FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. – Four Soldiers with a collective 102 years of service were honored on July 21 during the quarterly retirement ceremony held on Brown Parade Field.
Host of the ceremony, Maj. Gen. Christopher Eubank, commanding general, U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command, said “It’s an honor to be here with you on this beautiful Arizona morning on historic Brown Parade Field recognizing the successes and milestones of the Soldiers we’re honoring today.”
The Soldiers honored at the ceremony included Chief Warrant Officer 5 Thomas Bult, 35T Discipline technical advisor with 28 years of service; Chief Warrant Officer 4 Semi Lemafa, Special Electronics Mission Aircraft instructor pilot for Delta Company 304th Military Intelligence Battalion with 30 years of service; Sgt. 1st Class Derek Brame, Language Special Project NCO for the G3 U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence with 24 years of service; and Staff Sgt. Joshua Schrock, 35M Advanced Leaders Course instructor for the NCO Academy with 20 years of service.
“The experienced individuals before you hold over 102 years of combined service to this country and represent decades of dedication, sacrifice and commitment,” Eubank said.
While recognizing the Soldiers for their accomplishments, Eubank would accompany the recognition with some interesting facts from the year the Soldier joined the Army. Three of the four joined when Bill Clinton was president and one joined under George W. Bush.
When Lemafa joined in 1993 the World Wide Web was launched into the public domain. Bult joined in 1995, the same year DVDs were invented. Brame joined in 1999, when a gallon of gas cost $1.17. Schrock joined in 2003 when Nokia, not Apple, was leading the cell phone market.
“Retirement is a significant milestone in one’s life, stepping off into the unknown can be scary but exciting,” Eubank said. “Each of you has faced many challenges before, you have all been at the leading edge of worldwide change, working with your teammates to achieve great things and working hard to stay ahead of adversaries who are always trying to stay one-step ahead of us.
“Today you are an Army Veteran, retiree, a Soldier for life,” he added. “Someone who will inspire future generations of Soldiers. This is more important today than any other time.”
Eubank challenged each retiree to seek opportunities to be leaders in their own communities, continue to tell their story and to inspire others to understand the valuable opportunities that can be given to them by serving in the Army.
Following the speech from Eubank, the audience sang Old Soldiers Never Die, Auld Lang Syne and the Army Song. B Troop, 4th U.S. Cavalry Regiment (Memorial) provided their customary charge. The four retirees and their significant others were then thanked by their friends, families, leaders, co-workers and fellow Soldiers.
(Editor's note: Additional photos are available online at 2023-07-21 Installation Retirement Ceremony | Flickr.
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Fort Huachuca is home to the U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence, the U.S. Army Network Enterprise Technology Command/9th Army Signal Command and more than 48 supported tenants representing a diverse, multiservice population. Our unique environment encompasses 946 square miles of restricted airspace and 2,500 square miles of protected electronic ranges, key components to the national defense mission.
Located in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona, about 15 miles north of the border with Mexico, Fort Huachuca is an Army installation with a rich frontier history. Established in 1877, the Fort was declared a national landmark in 1976.
We are the Army’s Home. Learn more at https://home.army.mil/huachuca/.
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