FORT MYER, Va., Jan. 29 (UPI) -- Outgoing Secretary of Defense Chuch Hagel was honored in a farewell ceremony in Fort Myer, Va., on Wednesday.
Hagel asked U.S. troops to secure the military's reputation as "the most admired and trusted institution in our country."
"I will soon leave this job that I have cherished," Hagel said. "The opportunity to have been a part of all this is something I could not have imagined when I joined the Army 48 years ago."
Hagel also spoke of his proudest achievement.
"Of all the opportunities my life has given me, and I have been blessed with so many, I am most proud of having once been a soldier," he said.
There is no clear explanation as to Hagel's departure after a brief two-year stay as defense secretary, but policy disagreements about Guantanamo Bay and military operations in Iraq and Syria are reported to have caused a rift between Hagel and the Obama administration.
President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Army Gen. Martin Dempsey attended the event.
"I asked Chuck to lead this department at a moment of profound transition. And today we express our gratitude for the progress under his watch," President Obama said. "After more than 13 years, our combat mission in Afghanistan is over, and America's longest war has come to a responsible and honorable end."
Former Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter was nominated by Obama to replace Hagel.
A video of the ceremony in its entirety is available via C-SPAN.
