PHILADELPHIA –
Family and friends gathered to honor the service of a retiring Army officer at the Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support in Philadelphia June 21.
Army Lt. Col. Paul V. McCullough III, special projects officer with the Construction & Equipment supply chain, spent 20 years with the military.
Patrick Murphy, former Under Secretary of the Army and a former congressman, met McCullough when they were enrolled in the ROTC program at King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Murphy spoke at the ceremony.
“You are the epitome of a soldier for life. And a soldier for life is a leader of character dedicated to a lifetime of service,” Murphy said. “You’ll always have the love of country stamped in your heart.”
Army Maj. Gen. David G. Bassett, program executive officer for Command, Control and Communications-Tactical, officiated the ceremony and expressed his gratitude to McCullough.
“Today we thank you for 20 years of service,” he said. ”And we thank your family for all they’ve done through 20 years of deployments, 20 years of travel and 20 years of Paul being away.”
McCullough also thanked his wife and children for their sacrifices, and to the friends and colleagues who had an impact on his life during his time serving in uniform.
“There are far too many to name,” he said. “But I will say this, I feel so blessed to have them in my life.”
He said he’ll miss the comradery of the Army, but he won’t miss the deployments and other missions that took him away from his family.
“It’s given me tremendous opportunities and made me the person that I am today,” McCullough said. “I don’t have a single regret in the decision to serve a 20-year career in the military, but it’s time for me to hang up my uniform.”
McCullough plans to work at an organization, co-founded by Murphy, that provides training and education for millennials and transitioning veterans.