Family members, friends and colleagues attended the dedication ceremony of the Seidel Memorial Courthouse on Edwards Air Force Base, California, March 18, 2021. The courthouse was named after Warren Seidel who passed away exactly one year ago following a short battle with cancer. (Air Force video by Bryce Bennett)
Transcript
Good morning. I’m Lieutenant Colonel James Lecture. And I’m your narrator for today’s ceremony. My pleasure to welcome you to Edwards Air Force Base. The dedication of this courthouse to Mr Warren said, Oh, for the purpose of military protocol. This is an indoor ceremony, military members to stand at attention during the national anthem. And our civilian guests are welcome to stand in place the right hand over their hearts. We request that all electronic devices be turned off or silence for the duration of the ceremony. Ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the presentation of the colors and playing of the national anthem and remain standing for the implication. Okay? Yeah, Or really hope? Oh, yeah, yeah, yes. Mm. Yeah, Yeah. Would you all join me in a moment of prayer? God of our power and might and the spirit of remembering, we gather to honor the life of Mr Warren Seidel and to dedicate the Saddle Memorial Courthouse here at Edwards Air Force Base. As you’re redeeming, work is done in these halls. Indeed. Let justice roll down like a mighty water and righteousness flow like an ever flowing stream. And mercy resound like the waves on the ocean. As we remember today, we ask you mighty one to offer your arm of comfort to Nadine, his wife and Ashley and traverse Children. May they experience peace beyond their comprehension. Even now, mighty one, please continue to bless the work of Lieutenant Colonel lecture. As he leads this team, may they continually find fulfillment of purpose as they support the greater Air Force and all who come through their doors. As we remember today, thank you for the opportunity to live into the mission of the Air Force. Please bless us in our endeavor. I’m in. May be seated. Thank you. Edwards. Blue Eagles Honor guard and Chaplain Clark. We’re gathered here today to commemorate Mr Warren Saddle and to honor his professional service to our nation. The courthouse you’re sitting in front of today is being dedicated as a lasting testament to his commitment to our Air Force to the United States of America Iron to have some very special guests and distinguished visitors with us this morning. Please welcome Mr Sydell, His wife, Ms Nadine Nectar, Seidel and their Children, Ashley and Trevor, his parents in law, Mr William and Betty Nectar. I’d also like to recognize our leadership and other distinguished visitors in attendance are presiding official Colonel Randall Gordon, Vice commander for 12 test wing Mr Dan Osborne, technical director for 12, test wing and Colonel or in left staffed urge advocate Air Force Test Center. I would like to also welcome all groups, squadron commanders and directors as well as all other guests in attendance today. Please welcome our presiding official for today’s ceremony. Colonel Randall Gordon. Good morning, everyone. Welcome. Um, we would be remiss if we didn’t take note of the fact that today is the one year anniversary. Um, and I got a chance to serve in my second tour here at Edwards with Warren. Uh, when I was told I was coming back, I was hoping to see him again, but it wasn’t to be unfortunately, but I’d like to think that today I mean, look at the weather that we have right now. It’s beautiful out here. How often at Edwards is It’s so windy or so cold about this time of year. And just look at how warm and just inviting and just nice it is to be outdoors. So I have to imagine he’s somewhere looking down on us right now, Uh, and and smiling, if you will. And so that’s why you know, this is such a warm and very pleasant kind of moment for for all of us. Um, I did want to extend a special welcome again, uh, to Nadine. To Ashley, Right to Trevor. Bill Betty again, Thank you so much for joining us here today because I can appreciate just how an emotional moment this is for you guys as well. Uh, and so it’s really nice to see everybody out here as well in preparing and kind of thinking about what to say today. Um, the very first thing that really struck me was in my 22 23 years of service in the Air Force, I have never actually seen a building get named period. Every place I’ve ever been, the buildings have already been named, and typically in the Air Force, our buildings have numbers associated with them. They make no sense completely whatsoever, completely confusing. But the fact that the team here, right between the legal staff that served with him, um, fought so hard and so diligently, and that the senior leadership here at the base, um, was 100% behind that. I also see that as a great testament to the impact that Warren had on everybody here. So please take that for for what it’s worth, I mean, it’s it’s not every day that you get a chance to see this within the Air Force. Um, And what an amazing man we get a chance to celebrate today. I mean, when you take into account his active duty service, the service that he spent with Decca, the places he served with Wright Patterson or Tinker MacDill here at Edwards Air Force Base. Um, I mean, we’re really talking about a career that spanned almost three decades of of service, uh, in so many different