 Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to today's retirement ceremony in honor of Colonel Carl E. Mason Seniors, more than 34 years of service to the United States Army. I am Lieutenant Colonel Ted Zagraniske, your master of ceremonies. For anyone experiencing their first Army ceremony today, I will be your guide to the proceedings. Shall we begin? The host of today's ceremony is Lieutenant General Kevin Vereen, the Army's Deputy Chief of Staff, G9. Please rise as you are able for honors to the nation and remain standing for the invocation. The national anthem is performed today by Dr. Siralda Herbin, and the invocation will be given by Pastor Gordon Jenkins. Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light, what so proudly we hailed... Our great God, our Heavenly Father, this is day that you have made, and we do rejoice we're glad in it. We are thankful for so many blessings that you have poured out so richly and abundantly upon our lives. We thank you for the freedoms that we enjoy as Americans, and yet today, especially on a day like today, we are mindful that our freedom is not free. And so we give you thanks for all of those generations of Armed Service members who have procured and have purchased that freedom at such great cost individually and to their families and with their lives of sacrifice. Thank you for all of those who are present today, who are in that number. We counted a blessing, Lord, where we, especially on this day, we give you thanks of one in particular, one very special to all of those who are here today, and that is your servant, Colonel Carl Mason. Lord, we thank you for your hand of blessing upon Brother Carl's life, your hand of faithfulness and provision and protection that you have poured out upon him through these many years of service to our great nation. Father, we just thank you for also the thousands, literally thousands of lives that are richer and better and more virtuous because of the sacrifice and service of Carl Mason. And so we give you thanks and praise. And Lord, those things that Colonel Mason held dear, that sense of integrity, of doing the right thing the right way when no one else is looking, that he has passed on to many, many other soldiers and others that he's had influence upon. We pray that that passing of the baton that we see today will be carried out in faithful lives of sacrifice and service for many years, again through the thousands that you have touched through the service and sacrifice of Colonel Mason. Lord, we are also mindful that he did not do this alone. And so we thank you for his precious wife, Christina, for their children, Sam and Maya and Carl Jr. We're mindful that the sacrifice was not Carl's alone, but theirs as well. And we thank you for how you held them together as a family. And they didn't, Brother Carl didn't just minister alone, they ministered as a family. And they sacrificed and served as a family. And so, again, we thank you for that testimony and that light that you set before many because of them as a family. So, bless them for that service. Lord, we thank you as we look on and we behold Colonel Mason's life, that as we come to this day of transition, this day of blessing, that with the Apostle Paul, Colonel Mason can say, I have fought a good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith. That, Lord, you blessed him in such a way that he did not lose his faith in his service, but his faith was strengthened by your grace. And it was manifest in a life of faith and good works. So, Father, we thank you for that, that he can say that with confidence. All of those who have watched his career unfold and who are here to give testimony to that today know that he has fought a good fight and he has kept the faith. He has finished that course set before him with honor and with distinction. And so, Lord, we bless you and we praise you and we would humbly ask for your presence and your blessing upon our time together. Lord, may we not just rush through this time. This is a time of celebration for a life of service and sacrifice well lived. And so, we humbly ask for your blessing and, Lord, just bless every aspect of those who will speak and, Brother Carl as well. But be with our time and may it bring honor and glory to you. And we pray all of these things in the name of your mighty son, our savior, the Lord Jesus Christ and all God's people said amen. Please be seated. Ladies and gentlemen, we would like to extend a warm welcome to the many family, friends, and colleagues in attendance today. And a special welcome to Colonel Mason's wife, Mrs. Christina Mason, and their children, Second Lieutenant Samara Mason, United States Air Force, Miss Samaya Mason, and Carl E. Mason Jr., welcome. Welcome also to the honorable Larry Turner, Inspector General of the United States Department of Labor, the honorable Kathleen Miller, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense Comptroller, and Miss Noreen McDonald. And greetings to the many members of the Mason family, colleagues and friends who are here today or are watching us around the world. Please join me in a round of applause for our distinguished guests. Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce the host of today's ceremony, Lieutenant General Kevin Varee. Okay, I hope I can read this. I'm gonna bring my glasses. How we doing today? Awesome. So I do want to recognize our general officers, retired general officers and active duty general officers as well. So thank you all for coming today. This is a historical date. We say farewell to Carl Mason, Colonel Carl Mason, and I do want to say thank you to the family. I know we recognize Christina and the children, and we do have a lot of family members that have traveled from here and far to be here for the ceremony today. So I want to say thank you all for gracing us today, and thank you for supporting the Mason family. And so I'll just sum it up. I'll tell you the prayer had my whole speech in it. It really did. So that was a wonderful prayer. You must have been reading my notes with your eyes closed, but it's all good. You know, I couldn't have said it better than what was in the prayer, but I will try to. It's my dad used to say I'm from the country, so I'm gonna cut across the cornfield here. At least try to bring this to a close at some point in time. So I do want to say it is an honor for me to be able to do this for Carl and his family. I'm just so honored and it's great to have so many people in the room here, which really represents what Carl's all about. And I'll just talk a little bit about that in a minute. But you know, I do want to just talk about Christina and how they met and how Carl kind of, I guess, wrote her in. You know, they met at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke. You know anything about Pembroke and where it is? I think they call it Pembroke, but I call it Pembroke. Because I'm from North Carolina. So, you know, it was an opportunity where I think Carl, when he first saw her, he laid eyes on her and said he's going to marry her one