SEAs the Day provides retirement ceremony
Although Master Sgt. John Barr retired from the U.S. Army Aug. 31, 2010, in Germany after serving for 20 years, family members could not attend to share the event with him.
Thanks to efforts by Operation SEAs the Day volunteers, Barr, who now lives in Harrington, was able to share the event with his family during a Sept. 10 ceremony in the restored Fort Miles orientation building.
Capt. Zach Morris came from his home in Virginia Beach, Va., to conduct the ceremony. He noted that Barr retired the same month in 2010 that he completed basic training.
He said Barr’s distinguished career includes deployments to Iraq and Kuwait and numerous medals and unit citations.
“This is a special moment with my family sharing this event,” Barr said. “I want to thank my family for their support of each other when I wasn’t there.”
Barr said he planned to attend this year’s event as a returning alumni to support other veterans. He said organizers asked him if he would take part in a retirement ceremony in hopes that other veterans will do the same in the future. “Doing this, I hope the legacy will continue to allow others to share this with their families,” he said.
The orientation building was filled to capacity with other SEAs the Day veterans and families and members of the Fort Miles Historical Association.
SEAs the Day Warrior Family Beach Week was founded in 2013 in Bethany Beach to show appreciation to wounded warriors and their families for their service and sacrifices. Supported by volunteers and local businesses and organizations, more than 1,000 warriors and their families have been treated to a week at the beach with all costs covered by the organization. Families stay in donated homes and condominiums and participate in a variety of activities including boating, fishing, golfing, horseback riding, trips to spas and beach days, to name a few. The Freeman Arts Pavilion hosts the families at a concert during the week.
This year’s SEAs the Day took place Sept. 6-11. Go to operationseastheday.org for more information.
