TRANSCRIPT RETIREMENT SPEECH OF CAPT. JAMES E. FANELL 31 January 2015 AUTHORITY ON CHINESE NAVY

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31 Jan 2015

MEMORANDUM FOR THE RECORD

SUBJ:  RETIREMENT SPEECH FOR CAPT JAMES E. FANELL, CPF N2/N39

ALOOOOO-HAAAAA!

Wow, how about another round of applause for Admiral Kelly!  Admiral, thank you so much for being here today and honoring Cornelia and me.  You have been my most ardent support and I will never forget our times aboard the KITTY HAWK and our late night discussions…and how we wished there was a way to put 26 hours into a 24 hour day!  Seems like some things never change…there never seems to be enough time.

Well, Admiral Kelly is certainly a hard act to follow, especially when you have a reputation for being “serious” and “humorless”.  Fortunately for this audience, you have nothing to worry about… as little did most of you know, but during our time together aboard KITTY HAWK, Admiral Kelly used to call me “Sunshine”…so, despite rumors of “clouds” hanging over these proceedings, I will attempt to live up to that moniker and bring some sunshine to this beautiful, winter, afternoon here in paradise.

And before casting those rays of sunshine, I would like to thank the following Senior Executives and Flag Officers who were gracious enough to take the time and energy out of their very busy schedules to attend this ceremony:

- Ms. Lynn Wright, VADM Dave Nichols, VADM Yoji Koda, RADM Matt Kohler, RADM Russ Penniman, RDML Tony Cothron, RDML Norm Hayes, RDML Willie Metts, RDML Bruce Loveless, RDML Bob Sharp, Ms. Dunlap and Mr. Butterfield.  Thank you all for being here today.

I’d like to also recognize the following Captains attending today:

- CAPT Carl Inman, and his wife Pauline.  Carl thanks for coming all the way from Norfolk.  Carl and I joined the Navy at the same time and were both commissioned Ensigns at Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island.  We have been friends and professional counterparts for almost 30 years and I am very honored to have you both here today.

- CAPT Doug Grossmann, the Officer in Charge of the COMPACFLT Detachment Intelligence Readiness Cell in San Diego.  Doug has been my representative to the Pacific Fleet for intelligence and cryptologic manning, training and equipping (Title 10) issues over the past four years.  There is no one in the Information Dominance Corps who understands deck-plate systems requirements like Doug and you’ve been a great shipmate and friend.   I thank you for being here today.

- Also attending today is CAPT Cliff Bean, the current Commanding Officer of the National Security Agency Hawaii and former shipmate aboard the KITTY HAWK and BLUE RIDGE.  Shipmate, thanks for coming and I look forward to hearing news about your future with the stars.   I am also pleased to have the former Commander of NSA Hawaii and the current PACFLT N39, CAPT Dave Carson and his wife Heather here as well.  Thanks Dave.

- In the military, and Navy in particular, there is a special relationship between Intelligence and Operations…and today we have the current Pacific Fleet Director of Operations, the N3, CAPT Norm Weakland in the audience.  And I am also very humbled to have the past three PACFLT N3s here as well:  CAPTs David Hughes, Steve Lagier, and Bruce Stewart.  Gentlemen, the N2’s job is all about supporting Fleet Operations and giving the N3 the time and space needed to make decisions by predicting future adversary actions…thank you for being here, your presence honors the Officers and Sailors in the Pacific Fleet Intelligence Federation who labor to make your lives easier.

- Additionally, I am honored to have two of my sister service counterparts here today, Colonel Eva Jenkins the U.S. Pacific Air Forces Intelligence Officer and Colonel Andy Drake the head of U.S. Marine Forces Pacific Intelligence.  Eva, Andy, thank you both for coming today and for all the cooperation and support you’ve given me and the U.S. Pacific Fleet in terms of federating our work across the vast Pacific Command’s area of responsibility.

- Also here today is CAPT Dale Rielage the new PACFLT N2/N39 and his wife Lisa.  Dale was my Deputy at Seventh Fleet and was my recommended relief to the Fleet Commander last year when I submitted my letter requesting retirement.  I wish Dale all the best and know history will judge our efforts by the future…not the past.

