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KEVIN

This past November my brother achieved a great accomplishment -- retirement from the Navy after 20 years of excellent service to our country.    In lieu of a gift, I wrote him a poem.  With his permission, I share it here with you.


KEVIN

As you sit there with those smiling eyes
So very blue with sparkling pride
I cannot help but join right in
Strong emotions swelling inside

You’re retiring from the Navy today
Twenty years you have done
From starting out as a seaman
Into a Chief you’ve become

My mind can’t help but wander.
Back to a tow-headed lad
Growing up on Lawton Avenue in Lawton , Oklahoma
With two siblings and a dad

Your spirit of life and its adventures
Beginning way back then
Skateboard ollies and bicycle ramps
Carefree youth, seeming to never end

The determination and love of a father
To encourage you all the way
Starting a seed of "You’re the boss"
To cling to every day

But alas, to Dallas off you go
A new life there to spend
Not expecting that you’d find
A Navy career to begin

You may think I don’t know or understand
About the Navy and your career
However, I recall some important events
And I’d like to share them briefly here

Great Lakes or Great Mistakes
The choice is yours to bear
I remember traveling from Michigan
To watch you graduate there

Then, a Destroyer christened USS O’Brien
Took you away to Japan
Carrying you across the equator
From Pollywog to Shellback you became

Orders to shore in California
The medical field you began
Sparking a brand new leadership fire
Higher education in the plan

Soon, sea legs getting antsy
LPD USS Green Bay steps in
You accomplish becoming a Navy Chief
Plus, the surface warfare pin

Your deployment drawing near You've invited me to an amazing treat
There’s going to be a Tiger Cruise
And a picnic on a steel beach.

As I swing my thoughts back from the past
Back to the here and now
I’m staring at your smiling face
I must salute you now!!


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