last week...

Last week was a big week for the military for several reasons.  Not the least of which was the retirement of Admiral Mike Mullen.  There really aren't enough good things I can say about this flag Officer or his leadership.  Obviously the most lasting change and most personal for me is his leadership on repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell, but there are so many more things he's done.  From that to his outspoken and unafraid ability to give advice to the Civilian leadership on things like Pakistan show a level of personal courage that every Service member should emulate.  His attempts to bridge the civil-military gap are laudable, and I hope his successor continues in that process. His farewell letter is here.

Less well known, but no less instrumental to the success of the Army is the retirement of one of the best NCO's I have ever worked with. He was not "my" NCO, nor have I worked with him long. However, his dedication through the years, and the sheer love he has for what he does was impossible to miss as soon as you met SFC Guerrieri.  From the moment I got to Fort Riley, I knew that he was one of those guys to whom you could go with any problem and he would find a solution.  It's a loss to the Army, but a well deserved retirement. While SFC G is just one man, he's representative of so many like him...

His bio is here, from the Fort Riley Flickr page:

Sergeant first class guerrieri and his wife christine have two children: Princess and ligaya.
Sergeant first class guerrieri is commended for his outstanding service to the nation, culminating with his assignment as battalion s3 operations plans nco, 97th military police battalion, united states army garrison, fort riley, kansas.
The guerrieri family will retire in junction city, kansas where he plans to enjoy more time with his family and enjoy the retired life.
Today, sergeant first class guerrieri is receiving is receiving the meritorious service medal, the department of the army certificate of retirement and a certificate of appreciation.
By order of the secretary of the army, sergeant first class bradley jay guerrieri, having qualified for retirement, is released from active duty and placed on the retired list.
His wife christine, though not in attendance, will receive the department of the army certificate of appreciation and a single red rose for her dedication to her husband and the nation.

I'll probably never see either of the two men above to thank them, but for some reason I felt the need to write about them this morning.  For those of you who aren't in the Military, you will probably never know about what kind of an impact these two, and so many like them, have had on your lives, but know that it is lasting, and that they deserve all the gratitude we can give them.