Retirement Ceremony
Honoring the Service of
Captain Gregory M. Beavers
Medical Service Corps
United States Navy
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Armed Forces Pest Management Board
Building 172, U.S. Army Garrison Forest Glen
Silver Spring, Maryland
Welcome!
The retirement ceremony is a time honored tradition and our
Nation’s expression of appreciation for a job well done. The order
of retirement culminates a career of selfless dedication, devotion to
duty and unswerving Service to his country and fellow soldiers,
sailors, and airmen. It is a day of great significance, marking the
end of a rewarding time within the medical community that
supports this great country’s service members and their families.
On behalf of CAPT Beavers, the Armed Forces Pest Management
Board extends our sincerest thanks to all involved in performing
this ceremony. We are also honored by your attendance and
appreciate that you are sharing this very special day with him and
his family.
Ship’s Bell
Aboard ships, the ship’s bell is used to announce the changing of
the watch. Many of us have heard, “Eight bells and all is well” in
old movies about sailors and the sea. Today, the ship’s bell is used
to announce the arrival and departure of visiting dignitaries in
addition to announcing the changing of the watch.
Shadow Box
Shadow Boxes are born of an ancient naval tradition that is still
practiced today, both in the militaries of the world and throughout
civilian life. According to some accounts of naval history and
tradition, when a sailor retires and is departing the ship for the last
time, it is considered bad luck for the sailor's shadow to touch land
before the sailor does. Therefore, the sailor's shipmates would
construct a sturdy box, hand-crafted of the finest materials, in
which to display mementos of the sailor's accomplishments -thereby symbolically creating a "shadow" of the sailor. The box
would contain the sailor's "shadow" until he was safely ashore, at
which time the shadow box would be given to the sailor at a
presentation ceremony.
The Wife's Watch
While her Sailor answered the call from the sea, Carol
stood on the shore fighting down her fear that he would
not return.
In his absences, she dealt with bills, car repairs, home
maintenance, children's injuries and illness, all the
responsibilities of family life on the shore.
All these and more she took in stride, so that her Sailor
could proudly serve our nation at sea.
Today the Side Boys are posted and the boatswain
stands ready to pipe.
And as she has for so many years, a Sailor's wife stands
waiting on the shore.
Soon the pipe will sound and her Sailor will come
ashore for the last time. His watch stands relieved. And
so, too, will hers.
Today with deep gratitude, we honor Carol's courage
and steadfastness, and offer our best wishes to the both
of you, Mark and Carol, for the new life you now begin!
“Fair Winds and Following Seas”
from your colleagues at the
Armed Forces Pest Management Board
Maureen Sullivan
Director of Environmental
Management
Office of the Assistant Secretary of
Defense
(Energy, Installations & Environment)
Ms. Sullivan is the Director of Environment,
Safety & Occupational Health in the Office
of the Assistant Secretary of Defense
(Energy, Installations & Environment). She
is responsible for DoD’s policies and
programs related to compliance with
environmental
laws;
accounting
for
greenhouse gases; management of natural and cultural resources; cleanup of
contaminated sites; safety & occupational health; fire and emergency services;
green/sustainable buildings; installation emergency management; international
environmental compliance and cleanup efforts; climate change adaptation
planning; strategic sustainability planning; planning to address emerging
contaminants; and international defense environmental cooperation. She
oversees the Armed Forces Pest Management Board and the Department of
Defense Explosives Safety Board. She is the Department of Defense Federal
Preservation Officer and represents the Secretary of Defense on the President’s
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and is a member of the General
Services Administration’s Green Building Advisory Committee. She also
represents the Department of Defense on the White House Climate and Natural
Resources Working Group and the White House Pollinator Task Force.
