Photo By Erin Newton | 210924-N-IN583-001 (September 24, 2021) Raleigh, NC - Cmdr. John B. Horn, gives a...... read more read more
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RALEIGH, NC – Navy Talent Acquisition Group (NTAG) Carolina held a change – of – command and retirement ceremony at the North Carolina Museum of Art, September 24, 2021.
During the ceremony, Commander John B. Horn relieved Commander Mark F. Smith as NTAG Carolina’s Commanding Officer.
Capt. Katrina Hill, Commodore, Navy Recruiting Command (NRC) Region East, served as the presiding Officer for the ceremony and commended Commander Smith for the accomplishments achieved during his time at the command. Hill went on to introduce the guest speaker, US Navy Retired, Commander Anthony Almon who was Commander Smith’s Recruiter over 23 years ago, to say a few words on the impact a Recruiter can have on one’s life.
“There’s no greater testament to the importance of that relationship and what you all mean in the lives of young men or women that to think 23 years later you may be asked to come back and be a guest speaker at an event like this in someone’s life.”
Almon went on to speak about how his and Commander Smiths career paths crossed multiple times and how he was very impressed with Smith’s career accomplishments.
“I want Mark to know, and all of you to know, that I am very impressed with his accomplishments, and I’m honored to have brought such an asset into the Navy.”
Commander Smith, a native of Kings Mountain, North Carolina, earned his Bachelors of Science degree in Biology from The University of North Carolina and commissioned into the Medical Service Corps of the United States Navy Reserves as an Environmental Health Officer in 1998. Smith came from a long line of military family members. He was proud to say that his father and grandfather were both Navy Chiefs and his mother was in the Navy as well. He served as the commanding officer of NTAG Carolina from August 2020 until September 2021. Before that, he served as the Executive Officer of Navy Recruiting District (NRD) Raleigh before the rebrand to NTAG Carolina. Smith is excited to be retiring and to be returning to his hometown.
“You all are what made it possible for us, recruiting has changed and you guys did it, you made this the absolute best tour of my career hands down. You stepped up and took control of a less than stellar command climate that was right in the middle of a transformation and COVID was just crushing us, it had shut down 95% of all your schools and recruiting was tough, but you all stepped up and you did your absolute best and now we are back where we are supposed to be. You made training fun again. You figured out how to succeed in the midst of a global pandemic. You got out of your safe spaces. You made great strides in you your personal and profession careers, and I have no doubt in my military mind that some of you will be the leaders of tomorrows Navy.”
Commander Horn, a native of Alexandria, Virginia, earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Logistics and Intermodal Transportation from the United States Merchant Marine Academy in 2003. He later went on to complete Primary Flight Training and Advanced Pilot Training, earning his Wings of Gold in 2006. CDR Horn reported to the U.S. Naval War College in 2017 where he was enrolled in the Maritime Advanced Warfighter School and earned his Master’s degree in 2018. CDR Horn reported to NRD Raleigh in September 2020 as the Executive Officer, before assuming command of NTAG Carolina. He thanked his family and friends for the support received throughout his Naval career. As the new commanding officer of NTAG Carolina, he had just a few words to say.
“As we move forward together, I have three things that I want to challenge you to do or ask you to do on a daily basis.
First, I ask you to take pride in your job. Recruiting isn’t easy and it’s not always glorious, but it is absolutely necessary to keep our fleet manned and to keep our Navy strong. Never forget, on and off duty, you all are the ambassadors for the Navy. The Navy and our Nation relies on you to recruit the best and brightest so that our Navy stays strong and we keep our Nation defended, so take pride in what you do.
Second, I ask you to always strive for excellence. I can’t ask you to be perfect, but I can ask you to come to work every day trying to better yourself and trying to get to perfection.
Last, I ask you to take care of yourselves and take care of your fellow shipmates. The command is only as good as the people that work for it. I understand recruiting can be difficult and it can be stressful at times, but if you feel like you need help, please don’t hesitate to ask. If you see a Shipmate in need, please don’t hesitate to ask hard questions and we get each other the help we need when we need it.
If we can do these things together moving forward, I have no doubt that NTAG Carolina is going to continue toon the path of success that Commander Smith has put us on and in no time NTAG Carolina is going to be back on top.”
Navy Recruiting Command consists of a command headquarters, two Navy Recruiting Regions, and 26 Navy Talent Acquisition Groups that serve more than 815 recruiting stations across the world. Their combined goal is to attract the highest quality candidates to assure the ongoing success of America’s Navy.
For more news from Commander, Navy Recruiting Command, go to http://www.cnrc.navy.mil. Follow Navy Recruiting on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NavyRecruiting), Twitter (@USNRecruiter) and Instagram (@USNRecruiter).
| Date Taken: | 09.27.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 09.28.2021 16:03 |
| Story ID: | 406216 |
| Location: | RALEIGH, NC, US |
| Hometown: | ALEXANDRIA, VA, US |
| Hometown: | KINGS MOUNTAIN, NC, US |
| Web Views: | 521 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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