Commander Navy Medicine East, Rear Adm. Terry J. Moulton (right), congratulates Capt. Guido F. Valdes during a change of command ceremony aboard USS Lexington Aug. 27, 2015. Valdes becomes the 38th commanding officer of Naval Health Clinic Corpus Christi in its 74 year history after relieving Capt. Jimmy A. Bradley (center), who will transfer to Chief Business Operations Tricare Regional Office-South, San Antonio, Texas. (U.S. Navy photo/Released)
The USS Lexington hosted two major change-of-command ceremonies this summer. One was for the Naval Health Clinic Corpus Christi, which occurred August 27, the other was for Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi, which was held June 5.
A time-honored military tradition, change-of-command ceremonies have remain unchanged since they were written into Naval regulations around the time of the Civil War. Basically, an incoming officer is formally read his or her appointment in front of as “many officers and crew can be assembled,” reads the original 1865 document.
The ceremony includes an honor guard, the national anthem, an invocation and benediction. The outgoing officer makes a brief speech, reads the order of detachment and turns over his relief with the words, “I am ready to be relieved.”
The relieving officer steps forward, reads his or her orders to command, salutes the outgoing officer and says,”I relieve you sir.” The new skipper then makes a brief statement to the personnel under his command, including any standing orders. Once complete, the total transfer of authority, responsibility and accountability has moved from one individual to the other.
On the USS Lexington, which regularly hosts change of command ceremonies, protocol was followed to a T for both major transfers of power.
First, on June 5, Coast Guard Capt. Richard “Tony” Hahn relieved Capt. Samuel Creech as commanding officer of Sector/Air Station Corpus Christi. Hahn comes to the Coastal Bend from Washington, D.C., where he served as chief of public affairs at U.S. Coast Guard headquarters.
With his release from command, Creech retired from the Coast Guard. He announced plans to move to Colorado with his family.
On August 27, U.S. Navy Capt. Jimmy A Bradley was relieved by Capt. Guido F. Valdes, who becomes the 28th commanding officer in the Naval Health Clinic Corpus Christi’s 74-year history. Bradley served in the position since April, 2013.
A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Valdes comes to Corpus Christi from his position as executive officer at Naval Hospital Pensacola, where he has served since 2013.
