Sergeant Major Robert K. Lusk Retires After 30 Years of Marine Corps Service

Taking his position is the ceremony's commander of troops, first sergeant Michael A. Galvin, the first civil affairs group, Inspector Instructor, First Sergeant. Prior to today's ceremony, we would like to honor distinguished guest Major General Michael Fehee, United States Marine Corps retired, and thank him for joining us at today's ceremony. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of the commanding general, Brigadier General David K. Wker. Welcome to the First Civil Affairs Group retirement ceremony for Sergeant Major Robert K. Lusk, who's retiring after 30

years of honorable and faithful service. We thank you for joining First Civil Affairs Group and the Lusk family on this special day. Ladies and gentlemen, please rise for the invocation given by Force Headquarters Group Chaplain Commander Deianne Pullman. Let us pray. Most gracious God, we give you all honor, glory, and praise. We thank you for this day which you have made. We come to honor the prestigious 30-year career of Sergeant Major Robert Lusk. We thank you for his commitment to serve

his country as a United States Marine. From the moment he stepped on the yellow footprints to now, he has invested himself, grown immensely as a leader, and poured into thousands of Marines throughout his illustrious career. We thank you for the many sacrifices that he has made. And we thank you for the moment he wanted to give up and didn't. We thank you for his perseverance and unyielding strength that only you could have provided him. For all those who have supported him throughout his career, we thank you, dear Lord, for them, for his family, friends, and loved ones. Transitions can be challenging. So we ask you, Lord, to guide him along this journey. Your word is a lamp to our feet

and a light unto our path. So open his ears as and his spirit that he may hear your guidance. Protect him and his family and help them build something refreshing and new in this season. As he reflects on his time in the Marine Corps, may his heart smile due to all the men and women that carry wisdom he instilled and fortitude he inspired. Bless him divinely as only you can and give him favor beyond his own understanding that he may know that your hand is upon his life. Bless us all. Draw us closer to thee and we ask this in your holy and precious name. Amen. Present day reviews in the Marine Corps have their basis in both history and tradition. The mass formation of troops on one long line at close interval made

possible the massing of firepower from muzzle loaded musketss of the past. The agenant forms the line of battle and in those early days the line of battle consisted of two or three ranks much like in the ceremony you will see today. The agitant today is gunnery sergeant Ricardo Radama. Attachment one. All present or accounted for. to order. First civil furniture 5 June 2026. The officer of the day today is Captain Jan L. Re. The officer of the day tomorrow is first lieutenant James L. Eel. My odor Michael G. August. Colonel Memphis Marine Corps. Reserve commanding.

Ladies and gentlemen, please rise for honors to the commanding general of Force Headquarters Group, Brigadier General David K. Wker. What's that? Arms. Marine to be decorated, retired in all colors. Center Sure. We're to be decorated, retired, and all colors present. Yeah, sure. Ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the presentation of the command, the playing of our national anthem, and the presentation of the award.

Heat. Stop. Here we go. Oh yeah. Ready? Two. Attention to orders. The United States of America. This is to certify that the President of the United States of America has awarded the Legion of Merit to Sergeant Major Robert K. Lust, United States Marine Corps, for exceptionally meritorious conduct and the performance of outstanding duties from May 2024 to June 2026. Given this 4th day of June 2026, signed LF Anderson, Lieutenant General, United States Marine Corps, Secretary of the Navy.

Certificate of retirement from the armed forces of the United States of America. To all who shall see these presents, greeting. This is to certify that Sergeant Major Robert K. Lusk, having served faithfully and honorably, was retired for the United States Marine Corps Reserve on the first day of July, 2026. Signed, General Eric M. Smith, Comedant of the Marine Corps. Certificate of appreciation for service in the Armed Forces of the United States of America. Sergeant Major Robert K.

