Photo By Spc. Charles Thompson | Sgt. Maj. Rosevelt Nelson of the 377th Theater Sustainment Command presents his wife...... read more read more
NEW ORLEANS – In a room flooded with sunlight, seven Soldiers stood among Higgins boats and historical fighter planes, as the 377th Theater Sustainment Command celebrated their careers during a historical retirement ceremony held at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans, Sept. 8.
This was the first retirement ceremony held at the museum and it had quite an impact on some of the retirees.
“It’s actually pretty appropriate that we did this here,” said Lt. Col. Dante A. Corradi Sr. “My father was a World War II Veteran; my wife’s grandmother was one of the first female Marines to enlist in World War II.”
Hosted by Maj. Gen. Peter Lennon, commanding general of the 377th TSC and Command Sgt. Maj. Nagee Lunde, the ceremony gave family, friends and fellow Soldiers the time to celebrate the many accomplishments and sacrifices they earned over their many years of service.
Some Soldiers felt mixed emotions about the ceremony.
“This is a bittersweet moment, you know it feels great retiring,” said Master Sgt. Darnell Saunders. “I’m going to miss all of the guys, all of the Soldiers that served under me in the 377th and I wish them well. I served 34 years and I have no regrets. Some of the best times in my life were in the military, I met a lot of good people.”
Service within the command didn’t come without its challenges. Sgt. Maj. James Bilberry spent the last seven of his 31-year career at the 377th TSC serving as the Sgt. Maj. of the Deployment Redeployment Coordination Cell. He counts his last deployment with the 377th TSC to Haiti in support of Operation Unified Response as his most difficult tour of duty but among his most rewarding.
“The people we worked with there in Haiti, making things happen there to save those people’s lives was a super effort on the part of the unit and it was just very, very worthwhile. We touched a lot of people’s lives that wouldn’t have been touched otherwise.”
The retirees received numerous awards and certificates. The recognition included their wives who each received a bouquet of roses and praise for their support. While these Soldiers served their country, they had a family back home providing constant encouragement—often from a distance.
“It’s been great, I’ve needed that support,” said Corradi. “You know Robin and I have been married for going on 11 years; but due to deployments, schools and TDYs, we’ve been separated half our marriage. My in-laws who, I couldn’t have asked for better in-laws, really supported me and Robin to help us get through this.”
Master Sgt. Jerome Simon also commented on the importance of family support during military service.
“It’s been 29 years,” said Simon. “The whole deal is this; you can’t do it without your family. So, I have my rear detachment. My rear detachment is my wife, my two daughters—Jennifer and Ashley.”
The Soldiers have 211 years of combined faithful service to the U.S. Army and one shared what he would be taking with him from this career to the next.
"I take away the fact that I learned the Army values. The values that were put on you being an Army Soldier—those things stay with you forever,” said Sgt. Maj. Rosevelt Nelson. “It doesn’t matter where you go from there, those things are always going to be embedded in your life. Whatever you do it’s always going to be something you take to the next career."
| Date Taken: | 09.08.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 09.23.2012 09:55 |
| Story ID: | 95166 |
| Location: | NEW ORLEANS, LA, US |
| Web Views: | 249 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, 377th TSC celebrates careers of seven Soldiers, by SPC Charles Thompson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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