Attached are David McKiernan's remarks from the ceremony at Fort
Myer, Virginia. They contain a candor and a depth that are
uniquely "McKiernan."
**********
IT'S TRULY A GREAT DAY TO BE A SOLDIER.
I AM HUMBLED TO BE HERE TODAY ON THIS HISTORIC FIELD, IN OUR GREAT
NATION'S CAPITOL -- WITH THE OLD GUARD REPRESENTING ALL THE VERY BEST
TRADITIONS OF OUR ARMY -- WITH SO MANY FRIENDS WHO HAVE TAKEN THE TIME
TO BE HERE. MANY OTHERS THAT COULD NOT BE HERE TODAY HAVE WRITTEN TO ME
THESE PAST DAYS AND WEEKS WITH THOUGHTS AND EXPRESSIONS OF LASTING
FRIENDSHIP THAT WILL STAY WITH ME FOREVER.....VERY KIND WORDS FROM MY
JOINT AND INTERAGENCY COMRADES -- OF ALL RANKS - FROM THOSE OF MANY
DIFFERENT NATIONS, FROM CIVILIANS AND FAMILY FRIENDS. ALL AGES AND
PROFESSIONS......AGAIN, IT IS A TRULY HUMBLING FEELING.
LET ME START OFF BY PUTTING SOMETHING TO REST. IF YOU HAD ASKED ME 30
DAYS AGO IF I WOULD BE HERE TODAY AT MY RETIREMENT CEREMONY, I WOULD
HAVE SAID NO.....MAYBE IN A BIT STRONGER TERMS. MAKE NO MISTAKE -- I WAS
DISMAYED, DISAPPOINTED, AND MORE THAN A LITTLE EMBARRASSED. BUT AS SO
OFTEN HAPPENS IN LIFE, ESPECIALLY TO THOSE OF US IN UNIFORM, I RECEIVED
SOME CANDID COACHING THAT SAID "McKIERNAN, THIS IS NOT ABOUT YOU. IT'S
ABOUT PAYING RESPECT TO YOUR PROFESSION AND TO THOSE AROUND YOU WHO KNOW
YOU"......THOSE IN ATTENDANCE TODAY THAT DEVELOPED ME.... ALLOWED ME TO
SUCCEED....THOSE WHO CARE ABOUT MY FAMILY.....THOSE WHO ARE MY ROLE
MODELS....THOSE THAT I SPENT SO MUCH TIME AWAY FROM HOME UNDER TRYING
CONDITIONS....THOSE THAT I HAD SOME HAND IN DEVELOPING.....THOSE WHO ARE
FAMILY AND THOSE WHO ARE MY EXTENDED MILITARY FAMILY OVER THE PAST 37
YEARS.
ULTIMATELY, MY BEST FRIEND IN LIFE .....THE LOVE OF MY
LIFE....CARMEN....REMINDED ME THAT THIS DAY IS NOT ABOUT ME....IT IS A
"WE/OUR/ and US" KIND OF DAY.....IT IS ABOUT THE ARMY AND THOSE
HUNDREDS...NO THOUSANDS....OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE SERVED TOGETHER WITH ME,
SHARED EXPERIENCES BOTH GOOD AND BAD, AND SHAPED OUR LIVES.
SO HERE WE ARE TODAY. THE GLASS IS MORE THAN HALF-FULL. AS I TOLD
SECRETARY GATES A FEW WEEKS AGO, I HAVE SERVED AT SEVERAL RANKS ABOVE MY
WILDEST DREAMS AND HAVE HAD LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCES THAT WILL STAY WITH
ME FOR EVERY REMAINING WAKING MINUTE OF MY LIFE. THERE SHOULD NOT BE
ANYBODY WHO I SHAKE HANDS OR SHARE A HUG WITH TODAY THAT OFFERS ANY
CONDOLENCES ABOUT RECENT EVENTS. SAVE ANY CONDOLENCES FOR THOSE WHO
TRULY NEED THEM --- THE FAMILIES, FRIENDS, AND COMRADES OF MEN AND WOMEN
WHO EITHER WILL NOT RETURN HOME OR WHOSE LIVES HAVE BEEN PERMANENTLY
SCARRED BY WAR.