Lust. I extend to you my personal thanks and the sincere appreciation of our grateful nation for your contribution of honorable service to our country. You have helped maintain the security of the nation during a critical time in its history with a devotion to duty and a spirit of sacrifice in keeping with the proudest traditions of the military service. I trust that in the coming years you will maintain an active interest in the armed forces and the purpose for which you served. Those who follow in your footsteps will draw inspiration from your commitment, dedication, and sacrifices made to ensure the protection of our American freedoms. My best wishes to you for happiness and success in the future.

Signed, Donald J. Trump, Commander-in-Chief. Dear Sergeant Major Lusk, the Marine Corps has been your occupation and family for many years past, and I am certain the memories, interest, and the future of the core will remain with you forever. Many desire to obtain your accomplished goals, but few can compare to you. You have clearly demonstrated the exceptional leadership qualities and professional contributions we seek of our senior Marines. We are proud, as you must be, of your successful career. As a teacher to young Marines, a source of wise counsel, and as an example of those solid soldiery virtues we so admire, you have made a mark on the core that will remain long after you have left our

active ranks. There are many young Marines you have influenced who will carry on in the same fine tradition that has characterized the United States Marine Corps. You have my best wishes for good health and continued success in the years ahead. Seridelis Eric M. Smith, General, United States Marine Corps, commodat of the Marine Corps. Dear Sergeant Major Lust, congratulations on your retirement. I want to express my heartfelt thanks for your many years of devoted service to our country and corps. You have made tremendous contributions and sacrifices throughout your Marine Corps career, enduring through every challenge and persevering to the end. Our core has never been about equipment or accolades,

but rather the war fighting spirit that lives deep in our Marines. Your spirit will now live on in those that you have mentored, led, and taught. Though you are hanging your uniform up for the last time, our cloth will always have your threads running through it. As you enter this new chapter of life, take pride in all your accomplishments. Your professionalism has set the standard of excellence for future Marines who will carry on the legacy of the core. My wife Andrea and I wish you continued success in all your future endeavors. Remember to stay connected as our collective legacy depends on it. Sra Fidelis Carlos A. Ruiz, 20th Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps.

Ladies and gentlemen, today's retiring official, the commanding general of Force Headquarters Group, Marine Forces Reserve, Brigadier General David Wker. All right. Good morning, y'all. This is uh this is bittersweet for me. We have a lot to celebrate here. Sar Major Las has earned this moment. He's he's earned these accolades. Um but the fact that we're here giving him these accolades means we're lo losing him as SAR major and that um I just can't be I can't be happy about that. Uh but I can find joy in reflecting on all the things he has done over the last 30 years. And I don't think we have to look too hard or

squint at the problem very long to understand that today's environment, a dynamic setting in which revisionist power seek to challenge the established world order, there is a certainty that we will find ourselves at war in the future. And the nature of that war is unknown and unknowable. But while war and the battlefield will evolve, the brain endures. Commodants have said that for years and it continues to be true. And we know that just down the road and on the east coast, we carry out that unfailing alchemy that transitions directionless young men and women into Marines. But the question then becomes, how do we sustain that transformation? How do we take that product that we produce at the depot? How do we guide them

through those transformative early years where that lance corporal can get off the rails and how do we then transition them into being an NCO in time into a staff NCO and I can say with great certainty that his major lusk and the staff NCOs's like him who went before who sustained that transformation. I have watched firsthand as he unapologetically held Marines accountable when they fell short and then he picked them up, dusted them off, told he loved them and got them right back in the fight. And let's be clear, that was a tough love that he loved them with. But it was delivered with sincerity, with passion, and he made those Marines believe that they were part of something bigger than themselves. And he became the embodiment

of the Marine Corps. And for those of you who know him, you know his bearing is impeccable and unbreakable at all times except for once when I got him to start talking about motherboards and software and the soldering of things. And then you discovered that beneath that hard exterior, much like an Eminem, there is a soft gooey interior where he is a no kidding card carrying 10-sided dice carrying nerd and he hides it well. and he's wicked smart and if you put him against any problem he will solve it and he has been able to live to breathe to embody and to regenerate what we seek in our Marines unfailing over years and we are grateful for everything you have done. Not only has