In addition to these distinguished guests, I very much appreciate so many folks travelling from afar to be here tonight with Cornelia and me on this island in the middle of the Pacific:

First, I’d like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Umetsu, our former neighbors and friends from Yokosuka, Japan for making the trip to Hawaii.  Kazuyuji-san and Masako-san, we are so very honored to have you here and we thank you for your enduring friendship.  Arigato-gozai masu.

I am especially pleased to see a few shipmates fly in from the Far East:  CDR Andrew Charles, and his wife Theresa.  Andy is the current Task Force 72 Intelligence Officer stationed in Misawa.  And also coming in from Japan is LCDR Matt Myers, the Carrier Air Wing Five Intelligence Officer…more about Matt a bit later in the ceremony.

Additionally, I’d like to recognize CDR James Pendergast who is the Naval Forces Korea Intelligence Officer.  James, thank you so much for making the trip from Seoul and I wish you all the best in 2015 as you help move our Navy’s headquarters down to the beautiful beach city of Busan…one of my favorite cities in the world.

Coming the farthest is CAPT Fred Smith, and his daughter Madelene.  Fred retired two years ago and is now teaching at Macquarie University in Sydney Australia.  Fred it seems just like yesterday I was speaking at your retirement and I want you to know it means a great deal to me to have you here.  Your career represented the best in Naval Intelligence and I am happy to have another surfer in the crowd.

In addition to having Admiral Koda representing Japan and the Kaijo Jieitai, I am very pleased to have friends from several of our foreign partners from the Pacific, please welcome:

- CAPT Yang, the Military Attaché for the Consulate of the Republic of Korea

- Mr. Ogino, from the Consul General of Japan in Honolulu

- CAPT Chiou (JOE), the Military Liaison Division, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Honolulu

Gentlemen, not only am I personally thankful for your being here, but will also say that the U.S. Pacific Fleet and Pacific Command are honored by your presence which reminds us that our historic alliances between our capitals are built from personal relationships and enduring friendships…your presence today reinforces these principals, so thank you very much for being here this evening.

In addition to these friends from across Asia Pacific, I am also honored to have so many of my friends and colleagues coming from the continental United States:

- First, I am pleased to have CAPT J.R. Reddig attending today.  In addition to his spectacular career in Naval Intelligence, he has also been THE scribe for the naval intelligence tribe, diligently chronically our activities over the past twenty years.  J.R. has been a stellar friend to Cornelia and me and we are thankful that you finally made it back to Paradise and are able to visit your old haunts at 3^rd Fleet and FOSIC PAC.

- I am also honored to have a former Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence, Mr. Mark Clark come in from Virginia Beach.  Mark thanks so much for your friendship and mentoring over the past two decades.

- Also a warm welcome to Dr. Phil Karber, from Georgetown University…I saw warm because Dr. Karber has spent quite a bit of time over the winter in and around the Ukraine watching the movements of Vladimir Putin’s military.  Phil, thanks for being here and I look forward to working with you in the future.

- Also hello to a former Seventh Fleet N2, Defense Attaché to China and international traveler and consultant, Mr. Phil Midland.

- A special shout-out to Mr. Paul Giarra from Northern, Virginia, who has been a special friend over the years and is someone that truly understands the strategic environment in Asia and our alliance with Japan.

- Renowned defense and national security reporter, Mr. Bill Gertz is in from Washington DC… Bill has been on the Red Star for well over five years and I am glad to have him here.

- Former KITTY HAWK shipmate and Naval Intelligence Officer standout, CAPT Tony and Andrea Lavecchia coming in from Norfolk, Virginia.  Tony thanks for your friendship and reminding me to always get “back to basics” when it came to afloat Naval Intelligence.

- A hearty hello to CAPT Jack Sotherland coming in from Texas, but most recently from Manila the Republic of the Philippines where he was our Naval Attaché.  CAPT Jack great to have a front line veteran of China’s maritime sovereignty campaign here in the audience.

- Moving across the continent, I am also pleased to see Ian Colle and William Arras both representing Colorado.

