Photo By Sgt. Brandon Suhr | Rear Adm. Margret G. Kibben observes Marines from the 9th Engineer Support Battalion...... read more read more
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ZAMBALES, Philippines - The Chaplain of the Marine Corps, Rear Adm. Margret G. Kibben, visited exercise Balikatan 2013 service members April 9-10.
Kibben spoke to the service members about the positive effect they’re having on the local Philippine communities.
“This visit really made some of the junior service members realize what an impact they are making,” said 2nd Lt. Nicholas W. Ingold, the platoon commander for Engineer Operations Company. “It’s going to have a huge impact on how the Marines and sailors work for the remainder of the exercise.”
Kibben visited the different locations not only to check-up on their actions, but to tell them about the impact they are having.
“She gave us a good morale booster by telling us how we were doing great things, especially by going back to our roots; it was a good way to motivate the marines and sailors out here,” said Lance Cpl. Shane P. Morgan, a military police officer with 3rd Law Enforcement Battalion. “It was motivating, it’s not every day that you’ll have the Chaplain of the Marine Corps visit and speak to us. It paints the bigger picture for us.”
Lt. Cmdr. Ron Kennedy, the joint civil military operations task force chaplain, echoes that sentiment.
“The fact that the commandant of the Marine Corps wanted his chaplain to go see what the Marines are doing in Balikatan is extremely important. It shows how important this relationship is strategically here in the Philippines,” said Kennedy. “The fact that she came here should help us understand how important this mission really is.”
Kibben’s ability to see the interactions between the American and Philippine armed forces at work was a great example of how this exercise can benefit the two countries, according to Kennedy.
“It was really inspirational. She told us some good things that will help us keep up the work we’ve been doing so far,” said Morgan.
Balikatan is an annual Philippine-U.S. bilateral exercise. Humanitarian assistance and training activities enable the Philippine and American service members to build lasting relationships, train together and provide assistance in communities where the need is the greatest.
| Date Taken: | 04.11.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 04.16.2013 00:45 |
| Story ID: | 105247 |
| Location: | ZAMBALES, PH |
| Web Views: | 136 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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