he shaped, gathered and grown young Marines, but he has delivered the hard advice commanders, senior leaders needed to hear. He never shied away from delivering the tough message, the thing you didn't necessarily wanted to hear, but you needed to hear. And when he delivered it, the manner in which he delivered it, the sincerity and the depth of experience and wisdom that drove that made everybody listen. I am personally grateful for everything you've done to keep me on track. Star Major going back to our time when Staff Sergeant Lusk and Captain Whitaker were splashing around the pool while then Lieutenant Colonel Fehee was sitting there making sure that the appropriate amount of time elapsed before we allowed

to move to the next event. I'm grateful for everything you have done that help delivered me to this location, this time, this place that I'm able to thank you for everything you've done for me and for the Marine Corps. So know this, as you ground your gear for the last time, as you move on to the next phase of your life, your legacy lives on through all of the Marines you have shaped, you have grown, and you have groomed to take your place as you leave the institution and all the senior leaders that you have coached, counseledled, and mentored to deliver them to where they can be effective leaders. So thank you, Sar Major. We're going to miss you. Fair winds following season.

Thank you, General Whitaker. Ladies and gentlemen, Colonel Matthew Swindle. What a blessed day. Here we are. Um, I'm here to give you the ground truth, not the we're going to go to war and hold the line. I want to tell you about Rob's Rob's real life uh unadulterated, but I'm going to make the PG version and really for Dylan and Danny, his daughters. This is for you and the family. The Marines kind of know what's going on, but what are you seeing here? You're seeing a tradition that is sacred and sacrianked. It's been going on for 150 years. We are passing on a tradition that you get to see as family and friends that a lot of people don't get to see. This is celebrating a Marine

who spent 30 years dedicated to his country and to his core. And we're here to pass the torch, as you saw earlier, to the next sergeant major. Let's let's dive into where we're coming from and what makes Rob because I don't think a lot of you really know his story. So, it started in Roseville with Ken and Diane. You know, a Vietnam era Marine probably imbued a little bit of service to your country and to your core. And Rob is not one. He's not a patient individual. Um, he delayed entry 11 months and 20 days before he actually graduated high school. So that meant he walked into the recruiter and said, "I'm

out of here. Sign me up." And he went into the Marine Corps path knowing not if he was going to make it, but that he wanted to test his medal to see could he earn the title of United States Marine. And he did. He then went on and he became um communications radio men motor T and he went up and I think one of the key defining moments of his life is when he got to MWSS marine wing support squadron that's where he really learned his leadership he had good mentors good enlisted leaders good officers and he's relate to me that's where he really understood what it meant to be a leader but this is another piece he didn't stop there he could have just stayed in there. He goes, I want to try for

something more. And he did. He went to not only to second force reconnaissance, third force reconnaissance, fourth force reconnaissance. By the way, first force wouldn't take them. So that was just out of the thing here. But he went in and he tried out for something that is probably one of the hardest MOS's, the hardest jobs that you can do. Not because he had to, but because he wanted to. And that was his calling. And he excelled. three combat deployments. He has seen, as many of us have seen, the dark humor of combat as well as the dark truths of taking lives and saving lives. And he came back um to us with those stories, those experiences.

I met Rob uh in as I checked in as a new officer at Fourth Force Reconnaissance Company. And one of the first things that you do when you show up on the very first day of your drill weekend is uh they have a this is a very creative name that they came up with in reconnaissance. It's called man test. By the way, no creativity there. You are there to do a very physically and mentally challenging event that could take 30 minutes to two hours just to remind you that you're in the reconnaissance community. As I checked into my boat team, I was paired up with six other Marines, one of which was at the time Gunnery Sergeant Must. And what I noticed, being the new guy on deck, I'm going to see what's going on here.