- From San Diego, I am pleased to see some long time comrades Jeff Rocker, Larry Ash, Chris Bott, Bob Poor and Mary Marr.  Each of you is a special friend and I am so happy to see the San Diego waterfront being so well represented.

- I am also honored to have in from San Diego, Mr. Lance Chang.  Lance and I served together back in the early 1990s at the JITAP and have worked together for over 20 years.  There isn’t anyone in this audience who is more of a warfighter than Lance Chang.  Lance, we’ve seen a lot over the past 22 years and I look forward to more years of working together fighting the good fight.

- And I would also like to pay special attention to Mrs. Gay Purcilly, daughter D’Anne and family who are coming from the Laguna Beach area in Southern California.  The Purcilly’s are representing Major Joe Purcilly, who worked at PACFLT N2 in the 1960s, was a combat veteran from WW II and Korea.  Joe was a true American hero and I am honored to have known this man and to have his wonderful family here tonight.

- From the Pacific Northwest, I’d like to call out Chief Warrant Officer Ken and Robin Cox from Gig Harbor, and CAPT Guy Holliday from Seattle.

- From the great Los Angeles basin, I see Mike Perkinson, former Naval Attaché in Hong Kong.  Mike, great to see you here tonight.

- Finally, I would like to pay special recognition to two of my closest and dearest friends from high school, Joe Hull and Dean Sylvies.  Joe hails from Carlsbad while Dean and his lovely wife Cindy came in from Ventura.  While most of this ceremony pays homage to a lifetime spent in the naval service, I would not be the man I am today without these two gentlemen.  We all used to run, literally, run together in high school and junior college.  Their friendship, mentorship and brotherly care over thousands of miles and years, are so very important to me.  Joe, Dean, Cindy thank you for always being there for Cornelia and me…especially for being at my father’s funeral two years ago.  Cornelia and I look forward to seeing a lot more of you now that our time in the Navy draws to an end today.

While, there are many others of you who are attending today that I have not taken the time to break out by name, believe me, I am very humbled and proud to have each and every one of you attend today.  Each person here represents a special place in our lives and we look forward to talking to each of you at the reception later this evening…or later over this weekend.

Before going on, I would like to publicly thank LT Casey Elbare.  Please come up front.  For the past two months Casey has been running the show behind the scenes to ensure that this afternoon’s ceremony and reception go off without a hitch.  And he did this while still working full time for the N2/N39 special programs department and taking care of his wife and two new children.  Casey, please accept this small token of my appreciation for all your hard work.

How about a round of applause for this fine Naval Officer!

O.K., I will admit that writing this retirement speech has been one of the hardest events of my career; not even the special care and detailed attention I gave for my two speeches at the AFCEA/U.S. Naval Institute conferences in 2013 and 2014 caused me as much contemplation …or consternation as has this speech.  You’d think that after a career of public speaking, I would have no problem in generating some pithy comments, but for the past 90 days I have truly struggled to come up with the right words to wrap up 28 and a half year’s of service in the U.S. Navy.

Over the course of the Christmas season, Cornelia and I happened to watch the movie “Ben Hur” and I had thought the words from Roman Consul Quintus Arrius to Ben Hur aboard the Roman tri-mean may provide you some context about my career in the U.S. Navy. 

Quintus has just come aboard his new command and in his opening speech to the crew states,

“Now listen to me, all of you.

You are all condemned men.  

We keep you alive to serve this ship.

So row well, and live.” 

And despite rumors to the contrary, I actually never uttered these words on the watch floor here at Makalapa or aboard the BLUE RIDGE and I can assure you that this is not the reason I came to work each morning…no there was something more and that is what I would like to speak about briefly today.

What crystallized my thoughts on this speech today was the news I received on the 2^nd of January from my good friend Admiral Paul Becker who, as many of you know, was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.  Hearing about Paul brought me back to a time in my own life when I was given a similar diagnosis and it caused me to reflect on that time in my life.   

Yes, to be 25 years old, aboard the USS CORAL SEA (CV-43) in the midst of the Mediterranean Sea and told you have cancer was quite a blow.  And hearing that my good friend had just been told the same thing re-enforced what I knew was the “deeper mission” for our lives on this earth.

