measured.
He was about seventy, I guessed.
The board chair kept reading from his notes.
“Admiral Carrick served thirty-eight years in the United States Navy,” he said. “He enlisted as a seaman apprentice in 1971 and rose through the ranks to become one of only a handful of enlisted sailors in Navy history to reach four-star rank.”
The room murmured.
“He commanded two carrier strike groups. He served as Commander of United States Pacific Fleet. He briefed three presidents. He retired in 2009 and now lives here in Virginia Beach.”
He looked up from his notes.
“His grandson is in our fifth grade,” he said.
The admiral walked to the podium.
He shook the board chair’s hand. He set a small stack of note cards on the podium. He adjusted the microphone.
He looked out over the room.
“Thank you,” he said. His voice was deep and steady. “Thank you to the board. Thank you to Dr.