What I noticed, officer Enlisted Light deferred to him. He told him when to lift the boat. He set the cadence. He told when everyone when to row, and he set the pace, which was about a six-minute pace in Cam's around Coast Guard Island, to get back in the boat and come back. I got done. We were changing over and I was like, "Hey, who's the Dolph Lungren looking gunnery sergeant over there?" They go, "Oh, well that's Gunny Lusk. He pretty much runs everything here." And I said, "No kidding." And guess what? It was true. That was 2012 to 2014. And our time broke. And as luck would have it, General Wker and I were lucky enough to start the Marine Innovation Unit. And they asked us, "Go ahead, General Bellon

at the time, go ahead and pick your team." There was only one choice. We picked up the phone and we called Rob and said, "Hey, do you want to go start this thing? It'll probably end your career." He said, "I'm in." And the problem with that is he was the sergeant- major of Third Force Reconnaissance at the time and still had one more year before his posting relief. So, he worked Dylan and Danny two jobs in addition to his day job, in addition to being your dad. And he did so with humility. He showed up every time and I'll sum up. He has changed the trajectory of reserve Marines and frankly the lethality and survivability of the Marine Corps because his actions and what he did and

many of the MIU Marines that are sitting here in the audience. So on the civilian side um he has he is a nerd. He is a huge nerd. And if you don't know that, get him talking. Um he leads 700 civilian employees in his day job. And to translate that to the Marines standing in formation here, that's a battalion commander. He's in charge of not only them. He's a leader here in the Marine Corps. He's a leader out in the outside. So, what makes his day go round? It's these two girls sitting right here in the front, Dylan and Danny. Um, I've been I've had the privilege of watching you, hearing you through text videos grow up over the last 12 years. And you are his son, his moon, and his sky all wrapped up into one. And I think that's an important

reminder for everybody is where are your priorities? And his priorities are with you. It is then his job, his core, his marines. And I think a lot of us here often get those priorities mixed up. And it's a great for me it's a great lesson on what's most important in life and it's you. So to um I think today is a blessed day. You should be happy, sorrowful. You should feel like the world is opening up a new door if you had feelings. Um, these are the things that you would feel, but we're all going to feel this for you uh today and in the future. Um, but this isn't where the chapter stops. General has a great term.

You know, the Marine Corps doesn't love you and owes you nothing. We are here to stand on the shoulders of those that have come before us. We are here to hold the standard and move it forward and set conditions and a standard for the next generation. These Marines standing here and for the Marines standing in formation. If you want to know what right looks like and you want to chart a career, you go follow exactly what Rob Lust does and you'll do okay by yourself and our country on the court. Rob, for me to you, you've been a great mentor to me. You have helped me through some of the most challenging times both personally and professionally. Um, I look up to you and most importantly, I'm going to call you a lifelong friend and I'm happy that

you had me come here today uh for your retirement. And with that, let's have a round of applause FOR Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, Sergeant Major Robert Lusk. Marines, sailors, family, and friends. Good morning. I'm grateful and I'm thankful that you're here. I've been asked what 30 years of service looks like. Doesn't look like anything. It sounds like voices. The Marines who trusted me. The Marines who believed in me, the ones who pushed me, and the ones that didn't come home.

Sounds like people. And some of those people are here today. Some of you crossed time zones and continents to be here. Others drove through the night or rearranged your lives. All of you showed up. And to those that couldn't make it but were part of this journey, know that you are here with us today. 30 years is a long time to wear a uniform. Long enough to see the core change and long enough to understand what never does.

I came up in the reconnaissance community, over 20 years of it. And what taught me, what drilled into me at a level that doesn't wash out is that standards are not negotiable. When the margin for error disappears, the trust is not given. It is built quietly, consistently, under pressure. In the dark, when no one is watching, when it's easy to let things slide, you don't let things slide. I served among men who will never see the recognition for what they did, who performed at a level most will never see in places that will not be named for reasons that need no audience.