I have been known to place “the mission” over everything else and to this accusation I plead guilty.  “The Mission” was the thing that drove me forward over the course of my career in the U.S. Navy. 

What does this mean?

Well, I joined the Navy during the height of President Reagan’s tenure and while it may seem hard to believe an undergraduate coming out of San Diego State University in the mid-80’s would be captivated by this message, it was the words, the images and his vision for a strong America, one that would combat the global spread of communism, that motivated me to sign on the dotted line!

This “calling” is what drew me into the United States Navy and kept me going.  I would like to thank Admiral Tim Flynn, who could not be here tonight, for passing along the following words from President Reagan’s inauguration speech in 1981, which I think help best exemplify where my heart was as a young 25 year old Naval Officer and where it has remained and grown over the course of my career. 

In that now famous speech, President Reagan talked about a “pledge” that was made by a young man before he went off to war in Europe in 1917.

At the end of his inaugural speech, President Reagan spoke about the white grave markers, monuments to heroism, at our national cemetery and said, ''Under such a marker lies a young man, Martin Treptow, who left his job in a small-town barber shop in 1917 to go to France'.

After Pvt. Treptow was killed in battle, a diary was found in which he had inscribed the following pledge:

''America must win this war.  

Therefore I will work,

I will save,

I will sacrifice,

I will endure,

I will fight cheerfully and do my utmost, as if the issue of the whole struggle depended on me alone.'' 

For me, the highest praise is to simply have it said that I served with my whole heart and being…as if the fate of the United States, and our allies, rested on my shoulders.

And so it was during my career in the Pacific that I grew to understand why men like Private Treptow would give their lives in the defense of their country.

It was in pursuit of this understanding, that I had the great privilege to meet and become friends with Admiral “Mac” Showers, Captain Dick McDonald, and Major Joe Purcilly.  These men represented to me the very essence of what it means to be an American Naval Officer.  Admiral Showers, who passed on in 2012, was one of the greatest influences in my life (as he was for many others here in the audience) and he taught me first hand about what it means to devote oneself to the Nation and Navy. 

I am especially honored to have his daughter Donna and son-in-law Tom here with us today.  Donna, Tom, thank you so much for your friendship and for coming back to Hawaii.  While we miss the Admiral and his leadership, it is in ceremonies like this that we can feel his presence.

What I also learned from Admiral Showers was that out of the burning embers of 7 December 1941, men like Joe Rochefort, the officer in charge of Station Hypo, and Eddie Layton, the first PACFLT N2, dedicated themselves, and their people, to finding and tracking the adversary fleet.  What they created was a system…a process…that became known as Operational Intelligence or more simply OPINTEL.  What is remarkable, and a lesson for those here today, is that OPINTEL was created out of necessity…there were no manuals or existing doctrine that guided them, just the need to find the enemy fleet at sea.

OPINTEL is based on the key pillar of providing intelligence, not just information, to operational users across the Fleet.  And this is intelligence that must be timely, accurate and relevant.  Before this time the practice of providing sensitively sourced intelligence to the Fleet was not routinely conducted and certainly was not established in any formal sense across the U.S. Navy.  And as we now know, this lack of an institutional OPINTEL process played a significant role in why the U.S. suffered such a devastating blow on 7 December.

In Elliot Carlson’s essential work on this topic, “Rochefort’s War”, he noted that Joe Rochefort came out of the disaster of 7 December with a firm resolve to provide the U.S. Pacific Fleet the best assessed location of the Imperial Japanese Navy’s Fleet.  And Joe did this despite knowing that his “masters” in Washington at OP-20-G/Navy Communications did not want Station Hypo to provide this intelligence directly to the Fleet.  Joe knew he was bucking the system and it was something he would pay for dearly later on in 1942, but that is another story for another time.

For those that live on island, you know that each June we remember the Battle of Midway and it is at this time of the year that we are reminded that men like Joe Rochefort and Eddie Layton gave their lives to providing all-source intelligence to the Fleet and that this “maritime” OPINTEL was responsible for fueling the victory the U.S. had at the Battle of Midway…and throughout the rest of the war in the Pacific. 

