Photo By Steven Stover | FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. – The Soldiers and Civilians of the 781st Military...... read more read more
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FORT GEORGE G. MEADE, Md. – The Soldiers and Civilians of the 781st Military Intelligence Battalion (Cyber), Vanguard, and 780th Military Intelligence Brigade (Cyber), Praetorians, bid a bittersweet farewell to Command Sergeant Major Jermaine Ocean, who relinquished his responsibility as the battalion’s senior enlisted leader and “keeper of the colors”, and this ceremony also served as his retirement ceremony after 25 years of faithful and dedicated service to our Nation.
The ceremony also recognized Command Sgt. Maj. Ocean’s Family, as they too have sacrificed and served our Country in their own special way.
The relinquishment of responsibility is a simple, yet traditional event that is rich with symbolism and heritage. The key to the ceremony is the passing of the colors. The very soul of a military unit is symbolized in the colors under which it fights for they represent not only the lineage and honors of the unit, but also the loyalty and unity of its Soldiers. The custodian of the colors is the Command Sergeant Major, who is the senior enlisted Soldier in the unit and principal advisor to the commander.
“I’m not going to go through the details of his long and storied career from whether it was standing up the Cyber National Mission Force, Cyber Branch, creating 23 National Mission Team, being a command sergeant major of this battalion,” said Lieutenant Colonel Scott Beal, commander of the 781st MI Battalion. “What I am going to explain to you is what my friend and brother Jermaine has meant to me, and I will attempt to articulate how every one of you feel about him.
“There’s not a day that goes by that Jermaine spends more than five, maybe ten minutes in his office at any given time,” added Beal. “He’s the type of command sergeant major who is where the Soldiers are, where the Civilians are, where the contractors are; he’s a Soldier’s Soldier. He wants to be where you work. He wants to talk to you, he wants to see you, he wants to hear you, and he wants to solve your challenges and celebrate your victories and help you overcome whatever struggles you might be going through in your life.”
Command Sgt. Maj. Ocean dedicated a quarter of a century to distinguished service in the United States Army. His career, beginning in 1999 spanned a remarkable journey across various leadership roles and duty stations around the globe. He continually sought professional development, amassing an impressive range of military education and certifications, for his exemplary service and unwavering commitment he was recognized with numerous awards and decorations.
“For those of you who don’t know, back then in 2013, we were just building the teams, and Sergeant Major Ocean, his fingerprints are all over the build of all of the teams,” said Colonel Candy Boparai, commander of the 780th MI Brigade. “That is the legacy he leaves behind…That is something all of us in the Cyber Force will know.”
Col. Boparai presented Command Sgt. Maj. Ocean with the Legion of Merit, his retirement pin, Certificate of Retirement; and following the ceremony, he was presented his U.S. flag, commemorating his retirement, from the interim battalion senior enlisted leader, First Sergeant Daniel Ingle.
“The position I’m in… I look at everybody in this organization, whether you’re in uniform, contractor, Civilian, whatever the case may be, I look at you as my child and it’s my responsibility to make sure you have everything you need to succeed,” said Ocean. “I can’t say thank you enough to the Soldiers, Civilians, contractors of the 781st. My intent every day was just to come to work every day and give it everything I could possibly give.”
Command Sgt. Maj. Ocean reminisced about, when he a kid, his mom told him when you go to sleepovers, you always leave a place better than you found it.
“When you’re in certain positions, in this position particularly, I think about stuff like that, and my thought process from the time I took this seat to the time to now, was to always leave the place better than where I found it… and I hope I did that.”
Towards the end of his poignant remarks, Ocean said, “I care about the people ten times more than I care about the mission, and I probably shouldn’t say that, but it is what it is. The mission’s going to get done one way or another. The people are the important part.”
“With that, my final transmission, Vanguard 7, signing off.”
Vanguard…When Others Cannot
#Army250 #ArmyPossibilities
| Date Taken: | 03.07.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 03.07.2025 22:23 |
| Story ID: | 492307 |
| Location: | FORT MEADE, MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 84 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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