ceremony at the Ball Conference Center, Oct. 28.
The retirees honored were Sgt. 1st Class Jason Martin Jr., an operations sergeant with U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, or DEVCOM; Sgt. 1st Class Laura Vasold, an operations sergeant with Headquarters and Headquarters Company U.S. Army Garrison APG; and Robert Richardson Sr., an operations officer with the Directorate of Operations, USAG APG. They had a combined total time in service of more than 95 years.
The host for the ceremony was Chris Manning, the director for Science and Technology Integration at DEVCOM. Garrison Command Sgt. Maj. Ruth Drewitt accompanied him.
“I am sure our honorees can attest, service to our nation is not always an easy task,” he said. “The service of which I speak requires dedication, requires sacrifice, and the willingness to give of yourself to the benefit of others.”
Manning also thanked the family and friends who stood by the retirees throughout their careers.
“Of course each of these individuals have achieved much but that success is the power of the force behind them, their family and their friends.”
Garrison Chaplain (Maj.) Denise Hagler provided the invocation.
Robert Richardson Sr.
Richardson received the Civilian Service Commendation Medal, Department of the Army certificates of appreciation and retirement and a retirement pin. His wife, Joyce Richardson, received a DA certificate of appreciation.
Richardson officially retired on Oct. 29, with 47 years of combined civilian and military service. Richardson, from McIntosh, Georgia, was drafted for two years in the U.S. Army in October of 1968. He attended Basic Training at Fort Benning, Georgia, and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Polk, Louisiana as an infantryman. Upon successful completion of training, Robert was deployed to Vietnam in April 1969, assigned to the 101st Airborne Air Assault Air Mobile Division. While serving with the 101st, he was assigned to the 3/187 Infantry, Delta Company (Rakkasan). The Rakkasan Battalion led the way up Hamburger Hill in the Central High Land in the A Shau Valley.
Richard completed his two-year service obligation in conjunction with his tour of duty in Vietnam in 1970. He went to work for the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a fingerprint examiner from 1970 to 1975. In August of 1975, he reentered the Army.
His assignments included drill instructor, range instructor, platoon sergeant and first sergeant. Richardson attended the University of Delaware Salisbury Senior Army ROTC Program from February 1992 to May 1993 and completed multiple tours within the Army’s ROTC program from 1996 to June 2003.
Richardson has completed multiple military and civilian educational courses. He is a graduate of the Army Basic Non-Commissioned Officer Course, Advanced Non-Commissioned Officer Course, First Sergeants Course and Sergeants Major Academy. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Averett University.
He will be relocating and retiring in Texas.
Richardson thanked his family and said his mom and dad were his heroes.
“I would like to thank my parents for making me who I am today,” he said.
Sgt. 1st Class Jason Martin Jr.
Martin officially retired on Nov. 1. He received the DA Meritorious Service Medal, DA certificates of appreciation and retirement and the U.S. flag and a retirement pin. His wife Karen Martin received a DA certificate of appreciation.
A native of Washington D.C., Martin enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1997. He held numerous duty positions to include section chief, gunnery sergeant, platoon sergeant and operations non-commissioned officer. His duty stations included Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Drum, New York; Fort Polk, Louisiana; Schofield Barracks, Hawaii and APG.
While assigned to his various duty stations Martin deployed to Afghanistan three times and Iraq once as a field artilleryman in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom from 2004 to 2011. Martin has successfully completed Air Assault School, Battle Staff Course and Army Basic Instructor Course. Martin has a degree in applied science and applied technology from Central Texas College.
Martin thanked his family, peers and leaders for their encouragement. He said he would do his military career “all over again if they asked me.”
“I have had a lot of leaders, past and present, who have helped mold and shape me into the person that stands in front of you today,” he said.
Sgt. 1st Class Laura Adalene Vasold
Vasold received the DA Meritorious Service Medal, DA certificates of appreciation and retirement, the U.S. flag and retirement pin. Her husband, Lawrence Vasold III received a DA certificate of appreciation.
Vasold will officially retire on Dec. 1 with more than 20 years of active federal service and 24 consecutive years in the military.
Vasold was born in York, Pennsylvania. She graduated high school at James H. Groves High School in Newark, Delaware. She joined the Delaware Army National Guard as a Personnel Service Specialist in 1997, then transitioned into active Army as a human resource specialist in 2003. Her other positions include unit information officer, information technology specialist.
During her active duty service she served in two combat deployments to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom providing critical communication support to the warfighter. In 2014, she transitioned to the U.S. Army Reserves where she deployed twice to Kuwait in support of Operation Enduring Freedom as a project manager and as an engineering NCO for communication systems in Southeast Asia.
Vasold is currently attending the University of Maryland Global College in pursuit of her bachelor’s degree in information systems management.
During her remarks she thanked her family for their steadfast support throughout her career.
“Be persistent in what you want and don’t give up,” she said to her four children. “I know you are going to continue to do great things and make me proud.”
Vasold said she will “never forget the many friends she made along the way.”
“It has truly been an honor to serve this great country along with so many amazing people,” she said.
For more photos, visit: Installation Retirement Ceremony-Oct. 28, 2021 | Two Soldier… | Flickr
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