On
Saturday, June 1st, 2002, approximately 70 family, friends and
military joined in the retirement celebration for Navy Chief
Perry J. Wivell who retired after 24+ years of active military
duty. Chief Wivell is the son of Elsie M. Wivell and the late
Albert F. Wivell and his immediate family includes wife, Kim,
and sons, Donald & Kendall.
The celebration began with a Color
Guard from USUHS, Bethesda, MD, presenting the colors to Chief
Wivell and his family. The Color Guard consisted of four
enlisted members representing the different branches of the
service: Army, Navy and Air Force. (Representing one of the
Air Force enlisted members was Staff Sgt. Todd Wivell, nephew
of Chief Wivell.) Presentations were then made to Chief Wivell
by several of the military who were present and also by Chief
Wivell to his wife, sons and mother for their years of support
while he served in the Navy.
In December of 1977, Perry decided to
join the Navy and in May of 1978 he headed for basic training.
After basic training he trained to be a Navy Builder in the
Seabees. The Seabees are the part of the Navy that deal with
construction and building and they serve their time on land as
opposed to the sea.
During the years, Perry was stationed
at many different locations around the world - sometimes with
his family and sometimes on an isolated tour (without family).
Some of his duty stations included: Diego Garcia (Indian
Ocean); Rota, Spain; Bermuda; Sigonella, Sicily; Puerto Rico;
Yap Island (Pacific Ocean); Souda Bay, Crete, Greece; Atsugi,
Japan; Charleston, S.C.; Gulfport, MS and Norfolk, VA.
Chief Wivell retired from the Naval
Base in Norfolk, Virginia, and now resides in Emmitsburg.
Editors
Note: As a son of a career Naval Officer, and a former
Naval Officer myself, I can truly appreciate the dedication it
took to serve our country for 24 long years. The toll it
takes on families during long separation is enormous. We
all owe Perry a might thanks, and tip of the hat, for helping
keep our country free. Bravo Zulu Perry! Bravo Zulu!