Photo By Sgt. Jonathan LopezCruet | Lt. Gen. Hank Stackpole III, former U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific commander; Janet...... read more read more
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CAMP H.M. SMITH, Hawaii - U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific held a fitness center dedication ceremony aboard Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii, Sept. 14, 2015.
The center was named in honor of General Louis H. Wilson, Jr., a Marine who became the commander of Fleet Marine Forces Pacific on Sept. 1, 1972.
Wilson’s daughter, Janet Taylor and her husband, Jarry Taylor, traveled from Alabama to give honors to her father.
“The Wilson family was small, just the three of us, but the Marine Corps family is large; embracing, honoring and caring for all within the circle,” Taylor said.
Honoring Wilson’s legacy and the type of leader, man and Marine he was, was not a hard thing to do, according to Lt. Gen. John A. Toolan, commander of MARFORPAC.
“There are other facilities in the Marine Corps rightly named for him,” Toolan said. “We think this one is special for a couple of reasons.”
During the assault on Guam in 1944, Wilson earned the nation’s highest honor for heroism in combat. Because of his wounds during the assault, he was evacuated to the Aiea Heights Naval Hospital, which is now the home of MARFORPAC.
Wilson was well known for advocating for Marines to be physically fit. He even used his daughter as a training tool for other Marines, Taylor joked.
“When I was four, he was the commanding officer of The Basic School,” Taylor said. “He taught me to climb a rope in the back yard without using my feet, hand over hand.”
“Without telling my mother, we would go out on a ‘field trip’ to the obstacle course at The Basic School where he would have me demonstrate in front of Marines having difficulty with the rope climb just how easy it was,” she said.
Wilson was well known for how he led from the front and set the example for other Marines to emulate. He became the 26th Commandant of the Marine Corps on July 1, 1975. As the Commandant, he advocated force readiness, responsiveness and mobility by maintaining fast-moving, hard-hitting expeditionary units.
“I think it’s fitting that we dedicate this facility, built to help our Marines, and our civilian Marines, maintain their best possible physical condition, to a great man who spent his life dedicated to Corps and Country,” Toolan said.
This was another part of her father’s legacy that Taylor was proud to experience.
“I can imagine him here, at this facility walking to the building, to the gym, to the weight room, talking to everyone, listening too and finally leaving, saying, ‘heartily press-on',” Taylor said.
| Date Taken: | 09.14.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 09.14.2015 23:39 |
| Story ID: | 176042 |
| Location: | CAMP H.M. SMITH, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 343 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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