Retiring Commander of Base Is Honored
Lt. Col James Ghormley, retiring commander of the Los Alamitos Armed Forces Reserve Center, has accepted a proclamation from the City Council for 24 years of service.
“I think it’s going to be quite an adjustment for the center not to have Jim around,” Mayor Alice Jempsa said Monday. “He’s been such an institution over there.”
Ghormley, 56, started with the base as airfield commander when it opened in 1973. He became commander in 1996 and retires Monday.
“It’s humbling to think a person has an impact on a community over a period of time and the community recognizes that,” Ghormley, who has spent 33 years in the Army, said.
His retirement plans include golfing, traveling, acting and writing.
Lt. Col. David Appel will head the base after Ghormley retires.
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