Honduras, The Final Countdown (May - July 2021)

Well, we were down to our last few months of this 13 MONTH deployment - finally!  It has been a long haul, to say the least.  

In the last couple of months, many people were changing out and going home.  Here are some pictures of Chris with his CSM at his (the CSM's) change out ceremony.

The Honduran Government also held an awards ceremony and it seemed that Chris was the belle of the ball.  They gave him tons of awards and recognition - he even got a sash!!  I am grateful that some of Chris's efforts and hard work were recognized.  Being a leader is often a thankless job where you get nothing but the problems and headaches.  This job has stretched Chris in many different directions, but he has given his all and, frankly, prevented a lot of chaos in a chaotic environment, even if it meant being the bad guy who made everybody obey the rules.  So hey!  He may not have won the popularity contest at SOTO CANO, but he did get a sash! 😉

Here are a couple more pictures of Chris officiating at the Army's birthday party.  Man, they sure do like their cakes!

This is just a snap shot of Chris in his day to day meetings, looking "official".

 

Chris's Change of Command Ceremony was on July 9, 2021.  I was able to watch it  remotely on Facebook live, which was awesome.   

Chris did a great job showing appreciation to all the people he worked with and acknowledging their hard work and contributions to making SOTO CANO a success.  I could tell they felt it, and not just from his speech, because when he was done they gave him a standing ovation.  Chris said he'd never seen that before.  The people he worked with also gave him tons of unique going away presents.  This diorama says, "Col. Christopher W. O'Gwin. 7 JUL 2020 - 9 JUL 2021.  Thanks for exceptional leadership during the year of birds, storms, and masks.  You made a difference for the future of SOTO CANO."  I guess that about sums it up.  You work hard, do your best, and then pass it off to the next guy.  O'Gwin out!

The next day Chris said good bye to beautiful Honduras and got on a plane to head home - FINALLY!

He was greeted with a warm welcome by his family and a chill weekend of belated Father's Day gifts, peach pie, a family movie, and just hanging out.  It feels so good to have our family together again!!