day. And I was like, you're a mighty confident man. But your wishes came true there, Carl. And so I can say, I guess you had to use some of our famous artists, musical artists, using the eight track in the cassette to kind of get her where she thought she would want to marry him. And I think you said he listed some artists like, you know, Tina Marie Teddy Pendergrass, you know, Cameo and Luther. I don't have to say his last name because y'all know what I'm talking about. I was a little shocked that you didn't mention Earth, Wind and Fire, which is my favorite group. And it's all good. Whatever works for you, it's what works for you. And so I think after that, Christina said maybe. Maybe. But I think it was really the, you know, the greatest eternity that kind of turned the tables. And, you know, when you kind of wearing the colors of crimson and cream, you have no other option but to fall in line. So Christina, thank you for gracing us and Carl did his work. So that was the game changer, I'm sure, 24 years later. So here we are. You all are still married and we really want to say what a wonderful family. So I know Carl, if your parents were alive today, they would be absolutely proud of you. But I know they're smiling from heaven that, you know, a young man from the big city of Goldsboro, you know, dreaming one day that he could wear the, you know, the Carolina blue, which I'm a fan as well, Dean Smith and playing for Dean Smith in North Carolina. But I only just tell you, you signed on to the greatest team that our country could have. That's the United States military, specifically the United States Army. And so you have served on a championship team. And I want you to know that. So Carl is a masterful soldier and logistician. If you read his biography, you will absolutely know that his career stands on its own. It needs no validation. He's no clarification. He's served and commanded at every echelon. And he's also led our soldiers in combat. So I'm not going to talk about his numerous jobs that he's performed, but I do have just a few notes from folks who I reached out to to kind of put in some words, the impact of Carl Mason. And I'm just going to read a few. And this one says Carl is an outstanding person, a family man, and a soldier. You don't have to look far regarding the Mason legacy. Their children are shining stars and are doing great things for America. Carl was my Kimbo in the second tank, seventy second armor. He said deuce tank in Korea. He learned quickly and was revered, revered by the battalion commander and most armor lieutenants. I wrote Carl pretty hard because I knew he had so much potential. I wanted to make Carl a tank platoon leader at one point. However, the raging Cajun said no to major general honoree at the time, major general honoree. And so he was not going to have a Kimbo leading officer leading the tank platoon. But regardless, he was definitely held in high regard. And that's from Von Brickhouse, who you served with. I also have a note here that just says, I find that this day brings a blend of emotions as I reflect on the sacrifice together across the years. I ought to begin by saying thank you to the Mason family and thank you for your service Carl over decades of service. We speak about leadership regularly in our profession of arms as if there were some sort of commodity that is easily available in a local store. This couldn't be far from the truth in your legacy of leadership and the imprint you've made on the joint force of Ripple throughout national security institutions for decades. And that's from Lee Lee, major general U.S. Air Force retired. Please extend my thanks to Carl and his leadership and dedication to our army over years, a number of years. I ask that you highlight on behalf of Carl's consistent selflessness, unselfishness. It is never about himself. Rather, Carl has acted as a true servant leader, always seeking to lift others up. That's from Major General Gavin Lawrence. And then finally, Carl Mason's legacy is set. He will be remembered not only for his intellect, but as a tremendous sustainer and his unique ability to build cohesive teams and make everyone around him feel better and about everything concerning them. And that's from General Charles Hamilton, Commander A.S.C. So again, just a few of a number of folks who were impacted by Carl and what he's done. And I know that what you've seen and what you've heard and what you've read are really the call as a soldier, but I would also say there's a gentleman side to Carl. And there's a couple of things I just want to highlight. One is his deep, deep love for his family. Yes, we've all lost family members along the way as we have journeyed in this army life. But if you've been around him longer than five minutes, I guarantee you he's going to talk about his wife and he's going to talk about his kids. And that is Carl. The second thing is his deep faith. He's a man of faith. And he demonstrates it not only in his words, but also in his actions. He truly walks to walk and talks to talk every single day. He's definitely committed to mentoring anyone and everyone. Everyone he meets. And he has no problem with tasking me to shore up my mentoring skills as well. He'll just bring folks in my office and say, sir, I need you to talk to this person. I'm like, right now? Yes. Yeah, he's met hundreds of men and women. And just looking for here for someone to listen. And he's a person that was always willing to help. And then the last thing he's a giver. He's giver of his time, talents, and resources. And if you want to make an impact in this world, you've got to give all three of those, your time, your talent, and your resources. So he's a wonderful soldier, a wonderful person, a wonderful father, husband. But I do say I questioned a couple of things that Carl has listed in his bio. First, a little bit of over-exaggeration, I think. His ability to play basketball. I think that was a little over-exaggeration. I haven't seen him play. But I would just tell you that, regarding me, who needs practice, Carl? Not me. He said they call it a money. I hope it wasn't a bunch of pennies in his pocket, but it's probably about what your game like. But anyway, he does a lot of self-promoting, if you all don't know him. So money, maybe one day you and I can get on the court. And I can teach you a few things, but you've got to come with more than pennies. It costs a lot to play with the big dogs. Second is his golfing abilities. He said he played golf. But then he put a note in there, like, I dress well on the golf course. He did not want that invite. He said, I dress. I dress good. Okay, all right. I'll leave that alone. So, Carl, it's been an honor to be able to serve with you. It's been an honor to be on this great Army team, and I just can't say enough about your family. I want to thank you for the family for your support. You've missed anniversaries, birthdays, special events, honeymoon, and probably anniversaries behind them and everything else that happens to your family. And those are things that we can never get