This month’s Spotlight is on our friend Richard Ward. Richard grew up in Middletown Ct., where he excelled in field and track area placing in the two mile run at his local high school competitions as well as those normal kid things we all do in our youth.  At 17 after high school Richard joined the United States Coast Guard in 1964 and launched his first career along with his new bride Carol from East Orange New Jersey. Richard was assigned many posts up and down the Atlantic Seaboard and for 14 months beginning in 1967, Richard served on a gun boat in Viet Nam, officially joining the ranks of the “Brown Water Sailors”.  Richard retired from the Coast Guard in 1987 retiring as an E-7 Chief, Machinery Technician, serving the Nation some 23 years or so.

Carol and Richard agreed retiring to Central Florida was their choice.  After taking a family vacation and seeing some of the landlocked US, Richard decided to launch his second career.  In 1987 Richard accepted a position at Brevard CI as Chaplain (!!!) No just kidding, he joined us as a Correctional Officer (Although we are sure he would have been a fabulous Chaplain, we were glad he was a C.O.)

Richard became a team member from the start. He used his maturity, and professional skills he gained from his world travels and experiences in the Coast Guard and applied them to the benevolence of his shifts and coworkers. You could always find Richard working confinement, where he spent much of his time as a Correctional Officer. Richard was promoted to Sergeant rather shortly and worked all Sergeant posts at the Main Unit, including but not limited to Visiting Park and Control Room.  Richard was subsequently transferred to the Work Camp where he served until he retired in 2002.

Since retiring from the Department of Corrections in 2002, Richard and Carol continue to live in one of our south county beach communities. One of Richard’s passions was Muscle Cars and for many years built and maintained them. Although he does not work on them as he used to, that is still one of his most favorite things. Richard and Carol also traveled across the country and visited life-long friends and family made in all those years in the military. They fish and enjoy each other’s company where ever they go.   

If you want to catch up with Rich and Carol, you can email them at rward008@cfl.rr.com or plan to attend one of the DC TimeWatcher’s activities, as Rich & Carol are charter members and support the group by attending functions whenever possible.