NORFOLK, VA (NNS) – Cmdr. Timothy “Ed” Lowery, Navy Cyber Defense Operations Command (NCDOC), operations department head, retired from the Navy after 27 years of service during a ceremony at the Sea, Air and Land Forces (SEAL) Heritage Center, March 13.
An estimated 100 guests comprised of family members, friends and shipmates attended the ceremony to honor and bid fair winds and following seas to Lowery, whose Navy career began in 1993 as an Administrative Cryptologic Technician and commissioned as a Cryptologic Warfare Officer through the Naval Reserve Direct Commission program in 2001.
The ceremony’s presiding officer was Capt. Harold Cole, NCDOC commanding officer.
“Leading with both his head and his heart, Ed always made firm spot-on decisions when operations demanded it. He pulled out all the stops to retain the best and most qualified Sailors in the Navy, and ensured many of his superiors and subordinates steered a steady course, remembering not take themselves too seriously,” Cole stated. “Most importantly, he is a “Sailor’s Sailor” who has taken care of, mentored, and trained his teammates.”
Cole concluded, “Today, the Navy is losing an irreplaceable shipmate, but the legacy he leaves behind will remain always in the Sailors he has touched throughout his career. I am certain that no matter what Ed decides to do next, he will continue to succeed and set new standards of excellence. We will hear from him again, there is no doubt.”
Lowery’s operational assignments included duty as a tactical information operations officer with Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Special reconnaissance Activity ONE from 2008-2011; deploying with NSW squadron SEVEN to Iraq in 2009 as the Task Unit SIGINT targeting unit officer, as well as with NSW Squadron THREE to Iraq in 2010 as the N3X targeting officer. He also served as the cross functional troop THREE commander with NSW, and the information operations troop commander with NSW development group from 2014 to 2017, supporting NSW missions worldwide.
The guest speaker was Capt. Victor Spears, Deputy Director of Intelligence and Force Cryptologist for U.S. Fleet Forces Command and a previous executive officer for NCDOC.
“I have had the privilege to know and work with Ed for close to two decades. My path with Ens. Lowery and his family began in sunny Pensacola. To say that my leadership as the operations officer was put to the test as Ed and his peers questioned everything was an understatement,” reflected Spears. “But it was Ed’s confidence in corralling his peers and taking care of his Sailors that helped me evolve as a Naval Officer. His self-discovery took him and his family around the world and found his identity through the service of others.”
Spears continued, “Ed’s leadership helped and continues to shape my role in the Navy and more importantly, in life. So today, we celebrate the career of a person who dedicated his life to the service of his nation. We celebrate the accomplishment of one person who has done what less than 1 percent of the U.S. population has done. We celebrate the passing of the torch from the leader to those he led. We celebrate the singular story of Ed Lowery that will forever be interwoven into the tapestry of the history of our Navy and our nation. Ed, we thank you for your service, for being a great Sailor, a great officer, leader, son, husband, and father. We wish you, Terrie, Connor and Emma fair winds and following seas.”
Lowery was presented with a Meritorious Service Medal, a shadow box from the NCDOC wardroom, a gift from the NCDOC Chief’s Mess, and an Auburn Tigers football sign by coach Gus Malzahn that was presented by Capt. Cole since both are Auburn alumns.
Lowery’s decorations earned during his 27 year-long Navy career include a Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal (two awards), Navy and Marine Corps commendation medal (three awards), Joint Service Achievement Medal, and Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (three awards), along with various campaign and unit awards.
The ceremony concluded with a ceremonial retirement flag folding and the recitation of the “The Watch” by multiple shipmates from multiple deployments spanning his career. Lowery was then relieved of his watch by Capt. Cole and piped ashore for the last time.
NCDOC’s mission is to execute defensive cyberspace operations and enable global power projection through proactive network defense and reports operationally to U.S. Fleet Cyber Command/U.S. 10th Fleet.
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