For the past 23 years, Ms. Sullivan has served in various leadership positions as
a member of the Office of the Secretary of Defense environmental staff, and
possesses wide ranging experience in numerous DoD environmental programs
to include Pollution Prevention, Environmental Compliance, Historic
Preservation, and the Clean Air Act. She was a member of the team that
authored Executive Order 13148, “Greening the Government through
Leadership in Environmental Management,” which President Clinton signed on
April 22, 2000. She also helped draft Executive Order 12856, "Federal
Compliance with Right-to-Know Laws and Pollution Prevention Requirements."
After President Clinton signed Executive Order 12856, she was detailed to the
Office of the Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency, to guide initial
implementation. Her total DoD career spans 34 years. Prior to joining the Office
of the Secretary of Defense, she held positions with the Defense Logistics
Agency in Virginia, Michigan, Ohio and Germany where she worked in
hazardous waste management, international environmental activities and
pollution prevention. Ms. Sullivan has been a member of the Senior Executive
Service since 2008. She holds the Bachelor of Science degree in Natural
Resource Economics from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Stephen J. Savarino
Captain, Medical Corps,
United States Navy
Naval Medical Research Center
After earning an A.B. degree in biochemical
sciences at Harvard College, CAPT Savarino
entered the Navy Health Professions
Scholarship Program and was commissioned
as an Ensign. In 1984, he received an M.P.H
from Harvard School of Public Health and an
M.D. from Boston University School of
Medicine.
Following a Pediatrics internship at the Bethesda National Naval Medical Center,
CAPT Savarino completed a residency in Pediatrics at Duke University Hospital
and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases and Tropical Pediatrics at the Center for
Vaccine Development and University of Maryland Medical Center. Under Drs.
Myron Levine and James Kaper, CAPT Savarino began to unravel the genetic basis
of virulence of enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC). In 1990, CAPT
Savarino took orders to the Naval Medical Research Institute, Bethesda, MD where
he worked under CAPT Dick Walker, Lou Bourgeois and Dr. Patricia Guerry to
establish a Navy research focus on E. coli diarrhea of military importance,
completing important basic and clinical studies on EAEC and enterotoxigenic
Escherichia coli (ETEC). In 1996, CAPT Savarino transferred to the Naval
Medical Research Unit No. 3, Cairo, Egypt, where he served as the Head, Applied
Field Sciences Division and Principal Investigator for a series of late phase clinical
trials of an inactivated whole-cell ETEC vaccine in Egyptians as well as operational
studies of diarrhea and prevention in U.S. military personnel deployed to the
region.
He transferred to the Naval Medical Research Center in 1999, serving as the
Deputy Head (1999-2004) and Head (2004-2012), Enteric Diseases Department,
Infectious Diseases Directorate. Other duties have included Director of the U.S.
Military Diarrheal Diseases Prevention Research Program (2003-present), Chair of
the Bacterial Diarrhea Vaccines Integrated Product Team, Decision Gate,
USAMRMC and Chair, Institutional Review Board. CAPT Savarino has
established NMRC as a leading center for the study of E. coli diarrhea and
galvanized the development of a novel ETEC vaccine.
CAPT Savarino has received Navy Achievement and Commendation Medals, and
the Meritorious Service Medal.
CAPT Savarino's wife, Charlotte, is a pediatric nurse who has worked in a
variety of child health and educational settings for many years. They have one
son Nicholas who truly represents their crowning achievement.
The U.S. flag that will be passed during today's Flag Ceremony
has been flown over the following locations:
Antietam National Battlefield, Sharpsburg, MD
150th Anniversary of the Battle
Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, PA
150th Anniversary of the Battle
Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, PA
150th Anniversary of the Gettysburg Address
Normandy American Cemetery, Colleville-Sur-Mer, France
Aisne-Marne Cemetery & Belleau Wood Battlefield, Belleau, France
Surrender Field, Yorktown Battlefield, Yorktown, VA
233rd Anniversary of Lt. General C. Cornwallis’ Surrender to General G. Washington
USS Missouri (BB 63), Honolulu, HI
Grave of Francis Scott Key, Mount Olivet Cemetery, Frederick, MD
USS Constitution, Charlestown, MA
200th Anniversary of Old Ironsides' victories over HMS Cyane and HMS Levant
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery,
Arlington, VA
Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, Baltimore, MD
The Pentagon, Headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense,
Washington, DC
United States Marine Corps War Memorial, Arlington, VA
United States Navy Memorial, Washington, DC
“I can imagine no more rewarding career. Any man
who may be asked in this century what he did to make his
life worthwhile, I think can respond with a good deal of
satisfaction: ‘I served in the United States Navy’.”