back. And so I want to thank your family for supporting him through that. And when he had to be away, you understood why. It's all about our service to our country and to our Army. And then, Carl, I want to thank you for your service, too. If there's one thing I can share with you is don't ever look back and question why you made the decision to retire. We've given 100% and then some to our Army. And many people don't do that. So you can rest assured that you have answered every call. You've done everything we've asked you to do. And now it's time for you to enjoy the fruits of your labor. And then there is a famous quote that I'll kind of end with. And we all know him. General Colin Powell. And he says this, and I think if you read and you've heard all the things that Carl has done in his Army career, wearing a uniform, serving soldiers, helping and assisting wherever he can. You know, General Colin Powell is famous for his quote and he talks about leadership. And he says leadership is solving problems. He says the day that your soldiers stop bringing their problems to you is the day that you have stopped leading them. And they have lost confidence that you don't either want to help them or you don't care. And either way, it's a failure of leadership. So I'll leave you with that, Carl. You have not failed the Army. You have led, if you have led through some challenging times in our Army, but you've always put your family and your soldiers first. And that's all we can ask for a leader, is to put their family and their soldiers first. And so, Carl, thank you from all of us who are wearing a uniform and those who have worn a uniform. We want to say thank you and we wish you Godspeed as you move on to the second phase of your life and your career. So thank you very much. Thank you, sir. Carl Mason is now joining Lieutenant General Overeen at center stage for the Retirement Award presentation. At Army Functions, the words attention to orders are given prior to the formal presentation of an award or recognition. When you hear those words, everyone is asked to please remain seated, silence all conversations, and focus on the presentation of the award. Attention to orders. To all who shall see these presents, greeting. This is to certify that the President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, has awarded the Legion of Merit to Colonel Carl E. Mason, United States Army, for exceptionally meritorious service in duties of great responsibility over a 34-year career, culminating as the Director Strategic Initiatives Group, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff G9, from 15 July 2022 to 1 March 2024. Colonel Mason commanded units from company to brigade level, providing steadfast leadership across a broad array of programs geared toward improving readiness and resilience of the total Army. Colonel Mason's achievements, dedication, and exemplary performance are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit on him, the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff G9 at the United States Army, signed Lieutenant General Kevin Vareen, Deputy Chief of Staff G9. Now we ask Mrs. Mason and the children to come up for the certificate presentations. First, a certificate of retirement from the Armed Forces of the United States of America. To all who shall see these presents greeting, this is to certify that Colonel Carl E. Mason, having served faithfully and honorably, was retired from the United States Army on the 29th day of February 2024, signed Randy A. George, General United States Army, Chief of Staff. Next, a certificate of appreciation from the President of the United States. A certificate of appreciation for service in the Armed Forces of the United States of America. Colonel Carl E. Mason, I extend my personal gratitude and the sincere appreciation of a grateful nation to you for your patriotic service to our country. Your bravery, dedication in our Armed Forces helped protect your fellow Americans during a critical moment in our history and contributed to a world of greater security and growing prosperity. Your devotion to duty, honor, and country in keeping with the long traditions of the finest military in the world embodied the American ideal of selfless service. Our nation owes you an incredible debt. Your commitment and the example you set will inspire future generations to serve with pride and to keep our country secure. And the best of our nation, and I join our fellow Americans in saluting you your honorable service. I wish you happiness and success in your next chapter, signed Joseph R. Biden Jr., Commander-in-Chief. And now we have one more certificate to present. This one is for Mrs. Mason. A certificate of appreciation to all who shall see these presents greeting. This is to certify that Mrs. Christina P. Mason on the occasion of the retirement of your spouse from the United States Army has earned grateful appreciation for your own unselfish, faithful, and devoted service. Your unfailing support and understanding helped to make possible your spouse's lasting contribution to the nation, signed Randy A. George, General United States Army Chief of Staff. Thank you very much, everyone. Please take your seats. Ladies and gentlemen, at this time, Sergeant Major Retire James A. Magruder will perform a special tribute known as Old Glory, followed by the presentation of the American flag to Colonel Mason. Ho! Can't get a ho! Next y'all, how y'all doing? Y'all sound like we was at a cruise. We're not at a cruise. Can't get a ho! It sounded like this to me. And you're happy about being here. Oh, why'd you call it a beer? So, Colonel Mason, let me just thank you for a lot of mean to be a small part of your service today. You know, if someone asked me to present here with the flag of the United States of America, I take that very personally. And I go all out and make sure everything goes well to the best of my ability. Because I'm at 600 some of these. I love Old Glory. Did you know most veterans never get presented their own flag when the next kid gets it? So today, we call it all Old Glory. But one day, as veterans, Old Glory will honor us. And if you're not flying Old Glory at home, shame on you. I am the flag of the United States of America. My name is Old Glory. I fly top of the world's tallest buildings. I stand watch in America's halls of justice. I fly majestically over great institutions of learning. I stand guard with the greatest military power in the world. Look up and see me. I stand for peace, honor, truth, and justice. I stand for freedom. I am confident. I am arrogant and I'm proud. When I'm flown with my fellow banners, my head is a little higher. I bow to no other. I am recognized all over the world. I am worshiped. I am saluted. I am respected and I'm revered. I'm loved and I'm feared. I fought in every battle of every war for more than 200 years. Battles such as Gettysburg, Shalo, Epimatoc, Senjuan Hill, The Triches of France, The Argonne Forest, Anzio, The Beaches of Normandy, Guam, Okinawa, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Panama, The