The Watch Goes On

A tribute to Rear Admiral Robert C. Nowakowski

Yesterday, aboard the USS Iowa, I watched my youngest son carry the American flag as Rear Admiral Robert C. Nowakowski brought more than three decades of service to a close.

I thought I understood what that moment would mean before I arrived.

I did not quite understand it until I saw the colors pass in front of me.

He never needed to tell our children what their paths should be. His example was enough.

Rear Admiral Robert Nowakowski with the ceremonial Color Guard aboard USS Iowa at his retirement ceremony. — USS Iowa · September 26, 2026 — Rear Admiral Nowakowski with the ceremonial Color Guard.

Across three journeys

Three children. Different paths. One example.

Admiral Nowakowski has been present at meaningful points in the journeys of all three of our children.

Years ago, he was there when Zack received his appointment to the United States Naval Academy. We saw him again later, with Zack and Pia, as Zack continued through Annapolis. Zack has since graduated and begun the next chapter of his own service.

Madison later had the honor of carrying the American flag aboard the USS Iowa at a Freedom of the Seas event with Admiral Nowakowski there. Today she is a youngster at USNA, still learning what service and leadership will mean in her own life.

And yesterday it was Nathan's turn.

Nathan is still a junior at Troy High School. We do not know whether Annapolis will become part of his story. That choice is his. But he had the extraordinary honor of serving with the ceremonial Color Guard and carrying the American flag at Admiral Nowakowski's retirement.

Three children. Three different points in their lives. One example that kept appearing along the way.

Zack Dang with Rear Admiral Robert Nowakowski when Zack received his appointment to the United States Naval Academy. — Zack — receiving his appointment to the United States Naval Academy.

Zack and Pia with Rear Admiral Robert Nowakowski at the VSA Gala in Garden Grove. — Years later — Zack and Pia with Admiral Nowakowski at the VSA Gala.

Madison Dang with Rear Admiral Robert Nowakowski and others aboard USS Iowa at the Freedom of the Seas event. — Madison — aboard USS Iowa, where she served as the American flag bearer.

Nathan Dang with his parents Darren and Chrystina and Rear Admiral Robert Nowakowski at the VSA Gala. — Nathan — with Admiral Nowakowski before Nathan's own path was written.

The quiet work of example

What rank and medals cannot fully record.

Rank and medals can record responsibility and achievement. They do not fully record the quieter ways a leader affects the people around him.

Admiral Nowakowski never sat our children down and prescribed their futures. He did something more durable: he let them see a life of service up close.

That matters.

A good example does not narrow someone else's future. It widens what they can imagine for themselves.

Our children still have to make their own choices, carry their own weight, make their own mistakes, and discover what service means in their own lives. But they begin with something they would not have had otherwise: a person they can point to and say, That is one way a life of service can look.

I suspect our family is only one of many that Admiral Nowakowski has influenced this way.

The song

Before the ceremony, I wrote a song for Admiral Nowakowski. One passage felt meaningful when I wrote it:

On Iowa beneath the colors,
With the sunlight on the bay,
Old Glory rests in younger hands
As one watch ends today.

Yesterday I watched those words become literal.

Nathan stood with the Color Guard. The flag moved past us. Admiral Nowakowski sat before them at the close of his career.

For a few seconds, the idea behind the song was no longer an idea. It was simply happening in front of me.

Listen without the film

The Watch Goes On

Read the full lyrics

Verse 1

You answered when your country called, And made the ocean home. Through distant nights and changing tides, You never stood alone. You learned that rank is borrowed, That command is something earned, And the strongest mark of leadership Is what the next ones learn.

Pre-Chorus

The ribbons tell a story, The stars can name the role, But neither tells the quiet ways A leader shapes a soul.

Chorus

So fair winds, Admiral, fair winds, Let the harbor lead you home. You have stood the watch with honor Through every sea you've known. And though today one watch is ending, What you gave is never gone. You stand relieved with honor— The watch goes on.

Verse 2

You showed up for the young ones Before they knew how far they'd go, With a word, a hand, an example That gave them room to grow. Some will wear the uniform, Some will choose another way, But all can carry something forward From the life you lived each day.

Pre-Chorus 2

For example is a compass, And presence lights the way. A life of faithful service Can outlast its final day.

Chorus 2

Bridge

On Iowa beneath the colors, With the sunlight on the bay, Old Glory rests in younger hands As one watch ends today. And maybe that's the measure Of what a lifetime leaves behind: Not only stars upon the shoulder, But the courage passed through time.

Final Chorus

Fair winds, Admiral, fair winds, Now let the long watch turn toward home. For the ones you helped inspire Will stand watches of their own. And long after this day is over, Your example travels on. You stand relieved with honor— We have the watch. The watch goes on.

Outro

Fair winds... Following seas... The watch goes on.

A few moments across the years

Service is also remembered in the people who were there.

Rear Admiral Robert Nowakowski with United States Naval Academy midshipmen at the VSA Gala. — Admiral Nowakowski with USNA midshipmen at the VSA Gala.

Darren and Chrystina Dang with CDR Lauper and former Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro at the retirement event. — A day surrounded by service — with CDR Lauper and former Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro.

Front of the challenge coin from Rear Admiral Robert Nowakowski's retirement event. — The retirement challenge coin.

Back of the challenge coin from Rear Admiral Robert Nowakowski's retirement event. — A small artifact from a long watch.

Darren and Chrystina Dang with Rear Admiral Robert Nowakowski after his retirement ceremony. — With gratitude — Chrystina and me with Admiral Nowakowski after the ceremony.

What remains

The part I keep thinking about is not the ending.

It is what continues.

A leader can leave behind commands, awards, programs, and accomplishments. Those matter. But there is another kind of legacy that is harder to count: the people who saw the example and carried something useful from it into their own lives.

That is what I am grateful for.

Admiral Nowakowski, thank you for your service to our country. Thank you for the example you gave our children. And thank you for all the young people who can see a little farther because you showed them one honorable way to serve.

You stand relieved with honor.
We have the watch.
The watch goes on.

Fair winds and following seas, Admiral.
— Darren

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