Carolina QuotesNow 38 years may seem like an awfully long time, and it is, but as I near the finish line, it feels like I've been driving a powerful Corvette at high speed with time and distance flying by.
Hugh Shelton
Carolinian
Source
Farewell remarks as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Armed Forces Full Honor Tribute, Summerall Field, Fort Myer, Virginia, 1 October 2001; printed in the Congressional Record
- form
- speech
- work
- Farewell remarks, Armed Forces Full Honor Tribute
- year
- 2001
Cite this record
“Now 38 years may seem like an awfully long time, and it is, …” Hugh Shelton. Carolina Quotes, record CQ-3A3C50A4C0. https://carolinaquotes.com/quote/3a3c50a4c0
More from Hugh Shelton
But, what a truly incredible journey this has been for a farm boy from North Carolina. America is truly a great land of opportunity.
Already packed away is a lifetime of memories. I'll remember: Thousands of faces, both in peace and war, comrades who fell beside me giving the ultimate sacrifice and their families whose lives were changed forever, the welcome tug of nylon straps as a parachute snaps open, the pride of grasping a guidon or unit colors on a parade ground and the thrill of seeing our red, white, and blue flag unfurl in the morning breeze, the familiar feel of a uniform carefully laid out each night for 38 years, the call to vigilance as the last haunting note of taps rings out in the night or is played in tribute to a fallen comrade, the extraordinary privilege of leading troops, and finally, my days spent with all of you during these past four years.
Today we are still dealing with the aftermath of the Iraq operation to ensure that chaos does not reign and a bitter civil war among the Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds does not end up providing Iran the excuse it's looking for to enter Iraq due to the threat to its border. That's exactly what the Middle East leaders in the countries throughout the region have feared since Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and many have expressed those concerns to me personally on multiple occasions.