I am so very pleased to know that we have now firmly established remembering the role that “maritime” OPINTEL played in our victory at Midway into the current Pacific Fleet battle rhythm and scheduling.  I look forward to the 75^th Anniversary in 2017 when I expect to see a new display to the work that the men of Station Hypo provided to the U.S. Pacific Fleet.  This is something I will be working on in my retirement as I was personally requested by Admiral Showers to make sure we never forget the work those men did to win that war.

And so it was for the next fifty years, men like Admiral Showers, and others, took the work Rochefort and Layton built in World War II and developed it into a world-wide organizational construct, later in the Cold War called the Ocean Surveillance Information System (OSIS).  OSIS and thousands of naval intelligence and cryptologic professionals enabled our Nation and Navy to stand firm as the winds and tides of history blew around the globe in the 20^th Century.

I greatly appreciate Admiral Kelly’s explanation of the 21^st Century instantiation of OPINTEL in the form of the Pacific Fleet Intelligence Federation.  I can only say that I am humbled to have been part of the team who kept the flame alive.

For many of you who attended a PACFLT or SEVENTHFLT 0600 Morning OPINTEL briefing, you will recall my mantra that “tracking adversary ships, submarines and aircraft at sea” was our core business…the soul of naval intelligence if you will; however, this “capabilities” based approach to intelligence can (and has) been rendered unless without also being married up with “intentions” based assessments.

Which brings me to China and her dramatic rise as an emerging global power.  Admiral Kelly has certainly given me more credit for my assessments on China than is deserving, but I would be remiss if I did not, once again, state what I believe to be the obvious.  Namely, that the strategic trend lines indicate the Communist Party of China is not only “rejuvenating” itself for internal stability purposes, but has been and continues to prepare to use military force, their Navy in particular, to achieve their strategic objectives, which necessarily includes the restoration of what they believe to be their “sovereign maritime territory”…namely the thousands of square miles of water inside the First Island Chain.

Now, just to be clear, I also believe Beijing’s first preference is to not have to use military force; but let’s not deceive ourselves…the evidence I’ve been chewing on over the past 15 years is overwhelming.  Beijing has prepared for military action and President Xi Jinping’s “China Dream” has a defined timeline to reach this “rejuvenated” endstate.  Further, the Communist Party of China’s designs stand in direct contrast to espoused U.S. national security objectives of freedom of navigation and free access to markets for all of Asia. 

This not only threatens our own national security, but is also very clearly upsetting the entire Asia Pacific region has enjoyed for over 70 years. 

The challenge, as I have seen it, is for intelligence professionals to make the case, to tell the truth and to convince national decision and policy makers to realize that China’s rise, if left unchecked or undeterred, will necessarily disrupt the peace and stability of our friends, partners and allies.  We should not have to wait for an actual shooting war to start before we acknowledge there is a problem and before we start taking serious action.  The “Rebalance” is a good first step forward, but it must be backed up with a real, tangible deterrent force and we must stand-up to Beijing’s propaganda and bullying campaign, especially those that come at the expense of our allies and partners.

Well now, on that note, let me turn to something more positive – and that is “Thanks”.  There are a number of folks I’d like to thank for their service, so let me begin.

Donna Block and Sandra Sclabassi, please come up front and center. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, many times in these types of ceremonies we naturally think of those who have worn the uniform.  But for me, after nearly eight years in the basement of Makalapa, I know that much of the accomplishments of the uniformed service members are made possible by civilians…dedicated professionals who work un-godly hours of selfless service.  Two such professionals I want you all to know and honor this evening are Donna and Sandra.

Donna, was hired here at PACFLT during my first tour over 15 years ago, and has for the past years been the representative to the Fleet for Sensitive Compartmented Information services.

Not only did I work with Donna in the basement, but also during two tours in Far East where she supported my teams and me afloat aboard KITTY HAWK and BLUE RIDGE.  Donna always made sure that the Fleet got what they needed and in this past tour was instrumental in providing services that enabled the U.S. Pacific Fleet to speak to our allies via secure communications circuits.

