Matt’s Promotion to LTC

What an honor it is to write this blog post. I started this blog back in 2009 when Matt was a fairly new Chaplain at our second duty station. He was just about to come home from Iraq, his first (VERY LONG) deployment and I needed a place to share and document our journey.

Matt promoted to Captain shortly after graduating from (what was then called) the Chaplain Officer Basic Course (CHOBC) and began his career at Fort Jackson serving Basic Trainees. (July 2006) I think the picture of us with his commander is of him receiving an award. Carson was NOT a happy camper.

His next promotion took place after his deployment to Afghanistan. Here are pictures from Matt’s promotion to Major. (September 2014)

We are fully aware that not every Chaplain has the opportunity to promote to Lieutenant Colonel and so this most recent promotion is one that Matt is particularly grateful for.

Due to COVID very few people were able to attend his promotion ceremony. Partly due to the size restrictions on the room we were using and partly due to the fact that several of our invited guests actually had COVID. Even though we were missing lots of people we would have loved to have had there, we were very happy with how the day turned out.

First, the venue. OH MY GOODNESS! I’m in love with this place! I first saw the venue when I went to visit Matt at work one day when he was leading a seminar in the city. The views from the 30th floor are breathtaking! We knew that should he be picked up for LTC that that is where the ceremony should take place.

See the tall rounded windows? That’s the room where Matt’s promotion ceremony was held.

Looking south you can see part of Brooklyn, One World Trade Center, part of the Oculus. (Not all of those are visible in this picture.)

Back in the summer I stopped by and took a tour of the building. Here I am with One World Trade Center over my shoulder. Amazing views!

Per tradition, we all took a part in the “pinning” ceremony. Anna and Parker held the new rank; Carson and Bailey removed the old rank; Hayden and I placed the new rank on Matt’s shoulders.

In the slideshow below you can see Matt addressing the guests and introducing everyone to each other. As it was a small enough crowd he had time to do that. Parker held Matt’s grandfather’s flag during the swearing in ceremony.

Looking north you can see the Empire State Building!!

I was going for the Chaplain Corps colors but it’s not an exact science.

After the ceremony and the reception we went to dinner with the Rittermeyers. Anna and Lorelei were fast friends and were adorable together. We passed by the famous Fraunces Tavern on our way to Cobble and CO. After dinner, Matt and Phillip got pictures in Times Square with the Father Duffey Statue. At what other time would they be in their dress uniforms in Times Square?!? The guys were wearing the new uniform and they turned a lot of heads. Handsome men they are, but these uniforms are a throwback to the uniforms of the WWII era. (I admit, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy ran through my mind all day! This was the first time I’ve seen Matt in this uniform… I also wondered if locals thought they were actors in a show/film since very few people have seen this new uniform.)