Oregon native retires from Naval command in Japan

YOKOSUKA, Japan — Capt. Tim DeWitt, an Oregon, Illinois, native retired from the U.S. Navy after 29 years of honorable service.

DeWitt was relieved of his command of the Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Far East in a ceremony early Friday, Tanya King of the Navy Office Of Community Outreach reported.

Rear Adm. Dean VanderLey, commander of Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command and 46th chief of civil engineers, presided over the ceremony.

DeWitt was relieved by Capt. Lance Flood of Summerville, South Carolina, who now oversees regional engineer teams in Japan and the Korean peninsula.

DeWitt said it was a unique opportunity, being able to start and finish his Navy career with NAVFAC Far East, a key tactical base for the U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet.

“It’s the diversity of people and cultures who made it a truly special place,” said DeWitt. “Working together, we were able to make advancements on game-changing fleet priority projects including state-of-the-art ship simulator facilities and a new fixed concrete pier to support Seventh Fleet ships in Yokosuka.”

DeWitt’s first overseas duty assignment was in 1994 when he arrived at Yokosuka to serve aboard the frigate USS Rodney M. Davis as a surface warfare officer.

He returned to NAVFAC Far East in 2007 as a public works officer.

“These were rare opportunities that allowed the drive and focus of our people to highlight what NAVFAC brings to the fight as a systems command,” DeWitt said.

DeWitt graduated from the University of Illinois with a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering and received his commission in 1993 through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps program. He has maintained his status as a registered professional engineer in the state of Illinois.

During the ceremony, VanderLey presented DeWitt with the Legion of Merit, gold star.

DeWitt also received a letter of appreciation from Shunko Gakuen, a home for Japanese children separated from their parents. Seabees and NAVFAC members have been sponsoring and providing support to the home since 1945.

DeWitt’s command responsibilities in his final post meant leading 2,142 personnel at 11 public works departments across two Navy regions. He managed $1 billion in investments to enhance operations of the U.S. Seventh Fleet, the III Marine Expeditionary Force and other Navy and Department of Defense activities throughout the Indo-Pacific region, according to the award citation.

DeWitt oversaw construction of three navigation, seamanship, and ship-handling trainers for the Seventh Fleet. His command provided operational support for the U.S. Seventh Fleet operations facility. His command saw the completion of a $174 million Pier 5 replacement project.

In accepting command, Flood said: “I hope to leverage that regional experience to continue enhancing NAVFAC’s agile warfighter support that was delivered solidly on target by Capt. DeWitt.”

Flood had command of the 30th Naval construction regiment in Guam for the Seventh Fleet.

NAVFAC Far East provides facilities and engineering services to Navy, Marine Corps and other federal agencies in Japan, South Korea Singapore and the British Indian Ocean territory. NAVFAC is the systems command that maintains and supports Navy expeditionary combat forces, provides contingency engineering response, and provides energy security and environmental stewardship.