Persian Gulf, The Mountains of Afghanistan, and the Spice of Baghdad. And scores of places long forgotten by all, but those who were with me, I was there. I've led my servicemen. I followed them. I watched over them. They loved me. I was on a spa here in Iwo Jima. I was dirty, battle-worn, and tired for service being charity, and I was proud. And trampled on the Spice of Baghdad, yet to the set free. It does not hurt, because I am invincible. I've been sore, torn, burned, and trampled on the Spice of my own country. And what it is I've overdo my thirst in battle, it hurts. But I shall overcome, for I am strong. I have stuck the bounds of purpose where my veins grow and move. I stand once on uncharted news from Tim's face. I've been a solid witness to all of America's finest hour. But my finest hour comes when I'm torn in the spirit to be used and vented for my only command and when I fly as staff during my service. And when I'm lying in the trumpet of a breathing mother at the gray side of a fallen son or daughter, I am proud. My name protected at the ever mind that you have learned, trained, and inspired throughout your house. You have been born in 34 years of dedicated service to our country. That's so you could follow 10% and defend this flag of equal power. I'm sure it's only for life you know it can be whole. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to start off with a few quick thank you. General Marine, that's who I am. That's what makes you different so I'm ready to thank you for and I put that in there because what we talked about because I believe one of the failures today is that they don't allow the NCOs to leave because the NCOs would say that they are the keeper of the soldiers but they've got to get the soldiers, the officers and all of them. Just a few quick more thank yous before I I'm going to start I'm going to hit a few people on the front row, the honorable Larry Turner and General Marine says I do kind of self-promote myself when you know you got to make it funny. So when I first met the honorable Larry Turner obviously he's part of the greatest return in the world but he told me that he said you got to always look the part and so you know I would come and I would try to address Mr. Turner and then so Mr. Turner leaned over one day he said your closet's not that big you know you got to start with a few jokes you know I'm going to get the honorable Miss Miller too so I used to be I was Miss Miller's first male XO ever and so when I left her I went to battalion command and so my CG was the deputy G3 so he went out and came to CG and so you know we was at command and it snowed about that Carson at 704 and so Miss Miller got kind of caught in the snow you know it's a great story so we were running kind of late my brigade commander said when were we going to start and the CG said he said I don't care how late we are we ain't going to start until Miss Miller gets here and he said why is that sir he said because something you don't know about Miss Miller and everybody started laughing and so and so he said so we're going to wait and of course you know Miss we had Miss Miller seat beside my boss and I love it so she came in late and she had this huge white mink coat on and I mean like she glared across the thing but I thank her for everything giving me the opportunity and making me read every book before I went to the war college when I was serving as an XO general being on humble that you would fly from Texas to come here I have to take the time to thank you guys because you guys took time out of your schedule and protocol was terrified when they saw my list so I have to at least at least they were trying to figure out who I was probably I have to thank you for doing it you and PJ have always been there even when I was in battalion command after Miss Miller answered it I met General Bingham she said she needed a aide and she kept me out like I didn't have PT in the morning but I wanted to thank you thank you ma'am General Mark you know I'm going to get hurt so back then when you were in battalion command your whole life was to make it through NTC and so I had got all these attachments I got this MP company and I highlight her because you know we talk about this as I said General Vereen is a better man and a great soldier but you want to test these guys so I went to her office I said ma'am I got this MP company she said clear my account she got up she's a one star she got up and I tell you as we talk about dedication to people caring for you she drew out what I should do with all my attachments on the board and I said you know what and I actually killed at NTC but I would never forget that story now I'm giving her the credit now now you know the truth I'm going to message General Smith I don't want to get this opportunity again so General Smith obviously another guy part of the great fraternity we call General Smith the grand hater because everywhere you go he's always messing with you and you know he was the IG he's better than General Mark because he would always say man I heard something about you so he's the IG so you're terrified man what did you hear he would never tell you what he heard and so you know I'm telling everybody to get investigated you're fine you're fine I don't know that was a difficult call so you know it has to be partial truth hey General Proctor thank you for your undiagnosed service one day you're going to be part of the other part of my speech but hey I thank you for this and Ms. Hurd I'm going to beat up on you she was at my 06 promotion at DLA and she gave me an addition to duty so she said Colonel Mason gave a great speech but I don't know if that was a speech or a trial sermon so after that my pastor put me on the docket so I've been so I thank you for you and your husband always doing this just all of you Mr. Redhouse and Dr. Hedge I thank you guys and thank all of you I want to do that up front I have from Mr. McPete coming in with his smooth hat on I saw my old battalion commander who told me the pressure is the same and I even got my college roommate in here Andre Spicer who drove up what and I just want to attack people my supply sergeant drove up Sergeant Hague is my old company commander buddy Reagan Allen just a few people I thank you all of you for coming because I know I'm going to miss somebody but I want to hit a few because I'm starting to get emotional so let me get into what I do so today as Jennifer Reed said it's like I read his notes too what do you say at a ceremony I believe retirement is an unbiblical thing I don't believe that no one retires because you know as people sit in the front you know he's still General Smith and he'll let you know and he's General Proctor he's on his car if you don't know so you know they come in where am I see that so so that's why I say retirement is no such thing you transition you transition I'm going to give my license plate I won't be the 47th quartermaster general but I will I'll bet I'll be the colonel so I say this so what do you say at these ceremonies my pastor talking about