Lincoln Place man retires after Navy, police career | The Homepage

Lt. Cmdr. Barry Budd, U.S. Navy Reserve (retired) and Pittsburgh Bureau of Police lieutenant (retired) with his mother, Grace Budd, on Feb. 28 during his military retirement ceremony. Photo by Danielle Basham

By Danielle Basham

Lt. Cmdr. Barry Budd, U.S. Navy Reserve (retired), has been a resident of the Lincoln Place neighborhood for more than 30 years. He retired in February following a career of more than 40 years. His service was defined by leadership, operational excellence and service to both country and community.

A tribute to a life of service

Mr. Budd’s four decades of service were formally recognized during a retirement ceremony on Feb. 28 at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum. The event brought together more than 140 guests, including family members and close friends who traveled from across the country.

In recognition of Mr. Budd’s service to both the nation and the community — including his civilian career as a police lieutenant (retired) assigned to the major crimes division — Mr. Budd was presented with an official proclamation from the City of Pittsburgh. The proclamation was presented by District 5 City Councilor Barb Warwick, who formally designated Feb. 28 as “Barry Budd Day” in the City of Pittsburgh.

The ceremony included personal tributes and the presentation of mementos from his children, as well as honors from members of the chief petty officer community.

Mr. Budd’s police career started in 1989. In the decades that followed, he served as a SWAT team operator, police diver, HAZMAT technician, K-9 handler, narcotics detective and DEA federally deputized task force officer. He helped form the bureau’s underwater dive team and was an “essential participant” in implementing the bureau’s public safety unit for flood response and water rescue.

Both abroad and at home, Mr. Budd has had a lasting impact on the Navy, the Pittsburgh community and all who served alongside him.

A distinguished career

Mr. Budd enlisted in the U.S. Navy in June 1985, beginning his career at Recruit Training Center Great Lakes, Illinois. After graduating from gunner’s mate “A” school, he was selected for the demanding U.S. Navy Second Class Deep-Sea Diver School in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Upon graduation, he reported aboard USS Frank Cable (AS-40), where he became a fully qualified second-class diver, re-compression chamber operator, ship’s man-overboard swimmer, small boat coxswain and Nuclear Personnel Reliability Program-qualified diver supporting submarine ship’s husbandry operations.

After his initial enlistment, Mr. Budd transferred to the U.S. Navy Reserve and joined Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit 2, Detachment 412, in Cleveland, Ohio. His experience and technical expertise quickly made him a key contributor to his unit. In 1991, he attended First Class Dive School in Panama City, Florida, and was promoted to chief petty officer in 1995.

In 2000, seeking broader leadership opportunities, Mr. Budd transferred to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 23. Assigned as assistant officer in charge and then officer in charge of detachment in Akron, Ohio, he standardized operational and functional procedures.

He later supported battalion pre-deployment training for the global war on terrorism, overseeing military training qualifications and authoring the battalion’s first convoy tactical movement team security standard operating procedures. During this period, he earned his enlisted Seabee combat warfare qualification.

If all that was not enough, Mr. Budd graduated from Duquesne Law School in 2004, right before he was called to deploy in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He served from September 2004 through April 2005 as convoy security officer in charge and department head for multiple convoy security teams operating out of Ramadi, Iraq. Midway through the deployment, he was promoted to chief warrant officer 2, an uncommon distinction in a combat zone. While deployed, he earned both the officer Seabee combat warfare insignia and qualification as a fleet marine force officer.

Following his return, Mr. Budd advanced within the Seabee command structure, serving with the Third Naval Construction Regiment in Marietta, Georgia, as regimental equipment officer coordinating heavy equipment readiness for three battalions. He was promoted to chief warrant officer 3. In 2009, he deployed again to Iraq with Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 24 as assistant officer in charge and operations officer of a special operations–aligned remote detachment operating across multiple locations. He served as the primary liaison for special operations command construction missions throughout Iraq and was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal upon completion of the tour.

After returning to the United States, Mr. Budd was assigned to First Naval Construction Division in Little Creek, Virginia, serving on the admiral’s staff as command security officer and qualified watch officer. He participated in multiple major exercises, including Pacific operations centered out of Okinawa, Japan, and was promoted to chief warrant officer 4 during this assignment.

Later returning to dive and special operations communities, Mr. Budd served with Explosive Ordnance Disposal Operational Support Unit 10 as platoon commander and officer in charge of the underwater area search platoon, followed by service with SEAL Team 18 as platoon commander and officer in charge of special boat combat service support troop. Near the conclusion of this tour, he was selected as the third chief warrant officer 5 in the Navy Reserve.

To continue serving beyond warrant officer tenure limits, Mr. Budd transitioned to the Navy Security Officer community, commissioning as a lieutenant. He served with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service as assistant officer in charge and credentialed operational support officer, leading executive protection missions and supporting criminal investigations. He later assumed command of Navy Reserve Security Forces Pittsburgh (Sasebo), rebuilding readiness while also serving as regional security coordinator for commander, naval region Japan. In this role, he coordinated seven Navy Reserve Security Forces units across Japan, authored the first region-specific operations guidance and supported rapid COVID-19 response deployments to Yokosuka.

Promoted to lieutenant commander in October 2021, Mr. Budd served on active duty as an officer recruiter with Navy Talent Acquisition Group Pittsburgh. During this tour, he also served as legal officer, wardroom vice president and general officer recruiter, earning multiple recognitions for performance. He later returned to selected reserve status and completed his final assignment as department head for intelligence for Strike Group 4 Force Protection at Norfolk Naval Base, serving as the sole Selected Reserve officer in his specialty.

Throughout his career, Mr. Budd received numerous personal awards, including two Meritorious Service Medals, two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, five Navy Reserve Meritorious Service Medals, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal with Eagle, Globe, and Anchor device, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Coast Guard Special Operations Ribbon with “O” device. He also earned the Expert Pistol and Expert Rifleman medals.

Danielle Basham is a retired Navy chief and veteran service officer who lives in North Canton, Ohio.