Department of the Army and General Officer Retirement ceremonies take place in Conmy Hall, Bldg. 241, on the historic installation, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall (JBM-HH), also known as Fort Myer, Virginia. Ceremonies are generally conducted on a weekday morning toward the end of each month. These ceremonies draw participants from the Army's total force; Active Duty, National Guard, Reserve, and Department of the Army (DA) Civilians. Participating in a retirement ceremony that is conducted by 3d U.S. Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) and The U.S. Army Band "Pershing's Own" ceremonial units is a fitting cap to a Soldier's career.
The Army Band and The Old Guard represent the Army well at outreach events large and small, near and far. They combine forces for the Twilight Tattoo performances at JBM-HH and at performances up and down the East Coast. Concerts and recitals by Army Band musicians and exhibitions by Old Guard performing units like the Army Drill Team or the Fife and Drum Corps keep the command in the public eye.
Eligibility for Ceremonies
Our ceremonies are exclusively for Army Soldiers and DoD Civilians:
- General Officer: Major General and below
- DA Civilian: SES 1 & 2 / GS 15 and below
- Commissioned Officer: COL – 2LT
- Warrant Officer: CW5 – WO1
- Enlisted: E9 and below
Note: Only one GO or SES equivalent is authorized to participate in a ceremony each month.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE:
Transitioning Soldiers and Civilians interested in participating in a Department of the Army and General Officer Retirement Ceremony are personally responsible for submitting their Retirement Data Sheet directly to MDW Ceremonies and Outreach Directorate (COD). **NO EXCEPTIONS** Requests to participate MUST be submitted by emailing: mdw.cseo@gmail.com .
Ensure that your email and contact information is accurate as you will receive a confirmation email within the second week of the month of your requested retirement ceremony date. The email confirmation will provide you with details for your specific ceremony. If your participation status should change, please inform MDW COD as soon as possible by calling CPT Tamera Cain (202) 309-0097 or Mr. Richard Thomas at (202) 685-4916 / (202) 407-3780 or mdw.cseo@gmail.com.
OBTAINING A RETIREMENT DATA SHEET FORM
The Retirement Data Sheet is used to express your interest in participating in a retirement ceremony, and it may be obtained at a retirement briefing for transitioning Soldiers, from the Fort Myer Transition Point, or downloaded here: Retirement Data Sheet.
Deadlines for Submitting A RETIREMENT DATASHEET FORM
Personnel wanting to participate in the monthly Department of the Army and General Officer (DA/GO) Combined Retirement Ceremony MUST submit their completed Retirement Data Sheet by the dates listed below:
- No later than the 15th of the previous month for the months of May, June, July, November, and December
or
- No later than the 1st of the month in which you wish to participate for all other months of the year.
Retirees submitting their Retirement Datasheet after the required date as listed above will not be recognized in that month's retirement program and may be asked to participate in a later ceremony. If you are not contacted by MDW Ceremonies and Outreach Directorate (COD) within seven (7) days of your scheduled retirement ceremony, please contact MDW COD point of contact mentioned above.
Submission of Datasheets
Retirees requesting participation must send their datasheets to our designated Gmail account—not to retirement services. It is the retiree’s responsibility to submit their own datasheets, as retirement services do not forward them to us.
When submitting, each retiree must include the following information in their email:
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Rank (e.g., GS / SES level)
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First and Last Name
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Requested Month/Year
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Married couples MUST submit their request together in one email (2 separate datasheets)
Note: Please do not send an email with just an attachment.
Important Submission Guidelines
We understand circumstances can change, and you may request to adjust your participation month after your initial request. However, please note that requests for multiple months at once cannot be accommodated.
Acceptable formats for datasheets are PDF or Excel; please ensure that they are not encrypted.
Please note that we do not accommodate private ceremonies.
Ceremony Capacity
Please note that the capacity for all ceremonies is limited to 63 participants. Once a ceremony reaches capacity, participation requests will no longer be accepted—no exceptions. Therefore, we highly encourage early submission of requests to secure your spot.