ROCK ISLAND ARSENAL, Ill. – Two Soldiers completed their distinguished careers during an installation quarterly retirement ceremony here Sept. 8 in Heritage Hall. The event paid tribute to the Soldiers’ combined 45 years of national service.
The ceremony was hosted by Maj. Gen. David Wilson, commanding general, U.S. Army Sustainment Command and RIA senior mission commander. Command Sgt. Maj. Jorge Escobedo, ASC command sergeant major, assisted Wilson in the presentation of awards.
Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Kevin Daul, ASC command chaplain, provided the invocation.
Wilson presented the Soldiers with awards, certificates, U.S. flags and pins in recognition of their remarkable careers. Family members in attendance were also honored with certificates and flowers, including the Army’s “BRAT” certificate for a retiree’s son. BRAT is an oxymoron acronym that stands for Bravery, Resiliency, Adaptability, and Tolerance.
The two retirees – Sgt. 1st Class Richard Jones III, with 21 years of service, and Sgt. 1st Class Andrea Gilchrist, with 24 years – finished their careers while serving at ASC.
Wilson joked that the new retirees’ lives will change, going from “tensions to pensions,” drawing laughter from attendees.
While he recognized the retiring Soldiers, Wilson expressed his deep gratitude for the families.
“They stuck with you through thick and thin,” he said, adding a family’s support is “vital” to the success of a Soldier.
You will now have “success on your own terms versus the U.S. Army terms,” Wilson predicted of the retirees’ new lives.
Jones, hailing from Copperas Cove, Texas, and currently residing in Bettendorf, Iowa, underwent Basic Combat Training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and completed Advanced Individual Training at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, specializing as a power generator equipment repairer.
While at ASC, Jones served as the maintenance management noncommissioned officer. His career included deployments in Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
Jones was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal during the ceremony. His retirement plan is to “Live life to its fullest.” Part of those plans include opening a fishing gear business.
In the retirees’ biography slides shown before the ceremony, Jones wrote: “To be a Soldier and wear this uniform in service to our great nation under God has and will always be the honor of my life next to being a father. I will be forever humbled and grateful by the sacrifice our Soldiers have made to ensure we can all enjoy our lives free. To be a part of that fabric is something special.”
Gilchrist, a native of Mullins, South Carolina, who now lives in Davenport, Iowa, completed her BCT at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and her AIT at Fort Lee (known as Fort Gregg-Adams since 2023), Virginia, specializing as an automated logistical specialist.
At ASC, she served as a material management NCO lead materiel integrator. Her career included serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Gilchrist was also presented the Meritorious Service Medal during the ceremony. She shared her retirement aspirations, which include overseas travel and completing her master’s degree in business administration.
In her biography slide, Gilchrist wrote: “No matter what your age or rank, always be willing to ask for help. Even though one may have been in, or doing, the job longer doesn’t mean they know it all.”
The ceremony concluded with two traditional songs: “The Army Song” and “Old Soldiers Never Die.”
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