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FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. – Dozens of friends and family members came out to honor nine Soldiers and one civilian as they officially retired from service on Friday. Together, the ten retirees had amassed more than 230 years of service to the military and conducted more than 23 combat tours.
Col. John Ives, garrison commander, praised the men and women for their dedication and service to their country. He pointed out that each of the retirees had willingly signed up to serve in times when global tensions were high.
“One of our retiring Soldiers joined in 1986,” Ives said. “Another started professionally serving in 1990. Back then, the end of the Cold War loomed, and the world was in limbo for what happened next. The other eight of our retiring Soldiers joined when we were already engaged in the Global War on Terror, knowing they would serve in Iraq, or Afghanistan, or both.
“The point being, not one of these people that we are honoring today joined [the Army] because they thought it would be easy, and not one of them joined because they thought they could serve unscathed. That is what makes them so special for us.”
The retirees were: Lt. Col. Cesario J. Rendon, Senior Army Advisor Guard for the Arizona Army Reserve National Guard 1A Division West, with 38 years of service; Raymond E. Mehling, Assistant Chief of Staff G-1 for the Network Enterprise Technology Command (NETCOM), with 34 years of service; Master Sgt. Shemekia N. Wade, Enlisted Aide to the Commanding General, U.S. Army Intelligence Center of Excellence (USAICOE), 22 years of service; Master Sgt. Pablo Villalobos, Equal Opportunity Advisor/Program Manager for Headquarters & Headquarters Company (HHC), NETCOM, with 21 years of service; Lt. Col. Dustin R. Gray, Brigade Executive Officer for the Information Systems Engineering Command, Communications & Electronic Command, with 20 years of service; Maj. Jason A. Vaughn, Deputy Commander for U.S. Army Electronic Proving Grounds, with 20 years of service; Maj. Joshua R. Walker, Army DoDIN Operations Center Support Branch Officer-in-Charge, with 20 years of service; Sgt. 1st Class Shane W. Birdsong, NETCOM and Fort Huachuca Senior Religious Affairs Noncommissioned Officer in Charge, with 20 years of service; Sgt. 1st Class Evan T. Woods, U.S. Army Liaison, Military Entrance Processing Station, U.S. Army Phoenix Recruiting Battalion, with 20 years of service; and Staff Sgt. Samantha M. Wood, Advanced Leaders Course Instructor, Noncommissioned Officer Academy, USAICOE, with15 years of service.
After praising the group as a whole, Ives spoke individually about each retiree, talking about their favorite duty assignment, their personal motto, and detailing what each of them said they would miss the most or not miss at all. He said it was very interesting that all ten retirees were unanimous in what they said they would miss the most. He joked about accusing the group of copying each other’s answers, but said it actually illustrated something great about the Army – each retiree unanimously responded they would miss the comradery.
“There is something about the shared hardships and joy and service and culture of the Army that makes being a member of this great team something to miss,” he said.
However, while all the retirees were in agreement as to what they would miss the most, they were not quite as unified when it came to what they were most happy to leave behind.
Walker, Birdsong and Mehling said the thing they would all miss the least were the early mornings of “getting up at the crack of dawn,” whereas Villalobos said he would not miss “the phone calls in the middle of the night.”
Rendon declared he would not miss “all the field training exercises,” but Wood took it one step further and said she was glad to never have to eat “those disgusting field eggs again.”
At the end of his speech, Ives thanked the guests, and especially the family members, for their support.
“I offer a sincere thank you to the families who have witnessed, supported and made possible all of these careers,” he said. “Your retiree owes you another lifetime of joy, and we are [also] in your debt.
“To our retiring Soldiers and civilian, thank you for your years of service. Thank you for giving your youth, your energy and your passion to this great nation. May God bless you, and may God bless our great nation.”
(Editor’s note: The complete photo album from the 3rd Quarter Installation Retirement Ceremony is available online at 2024-04-19 Q3 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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