it I'm going to write something down I take Jennifer Reed to see what he's doing on his feet he said I'm good I was like that ain't no help thanks sir so I said I started reading the good book that's always my guide and so it took me to the second chapter of Timothy and so as you look at that and it's great today because the boss mentioned that why did he mention that because what did Paul do the girl was going to kill him but he thought enough of the people to write his last letter his last time on this earth not to the family but to the people he served so today I would like to to follow that and I want to continue on with the first, as Jennifer Reed said the first exercise I had as a second lieutenant and the name of my speech is called the tube kit as a Colonel and I'm going to leave you with this and I'm going to be quick so y'all can eat the food and I know it's warm in here so my first assignment in the Army I thought was amazing my battalion commander I had briefed the Secretary of Defense in OBC so I guess I've been thrown in the fire right at the beginning and so I thought I was going to photograph they changed it and sent me to Korea that's how I got to Camp Casey 272 Army and then so the battalion commander gave this assignment out and I was the only lieutenant that did and so it was I'm not going to talk about what he did because that's probably not legal now but uh so the assignment was what is your legacy and what type of leader are you going to be and so I came in his office and I was like wow you know sir and I had this lunch box a Bible a mirror and a deck of cards and so he was like okay this is interesting he said but you already got a leader because you're the only lieutenant that did this and so that's how I rise they were going to make me a tank between them and so he said well talk me through this and I said okay sir this will be my legacy and he said because this assignment should never end it should continue to go he said because if you're not thinking about that then you're not the leader that I believe that you can be and what people have already said about you at the second he said so and so I think today this is because I think today we're struggling with leaders I think the army today and me and Sir Major Perry talking about this they're struggling with leaders and leaders but I want to give you a few things from my two kids I don't have as many as General Beacon because you know she's a general but I just want to give you a few of them so let's start so I got four F's and I'm going to hit these and I'm going to get out of the way and do this the first F is my faith I got the good book here why did I start with because I believe that people they get out the gate wrong they start wrong and so if you get out the gate wrong what are you doing the things behind you trip you up so the General Marines they press forward the mark of the High College you can't run because you're tripping on things behind you so if you don't have any faith because as I tell my daughter who's a second lieutenant believe me they need you and you'll learn that when you show up at a unit whether it's coming here whether it's whatever Miss Miller's showing up they had no vote on you so our major is they're praying that you're going to be worth your salt but they had no vote on you so you showed up even at this level they got appointed and they showed up they have no vote on you but when they show up they're expecting you to be everything that they've been reading about as I look at Mr. Williams back there if you're not then what do we call you the 501st we called you a paper line you look good on paper but you're not that guy and we still waiting to find but I'm serious we say that but that's what you are you own this paper you look great where you be thinking where is that guy some regiment is on the where is that guy he ain't that drinking where is that guy where is that guy so my faith and I stand on that Bible and I told him I leaned at because I'm a great Matthew 7 which I think is one of the scary scriptures and the Bible says you're talking to me you're working with me I never knew you but what gets me about that is the same thing I want to tie to this it's an open book test so when people show up and they're not prepared why didn't you read the book I would never go in one of these general offices anybody's office is unprepared because there's a book for everything but we struggle in that on the first F because we don't have any faith in people the second F is what is your foundation I got a lunchbox there General Green and all of them we're all from North Carolina and we're all a funny thing within 30 minutes of each of them no one ever gets that we would be here probably today I had a lunchbox because that's what my dad gave me he was just going out of the house and head out and the lunchbox is he says son you need to bring your work at it and you need to bring your heart every day because he said that's the foundation because you know what and he did this and I'll never forget it he opened it and it was nothing inside he said but the great thing about that no one knows that but as long as it stays closed you can grow and put things inside and that's how you build your foundation your brain is to work every day you've already started off wrong so I don't know if people show up ready to work every day I don't know if they bring that lunch so they have no foundation and so you know what when you struggle everybody else struggles no matter what so people say we're busy but you're just doing a lot but you're not getting nothing done because they have no direction so you got to bring your lunch today you got to have your faith intact and you got to have your foundation bring your lunch every day and you know what what you put on the inside it's what I've as I told the stories up front that's why I did those are things that I put on the inside that I take with me because you know what the general prompt they call you all the times of the night so you got to always have your lunch ready to care and you know what and I use him because he does but I say that because you should always be prepared because you always care your lunch meal my dad says Genesis 1 says God he created the heavens and earth we know that as it goes around then as you proceed through it says he created us to work that's why I say there's no such thing as retirement now you may transition to something else but you still got to continue to work General Begum's here he's transitioning a lot General Prox transitioning we all have to do it but we don't stop it's a great book that I challenge you to read called Halftime by Bob Buford and it talks about that transition it says we go from success to significance so my first half I think I did well General Green I thank you sir for highlighting it I thank all of you for feeling it that was success now it's time for me to take all that I've learned about halftime because I'm only at halftime and now it's time to move to significance and carry my lunch pail with me to the next chapter