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Story by
Sgt. 1st Class Jason Shepherd
Photos by Staff Sgt. Crista Yazzie
United States Army, Pacific Public Affairs Office
FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii -- United States
Army, Pacific bid farewell to its deputy commanding general
in a retirement ceremony held Jan. 4 on historic Palm
Circle. Maj.
Gen. William Brandenburg will retire March 1 with almost 35
years of service, most recently as the USARPAC deputy
commanding general and commander of the 8th Theater Sustainment
Command.
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FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii (Jan. 4,
2007) – Maj Gen. William Brandenburg hugs William
Paty, Pacific region civilian aide to the secretary
of the Army, during the close of Brandenburg's
retirement ceremony.
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Lt. Gen. John M. Brown III, commanding
general, USARPAC, hosted the event and said that of all the
retirement ceremonies he has been a part of, this one was
the most difficult.
"Today, we honor and pay tribute to Maj.
Gen. William Brandenburg and his lovely wife, Sybil, as he
turns the page to another chapter in his life," Brown said.
"We say farewell to Maj. Gen. Brandenburg on the occasion of
his retirement from uniformed military service, a culmination
of over 34 years of loyal, honorable, committed, and selfless
service."
During the ceremony, Brandenburg and
Command Sgt. Maj. Joseph Zettlemoyer, USARPAC command sergeant
major, reviewed the Soldiers on the field while the 111th
Field Band played the marches of the 4th Infantry Division,
25th Infantry Division, 3rd Infantry Division, and the 15th
Infantry Regiment, all units with which Brandenburg served
during his Army career.
All of USARPACs major subordinate commands were represented on
the field, consisting entirely of non-commissioned officers
and led by sergeants' majors.
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FORT SHAFTER,
Hawaii (Jan. 4, 2007) – Amy Leaf, spouse of Lt. Gen.
Daniel P. Leaf, deputy commander ,U.S. Pacific
Command, congratulates Maj. Gen. William Brandenburg
on his retirement.
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Brandenburg received the Distinguished
Service Medal, along with letters of appreciation from
President George W. Bush, Gen. George Casey, Army Chief of
Staff and Gen. Richard Cody, Army Vice Chief of Staff. Sybil
received the Public Service Award from the Army Chief of
Staff for "dedication and genuine concern for quality of
life and family assistance programs."
The Brandenburgs also received the
Honorable Order of Saint Maurice for "significant and
lasting contributions to the Infantry."
During his speech, Brandenburg said that
his family will spend a little time on the beach and the
golf course to figure out where to go next.
"You heard a lot of words today like
distinguished and culminated," he said. "It makes it look
like that's the end of the book, but I'd know that we're
just beginning to write a new chapter."
Brandenburg, a native of South Carolina,
graduated from the Citadel, where he was commissioned in the
Infantry. He has since earned a Masters Degree in
Management.
Brig. Gen. Francis J. Wiercinski replaced
Brandenburg as the deputy commanding general. Wiercinski's
most recent assignment was the Assistant Division Commander
(Support) for 25th Infantry Division and Multi-National
Division-North in Iraq.
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FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii (Jan. 4, 2007) –
U.S. Senator Daniel Akaka greets Maj. Gen. Stephen
Tom, chief of staff, U.S. Pacific Command, prior to
the opening of Maj. Gen. William Brandenburg's
retirement ceremony.
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"We will remain dedicated that your Army in the Pacific is prepared with the
right training, the right equipment and the preservation of the nation's
greatest resource -- our sons and daughters and their families."