Sandra Sclabassi is the other silent servant that I wish to honor this evening.  While I have a reputation for a strong work ethic, I must say that I am not worthy to tie Sandra’s sandals.  I have personally witnessed Sandra coming into the basement at just about every hour on the clock…Saturdays, Sundays, 0100, 0200, 0300…it doesn’t matter…Sandra was there opening up the basement, making sure our secure video teleconferences were not only scheduled with far away places around the globe, but that they were working for high-profile guests like the Secretary of the Navy and Chief of Naval Operations or for routine requirements for the deck-plate Sailor.

Ladies, I cannot ever begin to thank you both enough for your tireless and selfless service to the Nation, the Navy and the U.S. Pacific Fleet.  I have watched you both for years and stand in awe.  Ladies and gentlemen, how about a round of applause for these to angels!

Now I’d like to recognize Mr. Barney Moreland.  Come on up.  For those that don’t know it, Barney Moreland is the intellectual conscience of the U.S. Pacific Fleet N2…he is unquestionably the United States’ foremost expert on Chinese civil maritime affairs and the most far thinking intelligence professional we have in the United States when it comes to China and her designs regarding the maritime domain.  As many of you know I received a bit of publicity for a couple of speeches I gave in San Diego over the past two years and I am here to say that I could not have given those speeches without Barney Moreland.  His research is impeccable, his prose is captivating and his passion for the truth is without peer.  I am blessed to count Barney as a professional counterpart, but also as a friend.  And friend, I wish you and Edie many happy years together in the future and we look forward to reading more of your analysis about what we can see from the tea leafs from People’s Republic of China.

I would now ask CAPT Gary Rogeness, one of my Deputy Directors, and someone who I can honestly say has been my right arm, to come on up front.

Over the course of my career I worked with many fantastic naval officers and had many Deputies, but I have never worked with peer officer for whom I had more respect than I have for Gary Rogeness.  Gary came to PACFLT N2/N39 after being the Commanding Officer of the nuclear submarine USS CHEYENE.

Gary personifies the words loyalty, integrity, discipline, and war-fighter.  Not only was Gary personally responsible for briefing the PACFLT and PACOM Commander’s on future sensitive operations that were sent to the Secretary of Defense and President for approval, but Gary also quickly and eagerly took on the task of building our Maritime Intelligence and Operations Center (MIOC) Watch.  While I may have had the vision, it was Gary who rolled up his sleeves and made the Watch work and in every way supported the mission of providing maritime OPINTEL to the Pacific Fleet.

In my estimation, Gary Rogeness is the living embodiment of the first Navy Submarine Officer to work in PACFLT N2 in the 1940’s, CAPT Jasper Holmes.  Jasper was a submarine officer, and he provided Joe Rochefort and Eddie Layton the vitally important link to the U.S. Pacific Fleet Submarine Force.  Nearly eighty year’s later that link is alive and well today and it is so because of the herculean efforts of Gary Rogeness. 

Gary, I would like to give you this framed picture of a memo that Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz penned about the U.S. Pacific Fleet Submarine Force.  While his words where written about a war long ago, I think they are meaningful and represent the spirit of the work you did here at PACFLT over the course of the past three years.  Here is what Admiral Nimitz said:

“We, who survived World War II and were privileged to rejoin our loved ones at home, salute those gallant officers and men of our submarines who lost their lives in that long struggle.  We shall never forget that it was our submarines that held the lines against the enemy, while our fleets replaced losses and repaired wounds.”

Thanks shipmate, I shall not forget your service, loyalty and friendship during my time as the PACFLT N2.  Cornelia and I look forward to seeing you and Michelle in Norway!

Now I would like to ask two people to come upfront and center:  Chief Warrant Office Ken Cox and LCDR Matt Myers.

Ladies and Gentlemen, these two men represent my past and my future…please let me explain. 

You see, it was 19 years ago in a similar ceremony outside the front of the Fleet Intelligence Training Center, Pacific (FITCPAC), today known as the Center for Information Dominance Unit San Diego, that Chief Warrant Officer Ken Cox was wrapping up a 26 year career in the U.S. Navy.  I had the honor and privilege of being the action officer responsible for Ken’s ceremony. 