there's still work to be done a person who won't stand for nothing will fall for anything and people will fall because there's no one there to teach them how to stand break your lunch pail the mirror not because I'm a brother of Calvi outside do I have it in here I knew that was coming but why I say that the mirror represents your fortitude your fortitude is your mindset that you change to accept things that are tough that's really what it means and why do I got a mirror because you need to look inside and look at yourself because if you don't master that person you would never move forward because I've realized in my years that's the greatest enemy that's the person that really beats you down because they're looking back if you can't tell that person I'm all that what the good lord has made I'm all that and I show up every day with my Bible, with my lunch pail and I can look at that guy and say hey I am better than that I am ready to lead if you can't do that then you've already lost and not have you lost your soldiers lost and who else loses your family because if you stick at leadership at work you suck at home that's Jenniferina Teller he said get out of here he'll start kicking us out we used to call Miss Miller's husband it was a Nat game, we're getting her out there early Mr. Lohman had to work today but he knows what I learned from Mr. Lohman he was always smiling but we used to call him Batman because he would sneak out the back door but you got to balance that they taught me that she'd be in full Nat's gear rolling out but you got to balance that that's part of it see we only it kills me we look at our evaluations at work and we'll say hey I got a top block I got a five, I got this what does your home eval look like what is my wife writing on me what are my kids writing on me that's right, you see it that's the me I'm getting that cinema out I'm trying to get up that's why I added some major recruiter I'm trying to get up you see that's very true in my past they hit it because we talk about that I've been to so many retirement ceremonies where they got a daughter like mine a second lieutenant and they got a kid in the garden because things happen things cycle so you have to be able to look at that person in the mirror and be that guy and leave you have to do that you have to study you have to be prepared when they come in that office my daughter is learning that now she's been in the Air Force six months and she's a flight commander she hasn't been to school yet and she said dad I'll be like yeah just get on in there you good get on in there that's what they told me get on in there she's in there but because I told her nobody cares what rank you are if you're doing the job nobody cares nobody cares she hasn't been to school your commander don't care I said look in the mirror every day master that person and you go out there and get after you gotta go out people love to use the scripture Jeremiah 27 iron sharpers iron but it's amazing to me that nobody wants to get into the fight nobody wants to get into the fight the first person keeping you out in the fire is that person that's looking back in the mirror master that person so we talked about our faith we talked about our foundation we talked about the fortitude and you know and I would end with this I got to recognize the good brothers 35 years ago 6 days 4 hours 10 seconds and I say that because jenniferry highlighted I came to college well a lot of people don't know as we talk about fortitude my mother was killed 2 days after Christmas my senior year in high school I was broken I was going down the wrong path and I tell you I honor my fraternity and I work in there because 1. I believe God gave it to me as a ministry and 2. because I really believe kappa have aside probably saved my life so I was able to I made the line you know back then and they shaved my hair and my eyebrows and he said move all into this room together with 6 mattresses there and I tell you and I say that because people talk about it but I tell you what it did it kept me disciplined for a long time until I but it probably saved my life and it taught me things to give me back to my faith to my foundation and it gave me fortitude they taught me things like excuses the tools of incompetence they give monuments to nothing those that specialize themselves will do anything else excuse me excuse me excuse me excuse me that's why when I got in the army I defogated Miss Billigan that's right they told me things like be strong I played dream of drift for this hard work to be done and loads of live should not be struggling for as God's gift be strong they told me them things so when the talk made me say hey sir it's on you man you gotta pick it up we're not right man you gotta pick it up you gotta be strong you gotta have that fortitude that's why I got deck of cards this is what I want to leave you with all you get these tools if you choose so my boss was sitting there I dealt seven cards out and he was about to grab it I said sir don't touch him he said why not I said sir because it doesn't matter what them cards are you gotta play it see God dealt my family to me whatever unit I show up so it doesn't matter sir what them cards are so I want you to accept that first that those are your cards see that's the problem today people want to pick their cards they want to pick their team you know general marine didn't come in and say hey man I want this guy I want this they didn't do that they want to pick their team and what would they do they'll pick all the high cards in the deck see that's not leadership that's like her ship and see then I said okay sir pick those cards up so you pick the seven cards up and I said he said well I said sir don't tell me what you got I said because the lesson I will leave you with is your goal is to organize them cards and win the hand doesn't matter the way you organize them because I may do it differently but you have to accept that and organize those cards so that you can win your hand when you figure that out then you can look behind you because people are following you and you're not just on a stroll see that's the problem people think they're leading but they're just on a stroll you got to get the cards you got to organize them to be who you are so why do I do that as a family because I throw wherever I go into a family general marine is right I walk in his office I walk into our major's office because it has to be a family why do I say that because we spend more time with people at work than we do with our own family I don't live in hell at home I would not live in hell at work but we do every day organize the cards have your faith together that's your baseline make sure that your foundation is straight have the courage and the commitment to move forward accept who you are and lead and create a family create a team be that person that we've been waiting on that we knew you are but if you don't believe it like my golf game at least look so with that I'm going to transition to a few things about my family those are my tools that's what I did that's