President John F. Kennedy
U.S. Naval Academy, August 1, 1963
The Watch
Aye mates, for many years
This Sailor has stood the watch.
While many of us lay about our bunks at night…
This Sailor stood the watch.
While others of us were attending schools…
This Sailor stood the watch.
And yes, even before many of us were born…
This Sailor stood the watch.
While others of us were with their loved ones…
This Sailor stood the watch.
As our families watched the storm clouds of war,
brewing on the horizons of history…
This Shipmate stood the watch.
Even though he saw his family ashore, often needing his
guidance, he knew he must stay…
Because he had the watch.
For over 29 years CAPT Beavers has stood the watch, so that
we and our fellow countrymen and women could sleep
soundly, in safety each night, knowing that
a Sailor would stand the watch.
Today, we're here to say
"Shipmate, the watch stands relieved”
Relieved by those you have led, guided and trained...
CAPT Beavers, you stand relieved…
We now have the watch.
Captain Gregory M. Beavers
Medical Service Corps,
United States Navy
Captain Mark Beavers received his B.S. in
Biology in 1980 from James Madison
University, Harrisonburg, VA and his M.S. in
Entomology in 1983 from the University of
Florida, Gainesville, FL. Captain Beavers
then spent two years in Florida’s orange
groves as a Biological Technician at the
Citrus Research and Education Center, Lake
Alfred, FL before receiving his direct
commission as a Navy entomologist in 1985.
Upon graduation from Officer Indoctrination
School, Newport, RI, CAPT Beavers reported
to Navy Disease Vector Ecology and Control Center, Alameda, CA, as the Assistant
Head of its Training Department. In 1986, he transferred to Navy Environmental and
Preventive Medicine Unit No. Five, San Diego, CA, where he served as the Head of
the Entomology Department. In 1990, he reported to U. S. Naval Hospital, Subic
Bay, Republic of the Philippines, and served as Head of the Preventive Medicine
Department and its Entomology Division. His tour included experiencing the
devastating volcanic eruption of Mount Pinatubo, the Navy’s subsequent recovery
efforts and the closure of the Naval Hospital and Naval Facility in November 1992.
Following this tour, CAPT Beavers was selected for the Navy’s Duty Under
Instruction (DUINS) program and he received his Ph.D. in Entomology from the
University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY in 1996. Mentored by Dr. Fred Knapp,
CAPT Beavers’ dissertation was on using remote sensing and geographic
information system (GIS) technologies to detect larval mosquito habitats of
container-breeding mosquitoes. In 1996, CAPT Beavers reported to Naval Medical
Research Unit No. Three, Cairo, Egypt, where he served as a research entomologist,
and subsequently as Head of the Medical Zoology Branch. In 1999, he assumed the
position of Officer in Charge, Navy Disease Vector Ecology and Control Center,
Jacksonville, FL. In July 2002, he transferred to Naval Aerospace Medical Research
Laboratory, Pensacola, FL, where he served as the Executive Officer as well as the
Surgeon General’s Specialty Leader for Navy Entomology. In 2005, he reported to
Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, MD where he was detailed as the
Navy Medical Research & Development Liaison to U.S. Army Medical Materiel
Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC), Fort Detrick, MD. Soon after, he
was appointed by the Commanding General of USAMRMC as Director of the
DoD’s $67M Military Infectious Diseases Research Program (MIDRP).