Those men laid the foundation of excellence that followed me across every continent, every command, every place I went into every boardroom, every institution, every door I walked in, in and out of uniform. The foundation never changed, just the uniform. Boardrooms and battlefields operate on different rules, but they're governed by similar principles. Integrity, accountability, and a willingness to make hard decisions and stand a front of what follows. In 30 years across both worlds, I've never found a room where those things did not matter. But along the way, I stepped into uncertainty. When it mattered, I stepped forward anyway.

Standing up SP MTAF Africa, operating forward with limited margin in places where discipline was not optional and every decision carried weight. Standing up the marine innovation unit, which was never about technology. It was always about the people. It always is. creative Marines, trusting leaders, a willingness to question assumptions without abandoning what makes us who we are. If you prepare quietly and consistently, opportunity will find you. It rarely announces itself, but it does find those who are ready.

30 years has also given me some opinions about leadership. Leadership is stewardship. We don't owe our Marines anything. We are entrusted with them but for a moment. And we owe them our best effort every single day. Not perfection. Marines don't expect perfection, but they expect honesty. They expect consistency. And they expect you to be present. Genuinely, visibly present. Not managing from a distance. not checking boxes, but in it with them. I've seen leaders command rooms with their title, but lose it with their character. I've seen the quiet sergeants, the ones who never raised their voice, move mountains because Marines would follow them anywhere. That's the difference between example

and authority. Growth happens at the point of friction. Leaders who stop learning eventually will stop leading. I believe that a beginning in over 30 years is only deep in that. But I want to be honest about something because I believe it truly matters. I have made mistakes in my career. I've made decisions that I would make differently. I've had moments where I fell short of the very standard I was holding others to. The people here today, the ones that have known me the longest, they've seen it. The good years and the hard ones, the versions of me I'm proud of and the versions of me I had to grow out of. If you've known me a long time, you've seen me change.

What I hope you've seen is growth because that is what I've been after. Not to be the same man I was in the beginning, but to be a better version of myself each and every day. One who looked at himself clearly and kept making changes. Someone who let his who did not let his mistakes define him, but he let them refine him to become a better person. And that is what I've been focused on. I learned more from the moments I got wrong than from any moment I ever got right, but only because I decided to. And that is true growth. Here's where the speech changes for me a little, where words get harder to find. Not

because there aren't enough of them, but because none of them are just quite right. As I look at you all now, leading Marines has been the greatest privilege of my life. Not a privilege among others, the privilege. I've stood with some of the finest human beings this country has ever offered. young men and women who joined knowing exactly what they were signing up for and held the standard when it cost them something. Who trusted me with the most important thing a Marine can ever give a leader. They trusted me with their best effort. There is no honorable compared to that.

No title, no award, no ceremony that touches what it feels like when a Marines decides you are worth following. When they decide the standard you are holding is worth holding themselves. When you they when you watch them take something you poured into them and take it to a place you will never go to a moment you will never see. That is what this has been. Not a career but a series of moments where people trusted me and I tried every day to live up to that trust. Some days I was, some days I fell short, but I never stopped trying deserve what they gave me. To every Marine who I've had the privilege of leading, thank you.

I hope I gave you something worth carrying forward. I'm here today because of each of you. Not in the ceremonial sense, but in the real sense. The people who challenged me when I needed to be challenged. Who believed in me before I fully earned it. Who told me the truth when it was uncomfortable and stayed anyway. Who molded me into something worth emulating or demanded something worth reaching for. You shaped this. Each of you shaped me. Every one of you in ways large and small. in moments you may not even remember contributed to the person standing in front of you today.