what I told it and as I transitioned to tokens I told them I chose those things and I leave it like that because you know what I did it as a second lieutenant here I am now transitioning out and I said sir this assignment never changes it continues on it's a legacy so it's about the legacy that you leave it's not about what you do it's about the people that you help and the legacy that you leave it's about the the gift bags let me get these blue ones right here so I'm going to give these out of the way so we can move on because I don't feed you spiritually now I know y'all ready to eat so alright I'm going to hit my two pieces off because they came up here and they said all this is the man so I'm going to continue being the man so I'm going to give you that let me grab one more gift for my sister-in-law I tried to label these so they would go fast to tell you that I apologize that's not it so this is for my my sister-in-law my aunt let me get these out I'm about to pass out stand up Ms. Pleasant I'm going to call you out let me give my uncle and aunt Dr. Kevin Pleasants I'm going to hit them off right quick yep and Tracy thank you so my uncle and Dr. Kevin Pleasants and his wife Tracy if you have me in Brawley he's the past of chosen generation church he's retired, saw her first class and you know what, a great story he used to work for January and when he was in recruitment for man he used to work for a transportation a life of service he started a powerful ministry in Raleigh, North Carolina to invest in IU and that's where I kind of got my saying each one must teach one to reach one so I thank you give me that big red bag small gold one just right here all right let me give my family out of the way so this is for my nephew and my niece I'm going to do this Shanae so I have two older brothers one is in North Carolina he couldn't be here today and I have one that passed he passed six months after my mother did and he had a daughter a beautiful daughter he passed and she was 15 months old she's going on to graduate with her bachelor's and her master's degree and being an amazing counselor and teacher and I'm so proud of her and I was honored when I got to escort her at her wedding and so and then she has a husband Q a good man about fraternity so she picked well and I would like to share this Jennifer Reed knows this and so sadly her mother passed four months ago she won her battle with cancer I would say and she told me to do one thing she said continue to watch over and love her and that's what I'm going to do so yeah that's good all right so my uncle my mother's brother the written pretty boy so he was the one that was outside smoozing y'all down when he came in I would apologize to all the ladies up front he called you things like Darling Colonel Darling walked in and things like that but I tell you I've always been there since I was young when my mother got mad at me she would call me his name I knew I was really in trouble but I tell you I love him and he's always there and he's had some health problems but he pressed forward and drove from Atlanta to be here so I thank Mr. Leon Pleasant my father-in-law he hit him up so Jennifer Reed said a great quote from the great General Colin Powell so my father-in-law saw his first class and tied Leon Pleasant Jennifer Reed didn't know this but I was hoping he was going to use that quote my father-in-law served in General Powell's battalion when he was a battalion commander and so that's great and everybody's like wow the sad thing is that he always compared me to General Powell kind of tough but I appreciate him he told me when I first talked to him he told me that I was the right man for his daughter and I tell you I love him and I appreciate that alright so I'm going to hit my pastor off and his wife surprised because they didn't know this so obviously as I said Ms. Hurt had told me that I needed to be on the teaching document so my pastor heard you and he had me speaking to my pastor is the deputy IT director for Fairfax County Schools and so he allowed me to speak to his guys on the leadership day I took a book out of General Marines and I talked about 200 people you know it's different when you talk to Sabine's completed out of the military I was pretty nervous so I was pretty nervous I was like wow you know you see people like Amber English they can boo you out of the state I'm like sir thanks for the company and so I tell you I appreciate him I sit under him now as he moves to be our senior pastor I love him and I tell you I'm honored that you could do the prayer today so the last the final flowers and my son is for Ted so I want to thank first of all all of the G9 for everything you did all the proffers and everyone for what you did but I tell you I was going to do the Fort Myers Ceremony and slide out Ted lectured me and then General Marine lectured me when I went to his office and General Marine said he said you know everybody man in the world that you're going to get out of here but I want to thank Ted Z I think he did a great job you give these guys a round of applause everybody I thank you but Ted I got a little token for you man so you can keep our tradition on Fridays going okay alright I'll give him first I can get this big so this big bag is for my namesake called Eric Mason Junior you know I got my oldest daughter who's watching online my granddaughter and my son-in-law couldn't be here today she she's in an executive at Cisco and so how God has blessed me is as I'm retiring because she was my one that said I would never go in the military then the big thing is since I've been transitioning out now we're having these great conversations I want to tell her because she's closing a huge deal with Cisco today and maybe I'll get some of the commission for this but I want to tell her I love her and my granddaughter Johanna and my son-in-law he ain't have bad Ted Keegan so my son Carl Mason Junior uh probably the best man I know he could be doing a lot of other stuff at 17 and a senior 4.1 GPA all dual enrollment classes got the pick of the litter of a lot of things but he chooses to do the right thing and he and he told me he said dad one day we were in a car and I tell you guys as I talked about my two kids he told me something that I would never forget and I was always loving for him we were riding, we'd go get our haircuts you know, father and son thing and he looked over at me and he said hey dad you're doing a great job as my father you know I've done a lot and had a lot of people to say great things about me but for your son to look over there and say that it's amazing and I tell you I love him he's going to do something great I'm going to hit my sister because she's already crying trying to look away from me so straight from Galveston, Texas as you see they do big things and she got a big outfit on her big boots Jena Marie we were messing this so I made you like wow that's what I'm talking about so you know first of all I would like to honor her husband Mr. Leonard Hotow, he's a marine veteran he traveled because of his heart so I