AS A MILITARY, OUR SACRED DUTY REMAINS TO FIGHT AND WIN OUR NATION'S
WARS. THE CAMPAIGN IN AFGHANISTAN WILL NOT BE DECIDED BY ANY ONE LEADER
- MILITARY OR CIVILIAN -- FROM ANY ONE NATION. THERE ARE NO SILVER
BULLETS, NO MERE WORDS THAT BREAK AN ADVERSARY'S WILL, NO SET TIME
LINES. WE SHOULD KNOW THAT AS WE APPROACH OUR EIGHTH YEAR OF WAR. ....A
DIFFERENT KIND OF GLOBAL WAR THAT DOESN'T CONFORM TO BOUNDARIES, BUT A
WAR LIKE ALL WARS THAT IS CHARACTERIZED BY BRUTALITY, SUFFERING, AND
HATRED. EVENTS HAVE TAKEN MANY TURNS; MISTAKES HAVE BEEN MADE; OUR
RESOLVE CONTINUES TO BE TESTED. BUT WE SHOULD REMEMBER ONE THING ABOVE
ALL ELSE: PEOPLE AND HUMAN WILL DETERMINE THE OUTCOME......AND THAT
WON'T COME WITHOUT FURTHER HUMAN COST, EXTRAORDINARY SACRIFICES BY
DEDICATED MEN AND WOMEN, AND WITHOUT BREAKING THE WILL OF THOSE THAT
ONLY OFFER TERROR, SUFFERING AND SUBJUGATION.
AND AS I TAKE OFF THE UNIFORM I AM CONFIDENT THAT THOSE WHO REMAIN
BEHIND ME ARE THE BEST OUR NATION HAS EVER PRODUCED. HOWEVER WE DEFINE
VICTORY, OR END STATES, OR STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES, THEY ARE THE ONES
SHOULDERING THE LOAD, AND THEY WILL MORE THAN MEET OUR EXPECTATIONS. IT
WON'T BE EASY, IT WON'T BE QUICK, AND IT WILL TAKE OUR NATIONAL SUPPORT
IN ALL WAYS.
I AM THE LUCKIEST SOLDIER I KNOW OF. I WAS ALLOWED TO LEAD, DEVELOP,
OFTEN TIMES MAKE MISTAKES, AND ULTIMATELY BE ENTRUSTED WITH LARGE, JOINT
FORMATIONS IN WAR. I HAVE SAVORED THE RESPONSIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY
THAT ACCOMPANY AUTHORITY. ALLOW ME TO QUOTE MATHEW RIDGEWAY, A QUOTE I
HAVE BORROWED FROM A LETTER THAT A GREAT MENTOR OF MINE SENT UPON HIS
RETIREMENT SOME YEARS AGO:
"I CANNOT CONCEIVE THAT GOD HAS GRANTED ANY MAN A RICHER, FULLER, MORE
SATISFYING LIFE THAN MINE, FOR IT WAS SPENT IN SERVICE WITH, AND FOR,
THAT FINEST PRODUCT OF OUR CIVILIZATION - THE AMERICAN SOLDIER."
RIDGEWAY HAD IT EXACTLY RIGHT. MANY OF MY COACHES, MENTORS AND LEADERS
THAT ALLOWED ME TO SERVE ALL THESE YEARS ARE HERE TODAY IN THE STANDS.
MANY MORE HAVE COME UP ON THE NET IN RECENT DAYS TO EXPRESS THEIR BEST
WISHES AND REINFORCE A SPECIAL COMRADERIE. LIKEWISE, TO SEE YOUNG
PRIVATES AND SERGEANTS DEVELOP INTO TODAY'S FIRST SERGEANTS AND COMMAND
SERGEANTS MAJOR, LIEUTENANTS AND COMPANY COMMANDERS WHO ARE TODAY
COMMANDING BATTALIONS, MAJORS AND COLONELS TODAY COMMANDING DIVISIONS
AND CORPS - KNOWING I AM PARTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR DEVELOPING MANY OF THEM
- HAS KEPT A "FIRE IN THE BELLY" FOR THIS TROOPER.