I do not take that lightly and I'm forever grateful. 30 years is long enough to understand that service is shared. My family carried this alongside me. The mis times, the distance, the seasons that passed when I was elsewhere, they bore it with patience and strength. And I do not take that lightly. To my daughters, Dylan and Danica. You are the reason I do this. And you are one of the reasons behind the hardest decision I've ever made. Sergeant Major Ruiz, the current Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, offered me an opportunity to continue service past 30 years.

I declined. Not because it wasn't important, not because the mission didn't matter, but because being my being present for my girls at this time in their life mattered more. As someone once said, working hard for something that we do not care about is called stress, but working hard for something we love is called passion. And my passion is not leaving this room, this formation, this core, it's just finally going to be focused fully at home. That too is service just of a different kind. As I step away from uniform, I do so without doubt. I have faith in the Marines who continue to serve. I have faith in the NCOs's and staff NCOs, the keepers of the standard, the ones who actually run this core.

I have faith in an institution greater than any one of us that has adapted to change and will continue to adapt to every challenge this nation faces. To those still wearing the uniform, take care of your Marines, stay curious, guard the standard, and remember that leadership is a privilege, never an entitlement. I came into this core with nothing but a willingness to be shaped by something greater than myself. I didn't have a word for it, but I do now. Purpose comes from doing hard things with impactful to others with people you trust. 30 years later, I leave shaped by the standard by the mission. But above all else, by the people, by each of you, it ends here. It ends now. It ends in

this formation. And I'm glad you're here to share it with me. And somewhere in between, I hope this institution continues where it is going. And I hope that I gave it more than it ever gave me. Seridelison, THANK YOU. THANK YOU, SERGEANT MAJOR LUSK. In recognition for her love and support, flowers are now being delivered to Diane Lusk. cover. All right. Ladies and gentlemen, at this time, please rise for the playing of Anchors Away and the Marines hymn. All those that have served honorably are reminded to stand and join in the singing of the first two verses of the Marines hymn.

The commander of troops will now dismiss the command. For 30 years, this Marine has stood the watch. While some of us were in our racks at night, this Marine stood the watch. While some of us were IN SCHOOL LEARNING OUR TRADE, this Marine stood the watch. Yes. Even before SOME OF US WERE BORN INTO THIS WORLD, this Marine stood the watch. And in those TIMES WHEN THE CLOUDS OF WAR COULD BE SEEN BREWING ON THE HORIZON OF HISTORY, this Marine stood the watch. MANY TIMES HE WOULD CAST AN EYE ASHORE TO SEE HIS FAMILY STANDING there needing his guidance and help, NEEDING A HAND TO HOLD DURING THOSE HARD TIMES. BUT STILL HE STOOD THE WATCH.

He stood the WATCH SO THAT OUR FAMILIES, OUR COUNTRYMEN AND we could sleep soundly in safety EACH AND EVERY NIGHT KNOWING THAT THIS Marine stood the watch. Well, today we are here to say Marine, the watch stands relieved. Relieved by those you have guided, trained, and led. Sergeant Major Robert K. Lust, you stand relieved, for we have the watch. You're not going to get out of here that easy. I know you know this is coming. Um this is a small token. I emphasize small token of our appreciation for your 30 years. Um on behalf of First Civil Affairs Group, Mr. Lusk, you can hang

this in your uh house and uh it's basically your resume of your half of your life over the past 30 years. And so congratulations. I'm indebted to you uh like all of the others said and we really appreciate it. and uh you're invited to my change of command at 11 o'clock this morning for all the Marines that are in this. One more thing. Oh, what's up? Where's Carly? So, tradition from where we live and recognition for accomplishments. I've said it already. I just want to say thank you. I'm here today because of all of your support, all of your dedication.

I could not do this alone and none of you can. Foster your relationships. Support your families. Prioritize them as much as you prioritize the core. You can. I'm honored, but I'm confident that you are going to take forward what is necessary to fight battles and win wars. Fidelis and thank you for being here.