want to tell him we love him she flew in from Galveston, Texas and so no matter where we are she's always going to be there for us and you know it's my big sister, she still treats me like that you know and I tell you I love her and I tell you she is always on her knees praying for me and I thank you and I love you alright mother-mother-in-law 80 second dusting don't judge my father don't judge my father-in-law don't judge my father-in-law don't judge my father-in-law Jena Marie let me figure this out he's my man that's that my wife mother Miss Jeannie I tell you always been an entrepreneur how she came over here started her own business and started doing things but I tell you the greatest thing that I love about her is the love that she has for the grandkids and no matter what I tell her they don't need if I tell her they don't need she's going to get through and whether we are wherever we are she's always going to be there and I tell you I love you and I thank you alright my daughter Sumiah so my daughter Sumiah is a champion for autism so she has been a champion there ever since she she's done this I'm going to get through Miss Miller I'm going to get through this and so everything they said she couldn't do she did and so this year she transitioned from high school and there's a program at George Mason if you don't know it's one of the top programs for children autism to go to college out of 10,000 applicants they go from 10,000 or more all over the country all over the world to 37 to 25 and they choose 5 my daughter Sumiah was one of the 5 that got me second lieutenant mason boy big time basketball player so she probably was better and so the funny story is I bring that up because so you know I had her in the not paying for college trip and then she said hey dad I don't want to play basketball I'm like what you messing with the church money I ain't taking you paying for college you know I'm going to take you to AAU I could have a range bro I could be riding like Jenna Green but she said dad I'm going to go to the Air Force and cap I'm like man it must be nice to just say I'm going to go to the Air Force cap and so she got in and so she went to her interview and I tell you this defines who my daughter is so the interview is the panel of people and all these people was one Colonel Air Force on six up there he was kind of beating up pretty good and so he asked her a question and they were in a room you know they had the chair there and I made her wear a RTC uniform for high school and he asked her he said and the lady of the president was like good God how many questions are you going to ask her and he asked her what makes her different than everybody else out there was hundreds of kids out there interviewing for all the different cabinets and so my daughter got up she got up she opened the door he said hey ma'am it's Mason we got time she says a lot of people out there she said she said yes sir there's a lot of people out there she said but you asked me what makes me different she said everybody out there all they want is a free ride to education I'm the only one that wants to serve their country that's what makes my daughter better and that's what makes her different and I know at my promotion they say one day that General Mason will walk in the Pentagon they're still right because there she is right there uh oh last but not least will I cry no I'm not because I know I need y'all to eat all this food because I can't take it home so to my wife the gentleman told it you know I didn't put it down I'm a pretty good singer too I can sing a little to her 25 reasons so uh I'm glad General Marine told a good story because you know the real thing is I kind of fabricated Miss Miller knows that's why she's laughing I fabricated my age so I'm a little older than she is and uh and so uh and so and so you know the line was where I mean the story was going well and then uh you know she had a little sorority jacket on and went a little pink and green and and you know and so so I had my jacket on and that was the first time I kind of you know you don't never really wear your frat stuff so I had my jacket on and she looked and she said does that say 89 I was like what so but I tell you uh my wife's amazing she uh she was the one that got the award for your army army RTC scholarship when I retired general Lally in this room he said if the husband and wife and the wife is always better I was like thanks but yeah but uh got selected for the health professional scholarship and she walked in and told me that one of us had to get out and she said I'm gonna do and she told me to do one thing she said be the best every day so that's all I've tried to do and then as Jenaverine told the story she said something to me that I would never forget that I'm gonna end my speech today with I as he said I said look I'm gonna marry you one day and she said I bet you tell all the girls that she said then she came right back Jenaverine's right she came back and said you got all these women I was like what what are you talking about I don't got no girl she said she said but let me tell you something and this is what I leave you guys with the toolkit she said let me tell you what makes me different she said all these women out here and all these people that follow you they can only see what you are now she said what makes me different is she said I can see what you're gonna become and so that's what I tell you it's not how you start out it's how you finish from my parents who really this is their dream my mother told me that one person can make a difference my dad said you know stop asking God for a lighter load asking for a stronger back he said that's what men do they carry the load so I thank you for always being there I thank you for for seeing what no one else saw on me and I love you and I tell you we're gonna end with that because as I said the legacy is it ends with your family because in the end we're all family and the army is one team Army strong I love all y'all ladies and gentlemen please remain standing as you are able for the singing of the army song the lyrics appear on the back of your program watch along sing a song we're the army of the free count the brave count the true who have walked to victory we're the army and proud of our name we're the army and proudly proclaim for us to fight for the right and to build the nation's might and the army goes rolling along proud of all we have done fight until the battle's won and the army goes rolling along the king's life is strong we know you will always know that the army goes rolling along please be seated please be seated ladies and gentlemen in a moment you are welcome to join us for a reception at the back of the ballroom as a reminder there will not be a receiving line this afternoon please also take an opportunity to add your name to a leaf on the tree plaque out in the foyer by doing so you will give team Mason a unique way to look back on the moments we shared here today as they begin life's next chapter together this concludes today's ceremony thank you for attending