JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. –
After a 20-year career in the United States Navy, including more than three years as the Officer-in-Charge at Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Lakehurst, Cmdr. Walter “Yazzi” Reynolds retired during an April 27 ceremony at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.
After graduating from the United States Naval Academy, Reynolds served as a helicopter pilot, helicopter instructor pilot, and aerospace engineering duty officer. Previous assignments have been in Jacksonville, Florida; San Diego, California; and Patuxent River, Maryland. He came to Lakehurst in 2019, just months before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As he spoke in the historic Hangar 1, Reynolds said in the months leading up to the pandemic, he worked hard to find where he’d add value at the Navy’s Warfare Center aboard Lakehurst. But, as the pandemic worsened, he understood his role in moving the warfare center’s efforts forward and taking care of the 1,800 person workforce, and was honored to be part of Lakehurst’s history.
“Thank you for trusting me to lead a team of this magnitude and complexity. And for teaching me what it means to lead with care, passion, vulnerability, humility and commitment,” Reynolds said to his guest speaker and former reporting senior, Rear Adm. John Lemmon. Then, asking guests to rise and turn towards the Sailors present at his ceremony, Reynolds said, “There are few more inspiring, more dedicated, more worthy of my thanks than each of you – the United States Sailor. You are the best part of my 20-year career.”
The ceremony’s guest speaker, Rear Adm. John Lemmon, Program Executive Officer, Tactical Aircraft Programs, called the ceremony a “bittersweet occasion,” noting the “significant and lasting impact” Reynolds has had on the organization.
“Although it will be a tremendous loss for the Navy, I have always been, and continue to be, an advocate of doing what’s best for you and your family,” Lemmon said. “So, while selfishly, I would love to continue serving with you Yazzi, I know you will continue to shape lives in your next adventure just as you have done throughout your military career."
During the ceremony, Reynolds was recognized for not only keeping Lakehurst open and operating to support the fleet during the pandemic, but also working to help the neighboring communities navigate the uncharted waters, including providing more than 2,000 face shields to local military and civilian partners.
“I’ve watched supervisors bear the incredible burden of leadership during true crisis. I’ve walked through the hangars and test sites where our artisans, test engineers and Sailors creatively pushed forward for the fleet despite constant closings of spaces and all too regular notification that someone was COVID positive,” Reynolds said. “I watched you weld, and drill, and paint with smiles, encouraged by the repeated choruses of ‘Proud to be here’ or ‘There’s no place I’d rather be.’ And I admired your bravery as you traveled to Japan and Guam and all over the U.S. when travel was restricted for the rest of our population so that we could support our deployed Sailors and Marines.”
As he waits to see where the next chapter takes him, Reynolds said he looks forward to spending more time with his wife Nicole and their four children.