HUH… the Marine Corps actually plans your retirement, but I have to do mine all by myself?!
That was exactly my reaction when I compared the Marine Corps and Navy retirement policies.
Under Marine Corps policy, an appropriate retirement ceremony is supposed to be held within the command’s capabilities. The Marine’s commander personally interviews the retiring Marine, discusses the ceremony plans, and works to honor the Marine’s preferences as much as the command reasonably can.
Okay, Marines… the Navy might actually need to borrow something from you.
I have photographed military retirements for years. Navy retirements. Marine Corps retirements. Coast Guard retirements. Huge formal ceremonies and tiny, personal ones.
Somehow I JUST learned this:
The Marine Corps tells the commander to personally talk with the retiring Marine and help plan an appropriate retirement ceremony.
The Navy?
The Sailor has to request one.
IN WRITING.
So yes, my immediate reaction, as a Navy veteran, was basically:
Wait… the Marine Corps actually plans your retirement, but I have to do mine all myself?!
Of course, there is a little more to it than that. The Navy does not literally abandon you with a bell, a flag and a blank Word document. Once your command approves a command-sponsored retirement, it becomes an official command function and the command is supposed to make every reasonable effort to support it.
But you have to start it.
But before every Sailor sends this article to their chief with seventeen angry emojis, there is an important distinction:
The Navy does not necessarily make you execute every piece of the ceremony alone. Once a command-sponsored ceremony is approved, it becomes an official command function, and the command must make every reasonable effort to support it within regulations, available funding, and practical limitations.
The real difference is who is responsible for starting the conversation… and Navy retirees need to know that waiting quietly may leave them scrambling later.
Reserve Marine Retirement MCAS San Diego, CA
What Marine Corps retirement policy actually says
The Marine Corps Separation and Retirement Manual says an appropriate ceremony is to be held within the command’s capabilities. It also says the commander will personally interview the Marine and discuss the plans.
That does NOT mean the command has an unlimited budget or that every Marine gets a full parade, band, color guard and flyover.
It does mean someone in the command is directed to sit down with the Marine and start the conversation.
The policy also specifically addresses the retirement certificate, official letters, Marine Corps lapel pin, presentation of a United States flag and appropriate recognition of the spouse.
Honestly? I love that.
After an entire career of deployments, field exercises, missed holidays, long nights and family sacrifice, the retirement ceremony should not begin with someone saying, “So… did you want to do something?”
AZ Chief Navy Retirement
Then there is the Navy…:
he Navy gives Sailors options. According to MILPERSMAN 1800-010, a Sailor can request a command-sponsored ceremony, decline one or personally host one.
But if you want the command-sponsored ceremony, you have to submit the request in writing early enough for the command to plan it.
Your request can include things like:
Your date and location
Who you want to preside or speak
Uniforms
Chaplain participation
Sideboys
Invitations and programs
Photographer or videographer
Family participation
Any traditions you want included
Which sounds great… if you already know what you want.
But what if you have never planned a retirement? What if you do not know which parts are required, which are traditions and which are just things you saw at someone else’s ceremony?
I have photographed enough retirements to know that no two are exactly alike. Even the flag presentations vary. Some retirees use the traditional Old Glory reading. Some rewrite it. Some pass the flag through every rank they held. Some skip the flag-passing portion entirely.
I wrote a whole guide about ways to personalize the Old Glory flag-passing ceremony, because the version you saw at your chief’s retirement is not the only way it can be done.
I also recently went down a massive rabbit hole about where the Old Glory poem came from, who may have written it and how to use my newer version.
But you should not need to become a retirement-ceremony historian just to understand what you are allowed to request.
Female Chief Retirement on the Beach San Diego, CA
Does the Navy really make you plan it all yourself?
Officially? No.
Once the command approves your ceremony, it becomes an official command function. The command is supposed to make every reasonable effort to support it within regulations, funding and what is actually practical.
Realistically? I think we all know how wildly different “command support” can look from one place to another.
One Sailor may get an experienced action officer, a detailed checklist, a sample script and a command that has done this a hundred times.
Another may be handed an old file and told to let everyone know what they need.
That is why this difference matters. The Marine Corps policy makes the planning conversation part of the commander’s responsibility. Navy policy protects the Sailor’s ability to choose—but the Sailor is responsible for getting that request moving.
More freedom is great. More freedom without directions? Not always.
Shipmates: do NOT wait for someone to come find you
If you are retiring from the Navy, ask for your command’s retirement instruction or checklist EARLY.
Then ask:
How do I officially request my command-sponsored retirement ceremony?
Who will be my action officer or ceremony coordinator?
What dates and venues are actually available?
Which parts of the ceremony can the command provide?
What do I need to arrange or purchase myself?
How early do my award, certificates and family letters need to be routed?
What traditions are normally used at this command?
What is required to bring my photographer, videographer and civilian guests onto the installation?
Are there extra restrictions for a ship, pier, flight line or other controlled area?
When will we rehearse?
