FORT BRAGG, N.C. (Mar. 23, 2012) -- U.S. Army Forces Command paid tribute to a distinguished Soldier and Department of the Army civilian who served more than fifty years with the U.S. Army both in and out of uniform, at a retirement ceremony held Thursday at Marshall Hall.
Mr. Sam E. Seetin Jr. chief of the FORSCOM G4 Aviation and Electronics Branch retired after 31 years of Army civil service. The ceremony honored the culmination of Seetin's more than a half-century of total service to the U.S. Army.
Brig. Gen. John R. O'Connor, FORSCOM deputy chief of staff for logistics (G4) hosted the ceremony.
"Ladies and gentlemen, it is a beautiful spring day here in the Sandhills of North Carolina and just the kind of warm, southern, morning that if fitting as we gather to honor our esteemed colleague, Mr. Sam Seetin," said O'Connor, noting that a former Army G4 once referred to Seetin as the 'Heart and Soul of the FORSCOM G4 team.'
"The many friends here will attest that Sam has certainly been the premier leader, logistician and confidante to the FORSCOM aviation community at home and abroad," said O'Connor.
O'Connor recounted the litany of assignments and exceptional accomplishments that spanned Seetin's military and civilian careers.
The ceremony included a stirring video that included photographs of his ancestors' military service and his earliest days in the Army.
From the jungles of Vietnam, to the tundra of Alaska and the deserts of the Middle East, Seetin employed his formidable leadership skills, intense energy, and extensive technical knowledge to help Soldiers and advance the Army's operational capabilities.
"It is privilege for me to host this ceremony congratulating an extraordinary gentlemen and his lovely lady for their selfless service, professional example, and significant contributions to our nation, said O'Connor."
Many of his current and past friends and colleagues attended the ceremony along with several family members. Seetin's' wife Verna, his daughter and son-in-law Mora and Brian McMahon, his granddaughter Chandler Baker, and Verna's cousin Janet Hunter were among those in attendance.
Seetin began his career in 1960, enlisting as an indirect fire infantryman with the 101st Airborne Division. In 1961, he joined the 7th Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg for the first of five tours at "the home of the airborne and special operations forces.
In 1965, he earned his commission at the Officers Candidate School at Fort Benning, Ga., and returned to Fort Bragg from where he commanded a Special Forces "A" Detachment that deployed to the Republic of Vietnam. Seetin earned two citations for valor while serving in Southeast Asia.
His military career also included assignments with the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea, the 1st Infantry Division in Kansas, the U.S. Army Communications Command and an engineer construction battalion in Alaska.
Describing many of Seetin's military duty assignments, O'Connor noted, "these were places where soldiering occurred at the quickest pace, where units must have a global perspective and master a global reach, and Sam excelled."
O'Connor also told the audience Seetin's father, great-grandfathers and other relatives have a history of service to the Army.
"This story is of a young man born at the time of the Louisiana Maneuvers in 1941 and joining the Army in 1960 following in his father's footsteps as an American Soldier," said O'Connor. "A family tradition that goes way, way back -- clearly suggested that military service would be in Sam's destiny."
O'Connor paid a special tribute to the family's support to Seetin's remarkable career.
"While Sam has accomplished much as a respected veteran, his partner in this distinguished career, his wife "Bunny", is owed much regard for her contribution of hours, days, months and years of selfless sacrifice," said O'Connor. "Both of you have made a great team in the service of our nation and we offer our sincerest thanks."
Seetin began his remarks introducing and thanking colleagues and friends with whom he served over the years.
"I'm honored and humbled to be here today in the last tactical mile of my military career," he said.
"I come from a long fine lineage of Soldiers, my great-grandfathers fought in the Civil War. My great-grandfather Charlie Hoyt rode with Custer in 1867 in the Indian Campaigns. My other great-grandpa fought at Wilson's Creek, Missouri." Seetin continued, "My dad, Sam Sr., commanded B Company, 1st of the 30th Infantry at Anzio and was one of the few company commanders who made it out of the beachhead alive."
Seetin also recounted some of the lessons he learned from what he described as "the now-countless mentors and leaders from whom I learned the Army craft."
"The epiphanies I picked up along the way - treat people with dignity," he said. "Treat people as if they were who they ought to be and you help them become what they were capable of being."
While discussing his plans for his 'second' retirement to travel, swim, kayak, fish, read and spend more time with his family, Seetin quipped, "Everyone asks me, Sam, what are you going to do when you retire?"
"My answer has been, I'm taking over the kitchen and Bunny is going to do the yard work," he said, chuckling. "That will last about five seconds."
O'Connor summarized the ceremony saying, "Sam and Bunny, as we bid you farewell…we give you our best wishes…our continued friendship…our abiding respect."
As Seetin thanked everyone for attending, he closed with a solemn remark that captured the essence of his service - "when Taps comes for me…when I cross over the river in due course…I know I've done my duty."
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