WASHINGTON, D.C — Although Butler native Adm. Jonathan Greenert ascended to the top uniformed military position in the U.S. Navy, he originally was not considering any kind of career in that branch of the military.

“I never really thought about a career in the Navy,” said Greenert, 62.

The 1971 graduate of Butler High School did eventually enter the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1975. He has come a long way since then, rising to the position of Chief of Naval Operations in 2011. He officially retired from that position Thursday.

His replacement, Adm. John Richardson, was sworn in Friday at a ceremony at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.

Speaking at the ceremony, Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter praised Greenert for his efforts as CNO.

“With Admiral Greenert standing the watch, America's sailors and Marines have been where it matters, when it matters — rebalancing to the Asia-Pacific, where much of America's future will be written; reinforcing our longstanding NATO allies; supporting our forces ashore in the turbulent Middle East; and providing humanitarian assistance and disaster relief the world over, in a way that only America can and does do,” Carter said.

During his junior year of high school, Greenert began considering joining military academies. He previously had said this was due to limited funds for other colleges.

He applied to the Naval Academy, the U.S Military Academy and the Coast Guard Academy. Eventually, he ended up at the Naval Academy, where he studied nuclear power. He chose to be a submarine officer after an adviser recommended it.

Greenert said a real benefit to working on submarines was an additional $100 monthly stipend, which was welcome in the late 1970s.

“That was real money back then,” Greenert said.

During his first tour of duty, he met his wife, Darleen, who also was in the Navy, and enjoyed it. He chose to take a second tour of duty, which he said would give him more time to plan for a career outside of the Navy.

He eventually decided to stick around.

His work led him to command the submarine USS Honolulu from 1991 to 1993. After this, he commanded submarine squadrons — which contain 10 to 12 submarines. He became an admiral in 1998.

He went on to commanding fleets — which contain all types of ships. This culminated with his commanding of the U.S. Fleet Forces Command — also known as the Atlantic Fleet — from 2007 to 2009.

Commanding a fleet entails overseeing ships, people and budgets. Greenert said delegating is an important part of the job.

“I guess you could call it spinning plates,” Greenert said. “You have to prioritize.”

In 2009, Greenert became the vice chief of naval operations — one step below the CNO. Despite having this position, he said it was not expected he would become the chief when Adm. Gary Rushead retired. He said it had been about 20 years since the vice chief became the CNO.

“It was unusual,” Greenert said.

He was recommended by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Gates then recommended Greenert for the position to President Barack Obama.

Before Obama could officially nominate Greenert, he had to interview him in July 2011 at the Oval Office — which Greenert said is larger than it looks in photos and on TV.

“It was a great experience,” Greenert said.

He said Obama put him at ease, described what he expected from a CNO and asked Greenert where he thought the Navy should go.

“We talked for about a half-hour,” Greenert said.

After being nominated, he had a hearing in front of the U.S. Senate Armed Forces Committee, which approved him. Then, the full Senate voted to confirm Greenert.

He took the job as the 30th CNO on Sept. 23, 2011.

The CNO is the number two naval leader, reporting to the Secretary of the Navy, but is the top uniformed naval leader. The CNO is the principal naval adviser to the president and to the Secretary of the Navy on the conduct of war, and is on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.