And please specifically ask how your photographer is getting in.
San Diego base access is not something to figure out while your family is already seated and your ceremony starts in twenty minutes. Your photographer may need to be added to a guest list, sponsored, escorted or approved for the specific location.
I have spent years photographing military events throughout San Diego, from traditional Navy retirements to ceremonies inside communities most people rarely get to see. My recent Naval Special Warfare change-of-command story is a good example of how much the command, location and history add to the photographs.
DVC Bradbury Coast Guard Retirement at USCG San Diego
Command-sponsored does not mean the command buys everything
This is another part people may not realize until they are already planning.
The command can support an official ceremony without being allowed to pay for every single thing you want. Reception food, flowers, personal gifts, shadow boxes and similar unofficial expenses are generally not paid for with appropriated funds.
So ask very clearly:
What is the command providing, and what am I responsible for?
Do not assume. Put names next to tasks. Put deadlines next to names. Follow up.
Not very glamorous advice—but probably the advice that saves your retirement ceremony.
Wilt Retirement (Navy) aboard USS Midway San Diego
YORO - Yooo only retire… once?
Your retirement is not just another mandatory fun event on the command calendar.
It is the end of an entire career.
The first uniform. The first command. Every deployment. Every duty section. Every promotion. Every missed birthday. Every person who mentored you—and every person you eventually got to mentor.
These military milestones really do only happen once. I learned that personally after realizing how few of our own milestones my husband and I had professionally photographed during our Navy careers. I wrote more about that in why you should hire a photographer at least once during your military journey.
Your spouse should not have to watch your retirement through a phone screen. Your children should be IN the photographs. And you deserve to have proof of the people who showed up to honor the career you built.
Planning a military retirement ceremony in San Diego?
If you are planning a Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard retirement in San Diego, you do not have to have every detail figured out before contacting me.
Tell me your branch, command, estimated date, possible location and what you know so far. We can start there.
I photograph military retirement ceremonies throughout San Diego, including Naval Base San Diego, Naval Base Point Loma, NAS North Island, MCAS Miramar, Camp Pendleton, MCRD San Diego, the USS Midway and civilian venues—with command approval and the correct access, of course.
View Morning Owl’s military ceremony photography and pricing
13 folds — Navy Retirement Ceremony at Liberty Station, San Diego
So… which branch does retirement planning better?
The clickbait answer?
The Marines actually help plan your retirement while the Navy makes you request your own.
The fully accurate answer?
The Marine Corps directs the commander to begin the planning conversation with the retiring Marine. The Navy gives the Sailor the option to request, decline or host a personal ceremony—but the Sailor must initiate a command-sponsored ceremony in writing.
And honestly… I still think the Marines win this round.
Sources and accuracy note
This article distinguishes service-wide policy from local command procedures. Marine Corps requirements are based on MCO 1900.16, paragraph 1012. Navy requirements are based on MILPERSMAN 1800-010. Installation procedures, command resources, ceremony customs, access requirements, and available personnel vary. Retirees should verify current requirements with their own chain of command, administrative office, command career counselor, protocol office, or ceremony coordinator.
Disclaimer: The ideas, opinions, interpretations, and creative suggestions shared in this article are solely those of Morgan Liberatore. They do not represent the official views, policies, or endorsement of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, Department of Defense, or any other military or government entity. Always confirm current retirement requirements and procedures with your command.
Coast Guard Retirements
Marine Retirements
Other resources:
So many resources like program planning, other ceremony options like the passing of cutlass, missing man, etc.
Other poems, anecdotes, and readings read at retirements like A Navy Husband, A Navy Wife, Military Wives Say I Do, The Wives Watch (one of my favorites!!), Order of the Crystal Heart, Going Ashore, Engineer’s Lament, AND SO MANY MORE!
Social Media Groups like THISONE for spouses and over 40k members.
Navy Retirements
Sample Old Glory Flag Ceremony Script for Military Retirements
Below is a customizable example of how to structure your own flag passing ceremony using the “Old Glory” reading.
Number of Participants: Choose one for each rank the retiree has held.
Flag Setup: Use a folded American flag to pass between participants.
Reading: Break the “Old Glory” text into sections to be read by each person.
Example Script Format:
Junior Service Member:
“I am the flag of the United States of America. My name is Old Glory…”
(Passes the flag, salutes)Second Rank (Petty Officer Third Class):
“I fly atop the world’s tallest buildings…”Third Rank (Petty Officer Second Class):
“I have been burned, torn, and trampled on…”Fourth Rank (Chief Petty Officer):
“But I shall overcome because I am strong…”Retiring Member (Master Chief):
“My name is Old Glory, and I fly free.”
(Presents the flag to their loved one)
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Marine Corps and Navy retirement ceremony planning works surprisingly differently. Navy veteran and San Diego military photographer Morgan Liberatore explains who starts the process, what commands may provide, and what retiring Sailors and Marines should ask before planning their military retirement ceremony in 2026 … especially in Southern California - San Diego, CA.