Naval District Washington Holds Change of Command Ceremony

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Naval District Washington (NDW) held a change of command ceremony in Admiral Leutze Park at the Washington Navy Yard June 21.

Rear Adm. Markham Rich relieved Rear Adm. Patrick J. Lorge as commandant.

Lorge, a native of Turnersville, N.J., graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1981. He became a Naval Aviator, earning his wings in 1983, and has flown F-14, F-16, A-4 and F-5 aircraft. His commands include tours with VF-43, VF-14, VF-101 and VFA-25 as well as Naval Air Station Oceana, Va. Lorge has also served at a variety of installations including the Joint Operations Directorate, Central Command Branch, Joint Staff, Washington; the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and U.S. Naval Forces Central Command.

Lorge became the 87th commandant of NDW, the oldest continuously operated Navy installation in the country, and the Joint Forces Headquarters National Capital Region deputy commander in July of 2008. In his time as commandant of NDW, Lorge lead a workforce of more than 3,500 military and civilian personnel at six Navy and joint installations. Additionally, he hosted the Naval Attache Corps and personally oversaw all ceremonies featuring foreign dignitaries at the Washington Navy Yard, known as the "quarterdeck of the Navy," on behalf of the chief of naval operations.

Lorge was a driving force behind the region's first integrated cyber-secure infrastructure, the merger of Bolling Air Force Base and Naval Support Facility Anacostia to create Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling and the standup of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center at Naval Support Activity Bethesda.

During the ceremony, Lorge thanked those he has worked with throughout his career, and reflected on his time at NDW.

"NDW is a team of amazingly powerful success," said Lorge. "They are the team that lends support to our warfighters and cares for their families back home. They are the team that buried Neil Armstrong. They hold the widows of our fallen shipmates at Dover. They are team 87. I will miss them, I will miss their dedication, their belief in accomplishing the impossible and the joy they show on a daily basis. I could never have dreamed a better dream than being the commandant of Naval District Washington."

Vice Adm. William French, commander, Navy Installations Command, presented Lorge with the Legion of Merit for his able and dedicated leadership of NDW from July 2008 to June 2013.

Prior to coming to NDW, Rich commanded Naval Air Station Oceana and served in VF-101 both as an F-14 instructor and as executive officer. He also served on the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations staff as deputy, Strike Aircraft Plans and Requirements and at U.S. Space Command, Policy and Plans Directorate. Rich was a 2004-2005 Secretary of Defense Corporate Fellow with Honeywell, International.

"I couldn't be more impressed with what I've seen here during the turnover of team 87," said Rich. "It is a professional, capable and talented team. I'm excited by what I've seen, and I'm excited to get started. I look forward to harnessing those incredible abilities of the NDW team and to take on new challenges of our broad and diverse missions."
NDW encompasses more than 4,000 square miles, including the District of Columbia, the Maryland counties of Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Frederick, Montgomery, Prince George's, and St. Mary's, and northern Virginia counties of Loudoun, Fauquier, Fairfax, Prince William, Stafford King George, Westmoreland, Arlington and the cities within their outer boundaries. The region includes such installations as Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Naval Support Activity Annapolis, and The Washington Navy Yard.

For more news from Naval District Washington, visit www.navy.mil/local/ndw/.