Retirement Speech

Welcome

Thanks

family
friends
shipmates
CO
Wes for asking me to give some opening thoughts

Special day that almost didn’t happen:

didn’t want a ceremony
Not for him, for family
Stress of retirement: medical, VA disability, military records, finances, figuring out what you want to be when you grow up, resume writing, job hunting, paying taxes, etc.
Finally cajoled him Into it by promising to buy tickets to his favorite team in the NFL, the Miami Dolphins. Now it looks as though I’ll have to bite the bullet and shell out the $19 per ticket.

Life is short, and you never know when your turn is over. At the end, you’ll look back and regret things you didn’t do, not things you did. Get out there, do it all and see even more. The only choice we get is how we choose to react in every situation. We could either stress out and worry, but the universe will continue to unfold as it has for the last 13.8 billion years and no amount of worrying or stress will change it. So we might as well enjoy ourselves while we have the chance.