COMMANDER TRAINING COMMAND
UNITED STATES PACIFIC FLEET
Dear Swede,
On the occasion of your retirement from active naval service I wish to
extend to you, not only for myself but also on behalf of the President,
the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Navy and the chief of Naval
Operations, sincere appreciation for the thirty years of dedicated service
that you have given to your country and to the United States Navy.
In the course of your thirty years of service, you have had a wide
variety of duty assignments, both at sea and ashore. I note that you have
served at sea as executive officer of the radar picket destroyer DYESS,
and have achieved the ultimate goal of every Navy line officer, command at
sea, in the destroyer escort McCOY REYNOLDS, the radar picket destroyer
H. W. TUCKER, and the ammunition ship PARICUTIN. Your assignments ashore
have been equally varied and challenging and include command of the Naval
Ammunition Depot at McAlester, Oklahoma. And finally, I have personal
knowledge of, and am particularly grateful for, your outstanding
performance in your final active duty tour as Commander Nuclear Weapons
Training Group, Pacific. I also note with pleasure that you have earned
numerous campaign and service medals in addition to the Meritorious
Service Medal.
You have served your country and the Navy with honor, devotion and
distinction during a career which encompassed service during World War II,
the Korean Conflict and the Vietnam operations. Your final tour of active
naval service as Commander Nuclear Weapons Training Group, Pacific was
particularly noteworthy in that you provided dynamic leadership, an
inspiring example of personal dedication, and a wealth of operational and
technical knowledge gained through years of experience in the field of
nuclear weaponry to advance the viability of all phases of nuclear
weapons training, thereby making a significant contribution to improved
nuclear weapons maintenance, handling, safety and tactics in the Pacific
Fleet.
Swede, it is with sincere regret that I see you retire from active naval
service. I wish to extend both official and personal gratitude for your
contributions to the naval service throughout your distinguished career,
and most recently to the Training Command, U.S. Pacific Fleet. I am sure
that your many shipmates, friends, and associates join me in wishing you
health, happiness, and good fortune in your new undertakings. Good luck,
and a hearty "Wel1 Done".
Sincerely,
ROGER W. PAINE, Jr.
Rear Admiral, United States Navy
Captain Ralph M. Hanson, Jr., USN
Commander Nuclear Weapons Training Group, Pacific
Naval Air Station, North Island
San Diego, California 92135
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