CAPT Beavers reported to the U.S. Armed Forces Pest Management Board
(AFPMB), Washington, DC in 2009 as Chief, Information Services Division and
assumed the position as the AFPMB’s 16th Director in July 2012. His decorations
include the Meritorious Service Medal (4 awards), Navy and Marine Corps
Commendation Medal (2 awards), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (4
awards), as well as other individual and unit service awards. Captain Beavers and his
wife Carol have two sons, James and Michael.
Participants
Master of Ceremonies
Lt Col Mark A. Pomerinke, USAF, BSC
Presiding Officer
Ms. Maureen Sullivan, SES
Guest Speaker
CAPT Stephen J. Savarino, MC, USN
Invocation & Benediction
CAPT Stephen E. Rankin, MSC, USN
Honorary Boatswain
HM3 Christopher Deffinger, USN
Side Boys
CAPT John Sanders III, MC, USN
CAPT Douglas Forcino, MSC, USN
CAPT David Hoel, MSC, USN
CDR Frederick Stell, MSC, USN
Flag Ceremony
HMC Jerrold Diederich, USN
1st Lt Alysha Soper, USAF, BSC
Capt Leah Chapman, USAF, BSC
MAJ Darryl Forest, MS, USA
LTC Jason Richardson, MS, USA
CAPT George Schoeler, MSC, USN
Ship's Bell Ringer
LT Michael Fisher, MSC, USN
Ushers
MAJ Darryl Forest, MSC, USA
Capt Leah Chapman, USAF, BSC
Coordinators
Ms. Marianne Radziewicz, Mr. Terry Carpenter, Mr. David Hill
Photography
Mr. Dave Miles
Sequence of Events
Arrival of the Official Party
National Anthem
Invocation
CAPT Steven E. Rankin, MSC, USN
Remarks
Ms. Maureen Sullivan, SES
Guest Speaker
CAPT Stephen J. Savarino, MC, USN
Presentation of Decoration
Ms. Maureen Sullivan, SES
Presentation of Letters & Gifts
Ms. Maureen Sullivan, SES
Remarks & Reading of Orders
CAPT Gregory M. Beavers, MSC, USN
Flag Ceremony & “Old Glory”
Dr. Richard G. Robbins, PhD
“The Watch”
CDR Frederick Stell, MSC, USN
“The Wife’s Watch”
Mrs. Charlotte Rankin
Benediction
CAPT Steven E. Rankin, MSC, USN
“Permission to Go Ashore”
CAPT Gregory M. Beavers, MSC, USN
AFPMB Directors to Date
COL Ralph W. Bunn, USA
CAPT Richard T. Holway, USN
Col John M. Geary, USAF
COL Robert M. Altman, USA
LTC Harland W. Fowler, USA
CAPT Joseph G. McWilliams, USN
LtCol William P. DuBose, III, USAF
COL Eugene G. Thompson, USA
CAPT Larry A. Lewis, USN
Col Robert W. Clegern, USAF
CAPT Herbert T. Bolton, USN
COL Donald P. Driggers, USA
CAPT Gary C. Breeden, USN
COL Richard N. Johnson, USA
CAPT Stanton E. Cope, USN
CAPT Gregory M. Beavers, USN
18 Feb 57 – 25 Oct 60
25 Oct 60 – 30 Apr 64
1 Mar 64 – 30 Dec 68
1 Jan 69 – 31 Jan 71
1 May 71 – 12 Sep 73
12 Sep 73 – 1 Oct 76
1 Oct 76 – 30 Jun 79
1 Jul 79 – 31 Jul 83
1 Aug 83 – 31 Jul 87
1 Aug 87 – 31 Jul 92
1 Aug 92 – 30 Sep 96
1 Oct 96 – 20 Oct 00
20 Oct 00 – 19 Oct 04
20 Oct 04 – 31 Jul 08
1 Aug 08 – 13 Jul 12
13 Jul 12 – 14 May 15