VERO BEACH – On Saturday July 8 The Veterans Council of Indian River County hosted a retirement ceremony for Jason Cranman, a Vero Beach resident who has served in the United States National Guard for 24 years, retiring with the Rank of Staff Sergeant on June 30. The ceremony was held at Veterans Memorial Island Sanctuary.
The ceremony was well attended. Among those present were Colonel Sam Kouns, President of the Veterans Council, Colonel Marty Zickert and Colonel Anthony Young (both are Past Presidents of the Veterans Council), and City of Vero Beach Mayor Laura Moss. At the close of the ceremony Mayor Moss spoke of the long and noble history of those who have taken up arms to protect the citizens of the United States, thanking Mr. Cranman for his service to our country.
Andres Moreira, a United States Army Staff Sergeant who served with Mr. Cranman in Afghanistan in 2004 and 2005, gave touching testimony of the leadership that Cranman exhibited during that tour of duty. Moreira stated “I learned from Sergeant Cranman what it takes to become an effective leader. The leadership lessons that I learned from him will not be lost because he is retiring… I will carry those lessons forward to others for as long as I am in the Army.”
Mr. Cranman’s National Guard duties have taken him to Army bases in Louisiana, Kentucky, Missouri, New Jersey and Washington State. During the span of his 24 years of service, Cranman spent 3 years on active duty and had one deployment to Afghanistan. In civilian life, Cranman works for the City of Vero Beach, where he has been employed for 14 years.
Learn more about the Veterans Council at http://www.veteranscouncilirc.org.