Photo By Master Sgt. Peter Morrison | Maj. Grant Delware retires from the Maine Army National Guard after 23 years of...... read more read more
AUGUSTA, Maine - Grant Delaware likes a good sports reference; ask him about retiring from the Maine Army National Guard after 23 year of military service and you’re bound to get one or two. He has spent his life being on a team one way or another.
In 1987 at 19 years old Delaware joined the Marine Corps as a helicopter mechanic. He spent his time over the next few years between Okinawa and Desert Storm flying over 1200 hours on a CH53E Super Stallion helicopter conducting sling load and refueling operations. Delaware said “For a young guy from Scarborough, Maine, it was awesome.”
Despite all his travels and adventures in different cultures Delaware knew it was time to move on, to get back home. “I grew up in Scarborough; I knew there was a strong connection I just didn’t realize how strong. I have been a lot of places weather wise and culture wise but there is truly no place I would rather be than here.”
Col. Jeffery Squires, branch chief, Office of the Inspector General, recognized the value of the young recruit when he showed up in Maine and mentored Delaware through his career.
“I met Grant when he returned to Maine after completing his obligation with the Marines. He had just completed the USMC Platoon Leader Course and was in the process of deciding whether to go back into the USMC. I drove down to Portland and met him for lunch at the Old Port. He was on the fence and was unsure about which direction to proceed. It didn't take long to figure out what made Grant Delaware tick. He was a great Marine, a genuinely good person, and had incredible potential to serve as a leader in the Maine Guard. I was lucky enough to convince him to stay in service.”
Delaware recognized the new team almost immediately, “As an active duty Marine I had a lot of opinions on the Maine Army National Guard and none of them were positive. But I realized quickly that it’s a lot like the Marine Corps. It’s a very close family that takes care of each other and there hasn’t been a time when I have been away or deployed and I have needed help with something that people immediately start work to fix whatever issue I might have; it’s a tight knit community.
In the 15 year time span Delaware was with the Maine Guard he never wanted to simply sit on the bench. “You can do as little or a much as you want in the Guard,” he said. For example he recalled reading an article in National Guard magazine about two Soldiers that ruck-marched the Boston Marathon that year. Not long after that, he led 125 service members from all branches across the finish line of the Maine Marathon. The Maine Marathon Tribute March is now in its 9th year.
“I have been fortunate the Guard has always let me take the ball and said, 'OK Grant, you go ahead and run with it, said Delaware.'” According to Squires he ran straight with that ball.
“His moral compass is straight; he has a strong sense of right and wrong, and never chose the path of least resistance. Without fail, Delaware always led by example. He is an independent critical thinker who always screened every decision he made against the Army Values. For him, the Army Values were not just buzz-words or rules to abide by they were a way of life and were instilled in him at a very young age by his own family. Grant never avoided responsibility and when necessary, always chose the "hard-right" as opposed to the "easy-wrong" path.“
Delaware credits doing this as the key to success in a military career “Doing the right thing always appears to be the hardest thing up front, but ultimately it ends up being the easiest thing. Because standing up for your beliefs and saying ‘something’s wrong here,’ or saying ‘hey this is good but we can make it better.’ I think that if you strive for that mark, and hey you’re gonna screw it up, we all screw it up but, if you shoot for it you will be successful without question. “
Delaware leaves the military to be the manager of employee benefits and insurance at an energy products company, a far cry from training the Afghan National Army or commanding Alpha Battery 1st of the 152nd Artillery. Delaware sees even at the age of 45, that he has some things he’d like to work on before he officially retires from the work force.
“My family, my wife and my son to some degree has had to suck it up. Our entire 21 years has been me being gone or me traveling. I’ve been away a lot. I crossed the 20 year mark and started thinking, what’s important to me? While I will always treasure the camaraderie that we have in the military, at the end of the ballgame, when you look around, it’s your family. If you haven’t been able to develop those types of relationships with your spouse kids or significant other then retirement is going to be harder. You know what my son looked around at me the other day and said ‘dad I love having you home for breakfast.’ That makes it; I am making the right call.”
He knows he’s making the right call but he also knows he will miss the intensity of the big play, the emotion a firefight elicits and he won’t forget his days in uniform anytime soon.
“I truly love my country and I strongly believe in the foundations of freedom; freedom of speech, freedom of action to live your life the way you want. When you start to have those beliefs and train and train to ensure you can defend those beliefs, and like football you train because you want to make it to the super bowl, you want to go to the show. Everyone, even if you are playing for the bills hopes that something happens and the stars align and you are going to the show.“
“Both times I have deployed I recognized that I was good enough to make it worth it, and I did everything I hoped I would do when situations were less than ideal. Much like Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher, you know that even though they are sitting at home, they are thinking 'Oh I got one more game.' If Uncle Sam says, "Hey Grant, we need you for one more game, I’d give it a shot."
Delaware looks more like a runner than a running back, but he brings the same intensity to every play, Squires knows the Maine Army National Guard will miss him and that his next endeavor will be a great success.
“Aside from his high level of productivity and results oriented work ethic, I believe the organization will miss his sense of humor and positive attitude the most. No matter who you are you could always count on a smile, firm handshake, and a genuine sense of organizational duty and responsibility from Grant. He has without question, left an indelible mark on our organization in his deeds and words,” he continued.
“Grant will be incredibly successful in whatever he chooses to do in the future. He is a self-starter, always seizes the initiative, and is a consummate professional. He is one of those individuals that requires very little guidance or supervision. Once he has your intent and end state, he will always accomplish the mission regardless of complexity.“
| Date Taken: | 06.11.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 06.11.2014 09:28 |
| Story ID: | 132760 |
| Location: | AUGUSTA, MAINE, US |
| Hometown: | SCARBOROUGH, MAINE, US |
| Web Views: | 196 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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