Photo By 1st Sgt. Carmen Fleischmann | Brig. Gen. Mike Canzoneri, the Assistant Adjutant General - Army addresses retiring...... read more read more
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ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (Nov. 16, 2018) – Senior leaders with the Florida Army National Guard recognized a need to highlight the dedication of their Soldiers as they near the end of their time in uniform. Today, they implemented the first Red Carpet Retirement Ceremony designed to honor retiring Soldiers and connect them with services they might need as they transition into the next stage of their lives.
The first event in the program was a tour of historic St. Francis Barracks, which dates back to 1565 when Spanish forces first mustered in this area and now serves as the headquarters for the Florida National Guard. Despite their extensive years of service, many of the Soldiers had never been to the state headquarters but instead drill in areas all across the state.
Staff Sgt. Jobie Langston’s unit, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 3rd Battalion, 265th Air Defense Artillery Regiment is based in Sarasota, Fla. He is very appreciative of the event and found it well worth the drive.
“I think it’s awesome,” said Langston. “It shows us that our senior leaders are involved in our careers and want to say thank you for what we’ve done.”
After the tour, the members were treated to a luncheon where they met with key leaders, commanders and command sergeants major from the FLARNG and its subordinate brigades. Assistant Adjutant General – Army, Brig. Gen. Mike Canzoneri thanked each soldier for their service and presented them with a framed copy of their own military biography and a challenge coin, which he views as a small token of appreciation for an unmeasurable amount of dedication.
“The Soldiers in this room withstood adversity and challenges and are about to retire and we don’t do enough to honor you,” said Canzoneri. “You have committed selfless service to our country … Everything that you and your spouses have done to support us in the state and the federal mission, there’s no way we can pay you back.”
Following the luncheon, the Soldiers pass through various stations of the G1 to finalize their separation process and ease the transition from service member to retiree.
While the Red Carpet Retirement program has just begun, the Florida National Guard is committed to making it a quarterly event geared towards Guardsmen nearing their retirement date. Eligible soldiers will ideally attend this event prior to their last drill at their home station and receive a more personalized retirement ceremony there.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael Neal with the 254th Transportation Battalion out of West Palm Beach says he wasn’t expecting any formalities when he left the FLARNG with over 32 years of faithful service.
“I thought it was going to just be a bunch of paperwork, ‘thank you for your service, have nice day, get out of here,’ but this is very nice. It’s really nice of them to recognize people for their service and it needs to continue.”
| Date Taken: | 11.16.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 11.16.2018 19:03 |
| Story ID: | 300366 |
| Location: | ST. AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 1,203 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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