Dec. 16--WASHINGTON -- A military retirement ceremony was held Monday at the Pentagon for Sen. Mark Kirk, the Illinois Republican who spent 23 years in the Navy Reserve, his spokeswoman said.
Kirk, who suffered a major stroke in January 2012, retired from the Navy Reserve in May 2013, according to spokeswoman Danielle Varallo.
The ceremony, which drew top Navy officials, was originally planned for October 2013 but did not take place then because of the government shutdown, Varallo said.
Kirk completed Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as an ensign in Pensacola, Fla., in 1989, she said. He served as a naval intelligence officer and attained the rank of commander.
In a statement released by his office, Kirk said: "At the heart and soul of my service has been my love for the United States military, the greatest force for human dignity on Earth. I have loved every day in the Navy, and serving has been one of the greatest honors of my life."
The retirement ceremony was led by Adm. Jonathan Greenert, chief of naval operations, and Vice Admiral Robin Braun, chief of the Navy Reserve.
Kirk, first elected to the House in 2000 and the Senate in 2010, volunteered for Navy duties after he became a federal lawmaker and was not paid by the military during that time, Varallo said. He did not take part in Reserve duties after his stroke, she said.
Kirk served in Washington, D.C.; Afghanistan; Italy; Turkey and other places, Varallo said. His service included tours with the Office of Naval Intelligence, the U.S. Southern Command, the USS Normandy, and the USS John C. Stennis, she said. He also worked for the Joint Chiefs of Staff Yugoslavia Task Force, Varallo said.
Kirk, 55, will be up for re-election in 2016.
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