Shipmates,
I had the sad duty to inform you last week of the passing of Jim Sloan, our recently retired Assistant Commandant for Intelligence and Criminal Investigations, after a long struggle with Lou Gehrig's Disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis).
Today we celebrated his life at a Mass held in Annapolis followed by his internment at Davidsonville, Maryland. Jim was accorded full military honors and I presented his flag to his wife Cindy and son Owen.
My post from his retirement is provided below.
Farewell, Shipmate.
ADM A
Shipmates,
I apologize in advance for the length of this post, but it is a worthy topic.
On Thursday, 19 March 19, 2009, we held a retirement ceremony for James F. Sloan, our Assistant Commandant for Intelligence and Criminal Investigations. The ceremony was unique. It was held at Jim's home in Annapolis where Jim is battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease.
For more information on this disease click
here.
Jim's career has spanned an incredible breadth of public service. He was an Army signals intelligence officer from 1966 to 1969. From 1970 to 1978 he was a police officer and investigator in Union County, New Jersey. He joined the Secret Service in 1979 and served until 1999. During the Bush (41) administration he was the head of the security detail for First Lady Barbara Bush. On his retirement from the Secret Service he became the Director of the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FINCEN) where he became a crucial player in identifying financial transactions that funded terrorist organizations following the attacks of 9/11.
I met Jim in 2003 when I interviewed him for the position of Assistant Commandant following the departure of Fran Townsend to serve in the Bush (43) administration. He was hired and immediately became an integral part of the Coast Guard and our transition to a member of the Intelligence Community. Among other accomplishments he created our Field Intelligence Support Teams, our Service Cryptographic Element, championed the installations of SCIFs on our National Security Cutters, a SIPNRnet lab at the Coast Guard Academy, and the development of a Counterintelligence Program in the Coast Guard. He is an extraordinary leader, terrific collaborator and partner, strategic thinker, and, most of all...he is very funny. On even our most stressful days, Jim was there with a joke, anecdote, or sea story (like the time he drove the Pope-mobile). He didn't invent the word "shipmate" but he perfected it.
The leaders who attended the ceremony today and the recognition afforded Jim was remarkable:
I presided and awarded Jim the Commandant's Distinguished Career Service Award.
Lieutenant General John Kimmons represented the Director of National Intelligence and presented Jim the National Intelligence Distinguished Service Medal. On behalf of the Military Intelligence Corps, he also presented Jim the Knowlton Award.
Vice Admiral Bob Murrett represented the United States Navy and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA). He presented Jim with the Navy Distinguished Public Service Award, the NGA Medallion for Excellence and the Edwin T. Layton Award. The latter award is named for the legendary Navy intelligence officer who broke the Japanese code in World War II.
Mr. William Baity of the Department of Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FINCEN) announced the creation of the James F. Sloan Award for Partnering that was established in Jim?s name.
Mark Sullivan, the Director of the U.S. Secret Service, gave Jim the Director's Award and talked about he had been mentored by Jim.
Lieutenant General Keith Alexander, the Director of the National Security Agency (NSA), was on travel but had visited days earlier where he presented Jim with the NSA Medallion for Excellence.
Jim's brother Tom made remarks for the family and proposed a toast (the first retirement I have attended with a toast in the program! Leave it to the Irish).
The Chaplain of the Coast Guard, the newly minted "Monsignor" and Captain Paul Cuddy provided the invocation and benediction.
Cindy Sloan, Jim's wife, who has been a mountain of strength, soul, and courage sat beside me and I was honored.
By far, the most important presentation of the day was given by Owen Sloan, Jim's son, who spoke for his Dad. His remarks follow:
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Admiral Allen, distinguished guests, friends, and former colleagues. I am deeply moved and touched by your presence here today. Today is a bittersweet day; a day I knew would one day arrive but a day that I hoped was still further on the horizon. While ALS may have taken from me the ability to talk or walk, the disease hasn't robbed me of my passion for life, my love of god and country, and most importantly -- the love and strong bond of family and friends.
As I reflect back on my career in the service to this nation, my most cherished memories are not of my job titles or specific operational matters. For me, my career highlights have been the many men and women I have had the privilege to serve alongside within the United States Secret Service, the Department of the Treasury, and the United States Coast Guard. So while the awards and accolades bestowed in my honor today mean a lot to me; however, for me, the honor of serving alongside so many outstanding professional public servants has been the greatest gift of all.
To my good friend Mark Sullivan -- the US Secret Service is in great hands and I am humbled to see so many of my old US Secret Service colleagues here today. The training, camaraderie and esprit-de-corps of serving with such an outstanding group of professionals gave me the bedrock foundation to leverage and integrate the seams between law enforcement intelligence and national level intelligence.
