34 YEARS, who thinks that far ahead when joining the Military at 18? When I joined right after high school I couldn’t imagine making the commitment for 6 years, let alone the 21 years I ended up serving. But THIRTY-FOUR years? When I served with Todd, as I knew him then in Puerto Rico, I’m fairly sure neither of us thought we would be at the Naval Aviation Museum, in March 2024 celebrating his retirement.
But there we were, along with numerous other guests, friends, shipmates, and most importantly, family. This was unlike many other retirement ceremonies I’ve attended in that not only was his Navy family present and part of the ceremony but his immediate family was present and were included as a major part of the ceremony.
I appreciate that Navy retirement ceremonies have the opportunity for tradition, memories, and significance.
The passing of Old Glory, a US Flag with significance to Todd, which included being passed between USN personnel from every rating and career field that Todd served in during his career, a total of 4 different career fields, and 6 different ranks until finally it reached Todd. The ceremony symbolizes the passing of responsibility from one generation to the next and often commemorates the jobs in a retiring Sailor’s career, as it did here. It included Sailors from the Aviation community, the CryptoLogic Technician/Receiver (CTR) community, Aviation Warfare community, and Command Master Chief. All significant milestones in Todd’s career.
Then, there is the guest speaker you always have one of them, it’s just a matter of who it’s going to be. In this case, it’s a family affair so Todd’s brother who is also a retired Cryptologic Technician/Receiver Chief, did the honors and led us on a ride through the days from High School, through the Aviation community, then the early days of being a CTR, to being stationed onboard the same ship as Todd AND his WIFE, yes THREE CT’s with the same last name! In his words, “Young sailors would wonder is my LPO, (Leading Petty Officer) the MEAN one her, (Todd’s wife), the ANGRY one (me) or the NICE one, Todd?”.
Ahhh the perils of being a junior Sailor onboard a ship, somehow I miss those days, but not much.
The ceremony moves onto the “Retirement Creed” which speaks of how your relationship with the Navy changes but doesn’t end. In the same way some people say that your oath of enlistment never ends, the creed says “US Navy Retirees are always on the rolls ever ready to lend their service when the need arises”. Its real significance is that your relationship doesn’t end, you still retain the ability to engage in activities as you did when you were Active Duty, something that is often lost on some people. It also says, “You should have no regrets”, also lost on some people.
But the day is done and your time is coming to an end, as exemplified by the next part of the ceremony.
The last part of the ceremony is the reading of “The Watch”, a formal acknowledgement that a Sailor’s time (on watch/duty) has come to an end and the next generation of Sailors are here to take the Watch and keep tradition alive. Since this was a family affair it was very fitting that Todd’s son, a US Navy Cyber Warfare Technician, read the watch to his Father. It was an emotional moment for all of us but especially for the family as he read the final refrain:
Today we are here to say
‘Shipmate… the watch stands relieved
Relieved by those You have trained ,Guided, and Led
Shipmate you stand relieved.. we have the watch…”
The Benediction is read just before everyone is released to the festivities. Fitting that all Sailors should be blessed before hitting the bar to tell sea stories and share memories. And more fitting that in this case the family tradition continues with Todd’s Father delivering the Benediction.
The one Item at both, the ceremony and the festivities was the Shadow Box, an imposing structure that commemorates and signifies a person’s career. I recognized some items inside Todd’s box, but other’s were from a part of his career I had no knowledge of, such is the way of the Military, we all have different paths we travel to retirement.
After we arrived at the club many stories and memories were shared as was very appropriate. Gifts were left at the table, many of which held career significance and others were memorable in a more humorous way but all were very welcome and enjoyed.
Spending time with Todd’s family and friends was another positive aspect of the day, especially because I hadn’t met them yet. Imagine 20 friends you haven’t met YET, in other words just another typical Military gathering and it was so much fun. One other person I had been stationed with in Puerto Rico those many years ago, Todd, his family and his/our Navy family, all celebrating a career that spanned over 3 decades, sharing memories we never knew we had together.
Former ADAN Todd Strebin, former CTR2 Todd Strebin, and now Command Master Chief Todd Strebin (Ret), I take two very important themes from your retirement.
First the steps we take, the accomplishments we succeed in doing with our career, matter, and should be acknowledged in some way.
Second, family is important. Your immediate family including your wife who is also now Master Chief Strebin, (Ret), your Brother, Father, Son, and mother, and those of us lucky enough to be connected to your Navy Family, we all support and salute you!
Good luck, fair winds and following seas Command Master Chief Todd Strebin, I’m glad I met you all those years ago.
Just curious, with two Master Chief’s in the same house, who does the dishes and takes out the trash?
Garfield out.