IT WOULD TAKE DAYS TO RUN THROUGH ALL THE NAMES - THOSE WHO LED AND
DEVELOPED ME AND THOSE WHO I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR -- BUT LET ME
RECOGNIZE, AND THANK, THREE SOLDIERS WHO HAD A GREAT IMPACT ON DAVID
McKIERNAN, THE SOLDIER. IT SHOULD NOT SURPRISE ANYONE WHO KNOWS ME THAT
I CHOOSE TO SINGLE OUT THREE NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS, TWO OF WHICH ARE
HERE TODAY.
MUCH OF MY COMPANY AND FIELD GRADE YEARS WERE SPENT AS A COLD WARRIOR IN
3D AND 1ST ARMORED DIVISIONS. I HAD GREAT SENIOR LEADERS TO GO TO SCHOOL
ON, BUT THEN ISG (LATER CSM) ROD CAESAR SHOWED ME HOW BEST TO
COMMUNICATE WITH SOLDIERS AND EARN THEIR RESPECT.....THE SOLDIER THAT
REPRESENTS EVERY SEGMENT OF OUR SOCIETY. LATER AS MY BRIGADE CSM, ROD
TAUGHT ME PATIENCE.....THINK IT THROUGH, THEN ACT. ROD COULDN'T BE HERE
TODAY; HE IS HOSPITALIZED IN BAD SHAPE IN SAN ANTONIO. HE AND HIS WIFE
SUE ARE IN OUR PRAYERS.
THE SECOND HALF OF MY ARMY SERVICE HAS WITNESSED A POST-COLD WAR WORLD
THAT HAS PROVEN. IF NOTHING ELSE, UNPREDICTABLE. CSM JOHN SPARKS BECAME
MY CLOSEST BATTLE BUDDY AND ADVISOR AT FORT HOOD IN THE 1CD AND KUWAIT
AND IRAQ IN 3D ARMY. HE EPITOMIZES THE ARMY SPIRIT.....THE HUUAH OF THE
SOLDIER....AND I'D LIKE TO THINK SOME OF THAT RUBBED OFF ON ME. WE
ENTERED THE POST-9/11 WORLD TOGETHER. WHILE IN RETROSPECT IT MUST SEEM
LIKE THE PLANNING, PREPARATION, AND ATTACK THAT REMOVED SADDAM AND THE
BAATH PARTY MUST HAVE BEEN EASY, THERE IS NEVER ANYTHING EASY IN WAR.
MANY OF MY CFLCC AND CENTCOM FRIENDS ARE HERE TODAY AND KNOW ALL THE
EFFORT THAT TOOK - JOHN SPARKS TAUGHT ME HOW TO STAY FOCUSED ON ALL THAT
IS POSITIVE ABOUT OUR TROOPERS. WE KNEW THE HOUR WE CROSSED INTO IRAQ
THAT SADDAM WAS GONE; WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WOULD FOLLOW AND WHO WOULD
LEAD, BUT CSM SPARKS AND I HAD ALL THE CONFIDENCE ANYONE COULD HAVE IN
OUR SOLDIERS, MARINES, AIRMEN, SAILORS AND CIVILIANS. JOHN AND JANET
SPARKS ARE HERE TODAY, FIRST TEAM, CSM/JANET.
AND FOR THESE LAST THREE YEARS CSM IUNI SAVUSA HAS BEEN AT MY SIDE
ACROSS EUROPE AND IN AFGHANISTAN. WE HAVE MET WITH LOCAL TRIBAL ELDERS
TO HEADS OF STATE. WE HAVE WITNESSED UP CLOSE THE COURAGE, COMMITMENT,
COMPETENCY AND CANDOR OF OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN UNIFORM. WE HAVE
MANEUVERED THROUGH A WORLD NEITHER OF US COMPLETELY UNDERSTANDS, BUT
IUNI HAS AGAIN REINFORCED THAT PEOPLE ARE OUR CENTERPIECE..... THEY
ALWAYS WILL BE. WE EQUIP THE MAN, WE DON'T MAN THE EQUIPMENT. IUNI AND
MARETA SAVUSA ARE ALSO HERE TODAY - LIKE SO MANY, THE ARMY HAS MADE US
FAMILY FOR LIFE.
