Kirk honored at retirement ceremony

U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk was honored Monday at a Pentagon ceremony celebrating his retirement from the Navy, where he spent more than 20 years in the reserves.

The Highland Park Republican retired in May 2013, his office said.

"At the heart and soul of my service has been my love for the United States Military, the greatest force for human dignity on earth," Kirk said in a statement. "I have loved every day in the Navy, and serving has been one of the greatest honors of my life."

Kirk pointed to his military experience during his first Senate term and before that in his time as a congressman from the northern suburbs.

He was first commissioned as an ensign in 1989, and the ceremony was presided over by Navy Adm. Jonathan W. Greenert and others.