Manama, BAHRAIN — Navy personnel, family and friends celebrated the 32 year long career of Command Master Chief Micheal Latimer during his retirement ceremony on board Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain, March 11.
The event was presided by Capt. Greg Smith, NSA Bahrain’s commanding officer. During his speech, Smith expressed appreciation for his shipmate and highlighted the dedication and commitment he witnessed from Latimer in the past three years.
“It’s hard for me to capture in words what master chief, a man of action, integrity, character, honor, courage and commitment did for our organization and our community,” Smith said.
During his time at NSA Bahrain, the installation achieved many command, department and individual accolades and awards. Latimer played a key role in achieving NSA Bahrain’s 2021 Navy Installation Excellence Award, alongside Smith.
“This place is really something special, we did all this together during this pandemic. We are the safest place in the world to be and I would rather be in no place than right here and right now with all of you,” said Latimer.
Latimer entered the Navy in 1989. His career included 11 permanent change of duty stations, seven tours at sea spanning almost 19 years on seven different ships, and seven senior enlisted leader assignments culminating in his long rich career as a command master chief.
“Thank you for your 32 years of service,” said Smith. “Thank you for standing the watch day after day and year after year, even in the face of serious danger.”
During the ceremony, Latimer reflected on his first experiences in the Navy.
“I remember my first ship. I was in OD division, I didn’t want to be a Boatswain’s Mate at all, I wanted to be a Postal Clerk,” explained Latimer giving credit to his senior chief at the time for giving him the push in his career development and, as he described, securing his liberty.
Latimer became a command master chief in 2011 and over the next decade served as CMC to the USS Chaffee (DDG-90), Special Projects Patrol Squadron Unit Two (VPU-2), and Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia before concluding his service at NSA Bahrain from 2018 till 2021.
Latimer said he’s proud of leading and developing young sailors today but is most proud of his family.
“We have experienced a lot,” said Latimer through tears. “While we were stationed in Japan, our son was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma at the age of 8, it took us back.”
Being in Japan with his wife, Lisa, was so difficult in his early career that Latimer once confided to her that he was thinking of leaving the Navy.
“I didn’t know what to, do I was talking about retiring. I didn’t know what to do because when you face something that big in your life you don’t know what to do.”
Latimer continued to describe his wife as the backbone and the reason he continued his career.
“She told me to get it together and got me back together, we went to the triad and got treatment. Our son is in the Navy now, and I’m so proud.”
A leader that insured the next generation of Sailors are ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow, Command Master Chief Micheal Latimer and his wife Lisa along with their daughter Ashley, were piped ashore at the conclusion of his retirement ceremony.
| Date Taken: | 03.11.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 03.29.2021 08:04 |
| Story ID: | 392459 |
| Location: | MANAMA, BH |
| Web Views: | 157 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, CMC Honored during Retirement Ceremony on board NSA Bahrain, by Ameera Al-Kooheji, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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