ALONG THIS PATH OF REMARKABLE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE AS A SOLDIER, I MET
AND MARRIED MY SOULMATE, CARMEN, WHO HAS KEPT ME STRAIGHT, BEEN MY BEST
FRIEND, TOUGHEST CRITIC AND STAUNCHEST SUPPORTER. I WAS GONE TOO OFTEN,
FOCUSED ON DUTY AT THE EXPENSE OF FAMILY TOO OFTEN, AND MANY TIMES JUST
PLAIN INATTENTIVE. PERHAPS THERE ARE SOME IN THE AUDIENCE WHO CAN
IDENTIFY WITH THOSE SHORTCOMINGS. IT'S PAYBACK TIME, AND I FULLY INTEND
TO. ONE THING IS FOR SURE - WE HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH THREE WONDERFUL
CHILDREN AND NOW A GRANDSON AS WELL. WHILE ONLY CADET McKIERNAN IS WITH
US HERE TODAY, MICHELLE IN LAS VEGAS AND MICHAEL IN AFGHANISTAN ARE ALSO
HERE IN SPIRIT. WE ARE SO PROUD OF EACH OF THEM.
I HAVE ONLY EVER KNOWN THE ARMY, AS AN ARMY BRAT AND A SOLDIER, SO THIS
NEXT CHAPTER IN LIFE WILL NOT BE WITHOUT CHALLENGES TO SAY THE LEAST.
BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT -- I WILL CONTINUE TO BE A SOLDIER EVEN OUT
OF UNIFORM, AND WILL FIGURE OUT DIFFERENT WAYS TO SERVE THE ARMY AND THE
NATION IN THE YEARS AHEAD.
.....AND AS I STAND MY LAST FORMATION IN UNIFORM, I AM REMINDED OF THE
TWO CRITERIA THAT CARMEN AND I FELT WERE THE RIGHT PERSONAL STANDARDS
MANY YEARS AGO. WE AGREED THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY WHAT COUNTS MOST
ARE REPUTATION AND THE ABILITY TO LOOK IN THE MIRROR AND KNOW YOU MADE
DECISIONS BASED ON MISSION AND TAKING CARE OF TROOPERS AND THEIR
FAMILIES. REPUTATION BASED ON SUBORDINATES, PEERS AND SUPERIORS ALIKE.
DECISIONS THAT YOU FELT IN YOUR HEART, BRAIN AND GUT WERE THE RIGHT
ONES. IF THOSE ARE TWO VALID CRITERIA FOR SELF-ASSESSMENT, THEN I AM
OKAY......AND I DO FEEL OKAY TODAY. I HAVE SERVED MY NATION AND
LEADERSHIP WITH LOYALTY, TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY, AND HAVE I LEAVE A
RESILIENT, BATTLE-TESTED, WELL LED ARMY WHICH I HAVE NEVER BEEN PROUDER
OF.
GOD BLESS YOU, OUR GREAT NATION, AND ALL THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO SERVE SO
PROUDLY TODAY, AND THE FAMILIES WHO SUPPORT THEM..... AND GOD BLESS ALL
PEOPLE WORLDWIDE WHO SIMPLY WANT FREEDOM AND EQUALITY......AND LET US
NEVER REST AS AN ARMY, AS A SERVICE, OR AS A NATION UNTIL THOSE WHO
OPPOSE THESE IDEALS ARE VANQUISHED.
YOU HONOR THE McKIERNAN FAMILY BY YOUR PRESENCE HERE TODAY - I HOLD EACH
AND EVERY ONE OF YOU IN GREAT RESPECT. THANK YOU.