A proud Navy family marked both an ending and a beginning when Capt. Rich Sussman administered the oath of enlistment to his son, Matthew Sussman, on the captain’s final day in uniform.

The ceremony capped a remarkable 35 year career while launching another Sussman into naval service.

For years, Matthew had wanted to follow his father’s path and join the Navy, according to a recent release.

His decision was not a passing interest, but a goal that brought out a level of enthusiasm his family had rarely seen before.

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Matthew’s mother, Christine Sussman, said the family considered numerous directions for his future.

None generated the same excitement as the prospect of serving his country in the Navy.

“We explored a lot of possibilities and options,” Christine Sussman said in the announcement. “No matter what I threw at him, nothing really seemed to stick or really get him excited until he started talking about enlisting.”

“It’s like the most enthusiastic we’ve ever seen him about anything.”

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For a family already steeped in Navy tradition, Matthew’s commitment made clear that the next generation was prepared to carry the watch.

In June, the Sussman family gathered at the Albany Military Entrance Processing Station to witness the milestone.

Matthew raised his right hand and formally swore into the Navy, accepting the obligations and responsibilities that come with military service.

Standing before him was not just an officer authorized to administer the oath, but his father.

Capt. Sussman, commanding officer of Commander, Navy Regional Maintenance Center, stood at attention and shed a tear as the significance of the moment settled in.

The ceremony brought together two defining points in the family’s history.

Matthew was beginning his first day in uniform and preparing to leave for boot camp, while his father was closing out his final day after decades of service.

“In July of 1991 I went off to the Merchant Marine Academy to my boot camp,” Capt. Sussman said.

“I commissioned in June of 1995, and 31 years later, here I sit on my last day in uniform doing the oath of enlistment for my son, on his first day in uniform.”

“It’s just a tremendous honor and I couldn’t be more proud.” It was a deeply personal handoff, the kind of moment that reminds Americans military service is often sustained by families willing to answer the nation’s call generation after generation.

Matthew departed for Recruit Training Command Great Lakes in Illinois, where he will begin the demanding process of becoming a sailor.

Boot camp will test his discipline, endurance and ability to operate as part of a team, just as it has for countless Navy recruits before him.

For Capt. Sussman, administering the oath offered one final official duty with meaning far beyond paperwork or ceremony.

He was able to pass along a Navy legacy built through decades of commitment while watching his son begin earning a legacy of his own.

“The Navy can’t get rid of the Sussmans and we’re excited about it,” Capt. Sussman said.

That good natured warning should come as welcome news to a service that depends on motivated young Americans and the families who understand what military duty requires.

Matthew is slated to serve as a submarines information systems technician, a role carrying serious technical demands and significant responsibility.

He said he is ready for the challenge as he enters a community where precision, reliability and trust are essential beneath the waves.

“I’m jealous of my son,” Capt. Sussman said. “I told him if I could take his spot, start it and do it all over again I would absolutely do it.”

That is a powerful endorsement from a man who gave 35 years to the Navy and still wishes he could begin the journey again.

One Sussman may have finished his final day in uniform, but another has raised his right hand, taken the oath and stepped forward to serve.

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