Home Sweet Home

So sorry I've been MIA on the blog!  Time just flies by and before I know it, its been weeks before I've posted anything.  I went home a couple of weeks ago for my father's retirement ceremony and reception from the U.S. Coast Guard Band.  After 32 years of service, my dad is saying goodbye!  The ceremony focused on what he has accomplished in his time, which means I get to brag about what a great man he is.  He is retiring as an E9, known as Master Chief (the second highest ranking possible) and was just recently awarded the Meritorious Award.  He was the first person EVER in the Band to receive this award, which recognizes sustained acts of meritorious service.  I also wanted to paste an excerpt of the speech from the Band Director since he describes my father so well, (I wanted to put the whole speech in, but its too long):  

"When I think of Carroll's career, I think it can be summed up in five words - words that also happen to be the Core Values of our Service - Honor, Respect, Devotion to Duty. 

Honor--

To me, honor is an individual trait. It's something that we owe to ourselves--to be honorable. It's about doing the right thing, whether someone is watching, or not. It's defined by a person's habit's--how you conduct yourself, your lifestyle, the example you set--as a member of the Coast Guard, as a husband, as a father.  Carroll Potts is one of the most honorable people I have ever known. He is honest, he is trustworthy. He strives to do the right thing all the time, whether it's a big issue, or a small one.  For example,  I was talking to Carroll about a year ago about the new sign that had been placed near Leamy Hall at the entrance to our parking lot that prevents U-turns down the road into our lot. He was really irritated that people were ignoring the sign,  and still taking U-turns. He said to me, "Ken, its just not honorable (using that word), that people would ignore the sign."  That's just the type of person Carroll is--if it were 2 o'clock in the morning,  and we were just getting back from a late night gig in New York and nobody else were on the Academy grounds, Carroll would make sure that he followed the rules.  That's the type of person he is. Honorable.

Respect--

Respect, to me, is what we owe to each other. It's about how we treat people, and how we relate to people. In the Coast Guard Band, I think we have great personal and professional respect for each other. Respect is what allows us to work together effectively to accomplish our mission. Carroll Potts was raised with respect--its part of his DNA. He has shown the proper respect for his superiors and his subordinates on a daily basis, for 32 years.

Devotion to Duty--

Devotion to Duty is what we owe the Coast Guard, what we owe our country. I'd like to speak about Carroll's Devotion to Duty in two ways--first as a trumpet player, then as a Master Chief.  

There are some seats in the Coast Guard Band that I think of as "hot seats." All of our principal players sit in "hot seats," performing difficult solo passages in every concert. But there is no "hotter seat" than principal trumpet--there are solos all the time! For an unprecedented 20 years, Carroll Potts performed exceptionally as our principal trumpet player--beautiful sound, great technique, fine intonation.  Day after day, concert after concert. Admiral Loy says that preparation equals performance. The reason Carroll performed at such a high level for so many years was the amount of practice time he put in--the preparation, the devotion to duty. It was all the early morning practice sessions before the family was even awake.  It was the discipline. It was the devotion.  You've had so many great moments performing in your career--I'm sure our trips to the Soviet Union, Great Britain and Japan were highlights.  One that sticks in my mind was your beautiful rendition of taps in 1991, in 
Washington, DC, on Memorial Day. You were suspended in a Cherry Picker hundreds of feet off the ground near the Capitol, hundreds of thousands of people below you and a National Television audience of millions listening to you."

WELL SAID!

Here are some pictures from the day:

 A Certificate of Appreciation was given to my mom and all of us (his daughters)
 Afterwards at the house, from the left, my mom, Rachel, Julie, me, Carrie and my dad
 My grandpa and Dad
 During the ceremony, my father was presented with a Coast Guard shadow box showcasing his awards
The shadowbox being presented to my dad

Congratulations Dad!  
You are an inspiration to me.