The ceremony was going like clock-work until in the middle of the event, and I still remember it like yesterday, Ken went off script and called me up front to present me with something…this U.S. Navy Officer’s Sword.

As Ken told the audience, the sword he was passing down to me had been given to him by LCDR George Baumgartner, an enlisted naval aviator from WW II.  LCDR Baumgartner received the sword from CDR Wright.  CDR Wright had been present on the pier where the USS MISSOURI stood during the surrender ceremony on 2^nd of September 1945 in Tokyo Bay. 

Since that time, the sword remained on “active duty” and has been passed down from one “care taker” to another.  I have been honored to have this sword for the past 19 years and I am excited that we are firmly establishing this “pass down” tradition today by passing it on to LCDR Matt Myers.

Folks, I told you that Matt flew all the way out here from Japan, where he is the Air Wing FIVE Intelligence Officer for our nation’s only forward deployed aircraft carrier - the USS GEORGE WASHINGTON.  I’ve known Matt for over a decade when we first worked together aboard the previous FDNF carrier, the USS KITTY HAWK.  During that tour, Matt was assigned to a Strike Fighter Squadron and duly impressed me with his intellect, his commitment to the Navy, and his ability to stand tall under pressure. 

From there Matt has distinguished himself by being an Olmstead Scholar in India and was for the past three years one of my watch officers and most importantly he was THE action officer to Gary Rogeness and the U.S. Pacific Fleet N2/N39 Special Programs Department. 

In this position, Matt excelled above and beyond the call of duty in building special briefings for senior National Command Authority leaders.  As such, I can unequivocally say that Matt demonstrates the very best in Naval Intelligence, the Information Dominance Corps and what it means to be a Naval Officer.

Matt, this sword, the sword of naval intelligence, is now yours…remember you must ensure this sword stays on active duty…the day you retire is the day it must go to another officer.  And if I may add one recommendation…I recommend that this sword stay in the Pacific.

Ken, Matt, thank you both for your friendship and loyalty in the past and into the future.  God Bless you both. 

How about a round of applause for Ken and Matt!

Remarks about Cornelia and here lifetime of devotion and love to me.

O.K., we are getting close to the end…the time has come to take on a last, and most important topic.

At the beginning of this speech I mentioned a “deeper mission”, one that is “deeper” than our day-to-day duty to provide our all in the defense of this nation.  For me, that “deeper mission” is the one that pertains to our eternal destiny, if you believe in that sort of thing,…and I know not everyone here tonight does.

You see, when I remember my friend Paul Becker in Washington, or my own father and mother’s death, or the passing of Admiral Showers and other encounters I’ve had with eternity, I am always brought back to the same question…so what happens when we breath our last breath?

So, while we are here to celebrate, I would ask you when you go home this evening or tomorrow on Sunday (before the Super Bowl) to stop and consider that there is something beyond the Navy and that this something deals with knowing the Maker of the Heavens and the Earth and His son, Jesus.

So, I’d like to close with the words of another sailor from a few centuries ago, Sir Francis Drake who said this:

“Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, when our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little, when we arrive safely because we sailed too close to shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when the abundance of things we possess, we have lost our thirst for the waters of life, having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity, and in our efforts to build a new earth, we have allowed our vision of the new heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas, where storms will show your mastery, where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars.

We ask you to push back the horizon of our hopes, and to push us into the future in strength, courage, hope, and love.

This we ask in the name of our Captain, who is Jesus Christ.”

“I WILL NOW READ MY ORDERS, FROM COMMANDER, NAVY PERSONNEL COMMAND, TO CAPTAIN JAMES EDWARD FANELL, USN.  SUBJECT: BUPERS ORDER 3114.  WHEN DIRECTED, DETACH ON JANUARY 31ST 2015 FROM COMMANDER, PACIFIC FLEET AND PROCEED TO HOME OF SELECTION.  REGARD RELIEVED OF ALL ACTIVE DUTY EFFECTIVE AT 2400 ON DATE OF DETACHMENT.” 

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