The necessity for the integration of national and law enforcement intelligence became obvious to me during my tenure as the Director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. To my longtime friend and FINCEN deputy Bill Baity -- I am proud of the many accomplishments of the dedicated men and women at FINCEN. These stalwart professionals perform a vital but little known service in protecting this nation. I feel secure in knowing that you remain on watch, leading this important work to secure the financial sector by analyzing and disseminating financial law enforcement and intelligence information.
To Lieutenant General Jeff Kimmons and my Intel Community Colleagues -- VADM Bob Murrett and Brigadier General Dick Lake -- I appreciate all your sage advice and counsel as we pressed to support the efforts of the Director of National Intelligence in meeting the intelligence requirements of national policy makers and military service leaders. I am proud of our collective accomplishments and trust that you will carry on with this important mission. Admiral Blair is surrounded by a wise counsel of intelligence leaders. I look forward to watching from the sidelines as you continue to shape the national intelligence community into the world class organization it has become.
Admiral Allen - I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the US Coast Guard, and had fate dealt me a different hand, I would have enjoyed continuing to support the important missions of the Coast Guard. Thanks to the leadership, vision and ardent support of you and VADM Vivian Crea, the Coast Guard Intelligence and Criminal Investigations Program has grown into a leading organization within the maritime intelligence arena. Your commitment to support the policy and resource needs of this enterprise has made the CG Intel and Criminal Investigation program never as important to CG operational commanders and national decision makers as the program is today. I appreciate the trust and confidence you placed in me as your principal intelligence advisor but more importantly, I appreciate the trust and confidence you have placed in your intelligence and criminal investigations organization. Intelligence has never been more important in the Coast Guard. Intelligence truly drives Coast Guard operations.
In addition to the many other titles I have acquired over my professional career, I am most proud to carry the title of Coast Guardsman. Since being afflicted with ALS, the GUARDIAN ETHOS spirit of so many CG members has been most poignant to witness first hand.
Finally -- there is one group of individuals that mean even more to me than the Secret Service, the Intelligence Community, or the US Coast Guard. I am obviously speaking of my family. While we will all one day retire from our occupations, we will always have our families. And it?s the support of my family -- like so many of you -- that allowed me to achieve so many successes in my professional life.
While I may have missed birthdays, or anniversaries, or holidays due to my professional duties, I knew I always had the loving support of my wife and son. To Cindy and Owen: While I could not always be with you in flesh, please know that I was always with you in spirit on these special occasions. Everyday we are together is special to me. There is nothing more important in this world to me than both of you. While my plans for the retirement years may have changed, my undying love for both of you has not. I thank you with all my heart for your love and support.
And to my brothers, sisters and extended family -- thank you for all that you have done and continue to do for Cindy, Owen and me. With the onset of ALS, I have had one less thing to worry about knowing that you all have come together as a family supporting my own family during these difficult days. I thank you all for traveling to Annapolis to join in this special day.
In closing, I would like to say how touched I am that you all were able to arrange your busy and important professional and personal schedules to honor my family and me with your presence at today's ceremony. I cherish the memories I carry with me. I look forward to staying in contact with all of you and hearing about the important work your agencies continue to perform on behalf of the Nation. Thank you all!
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Earlier Chairman Syvestre Reyes, Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence made these comments on the floor of the House of Representatives:
Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a fellow Army veteran, a man of great integrity and an unwavering sense of commitment to his Nation, Mr. James F. Sloan, on the occasion of his retirement after 34 distinguished years of public service.
I have had the pleasure of working with Mr. Sloan in his role as the Coast Guard's Assistant Commandant for Intelligence. When he assumed his duties in 2003, the Coast Guard had only two years earlier been designated a member of the Intelligence Community. In the years since, Mr. Sloan has been responsible for modernizing the Coast Guard intelligence program to keep pace with an ever-expanding and increasingly complex set of national security threats.
Mr. Sloan has also worked to cultivate extensive relationships and collaborative partnerships with other elements of the Intelligence Community. He has been an enthusiastic advocate for bringing the Coast Guard's wide-ranging expertise to bear in a variety of crucial national missions. Under his leadership, the Coast Guard has become an integral actor in the fight against terrorism, providing port security, conducting maritime interdiction, and supplying essential tactical and operational intelligence to a variety of other U.S. Government agencies.
I would be remiss if I failed to mention Mr. Sloan's 21 years of service with the United States Secret Service. During more than two decades, he served as the agency's Deputy Assistant Director for Protective Operations and later as the Senior Program Manager of the Anti-Terrorism programs, where he represented the Secret Service on the National Security Council.
The Nation is better and safer as a result of Mr. Sloan's service. For that, we thank him.
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A day to remember and a friend to cherish forever.
ADM A