capacities, especially here when I was coming back as a squadron commander in my second tour. I mean, you know, Warren was kind of a nice advisor, if you will, with respect to civil law, for the for the relationship with labor unions and the environmental impact, Um, something that I still am in amazement of today of just how complex and difficult and area of law that is to practice, especially at a place like Edwards Air Force base with a long history, Um, you know, with respect to the local environment and then also with a very, very heavily civilian based kind of population. Uh, my personal impression of Warren was that he was always just a consummate professional, uh, someone I could call as a commander if I ever had any questions. Um, I saw the advice and the council that he gave to my fellow commanders as well. Uh, and so it was just a privilege to serve with him in that capacity. The last thing I’ll kind of give you is, uh, you know, we all experience some form of tragedy in our lives. Every single one of us. Uh, me personally. The one thing I’ve always learned from it is that the earth continues to rotate and the sun comes up the following morning. And the question becomes, What are you to do with that tragedy that’s occurred? And what I really enjoy about today is no matter who comes to this courthouse, the justice that occurs here and just how important that is for the function of the U. S. Air force. Um, they will walk in and they will see his name, and they will ask questions, and they will remember. And so the legacy continues, and its impact on all of us continues. Even after long after today, generations of folks will serve here at Edwards Air Force Base, and they’re going to walk in the Warrens house, and that’s that’s pretty special. That’s pretty cool. So, with that again, I I really wanted to say thanks again for all of our guests that have joined us to here. I want to say thanks also to the legal team that put so much effort to make this happen. Uh, he would be very, very proud. Very, very proud of what’s about to happen here today. Thank you, guys. Sorry. Thank you, Colonel Gordon. Ladies and gentlemen, we will now prepare for the courtroom sign unveiling. Will the saddle family please come forward and join Colonel Gordon next to the sign? Mhm. In honor of the service given by Mr Warren. Side out. We’re dedicating this courthouse in his honor. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Saddle Memorial Courthouse. Mhm. I would also like to present a mini replica assigned to the Citadel family. And I have a personal token of appreciation to their Children. Yeah. Yeah. Mhm military point is token. Cheap. All the dedication of your father’s down over 30 years nationally. You, Trevor criteria here. Thanks. And appreciation from our office. Sure. Yeah. Yeah. Ladies and gentlemen, Ms Nectar side, I would like to now say a few words on behalf of the Citadel family. Oh, thank you all for being here today. I see so many familiar faces from my visits out here with Warren and with our time in town with a number of you. And I know several of you visited him both in the hospital and in the hospice. So I really appreciate that. I want to start by telling you I understand the importance of the naming of this building. My father is a retired, um, senior Master sergeant. He was first shirt at C E out here at Edwards and then ran mortuary affairs. So having a building named out here is unbelievable. But having a building named anywhere in the airfare force is unbelievable. So we want to especially thank Brigadier General Matthew Hiker, Colonel Randall Gordon, and especially Lieutenant Colonel lecture and the entire staff from legal To fight for this and to allow it to happen is unbelievable. And we deeply, deeply appreciate it. So thank you from the bottom of our hearts. I also want to thank the legal team and civil engineering for setting all this up and preparing everything today. And I want to give a special thanks to one of Warren’s right hands. Um, without Mrs Palmer, Um, I would not have gone through this last year. And I know Warren appreciated everything she did here. Um, the entire time he was here. And so the kids and I want to make sure that we thank, um, the legal office and the legal team and especially Mrs Palmer for helping us and and taking care of Warren for so for so long. Um, as we proceed through and into the future, I know that Warren would have wanted to say not only thank you for this high honor, this unbelievable gift, but he would have said thank you for the memories. He loved Edwards tremendously. He loved serving his country. Um, his faith in God and his belief in the family for both Ashley Trevor and I were immense. So to each of you for being here today. I appreciate it. I thank you. And, um know that you will continue to be in our prayers as you continue to do the mission and continue to fight, um, for all of us. And thank you for the sacrifices you make every day. We greatly appreciate it. Thank you. Mhm. Thank you, Nadine. Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes today’s ceremony. We’d like to thank you for joining us. We stand in special thanks to those who helped ensure this event was a success. If you would like to tour the courtroom, please follow Lieutenant Carroll and remember to remain at least 6 ft distance from each other. Thank you very much. This concludes today’s ceremony.