Photo By Cpl. Matheus Hernandez | Gen. James F. Amos, 35th commandant of the Marine Corps speaks to Marines and sailors...... read more read more
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CAMP SCHWAB, OKINAWA, Japan – As the first stop on a multi-day tour of the Pacific Region, Gen. James F. Amos, 35th commandant of the Marine Corps, and Sgt. Maj. of the Marine Corps Micheal P. Barrett, 17th sergeant major of the Marine Corps, visited Camp Schwab, June 13.
It was standing room only as Schwab-based Marines and sailors crowded into the theater for the town hall meeting with the Corps’ top leaders.
During the visit, Amos thanked the troops for their service in Okinawa, saying he understood the sacrifice of being stationed away from family and friends. During his career, he spent about four years in Japan and has been stationed on Okinawa and at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni on mainland Japan.
“This is an important part of the world,” he told the audience.
III Marine Expeditionary Force is a vital presence in the Pacific Region as proven by the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief mission of Operation Tomodachi following the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck Honshu, Japan, March 11, he said.
“You should feel particularly good based on what you’ve been doing … with Operation Tomodachi,” he said. “What you’ve done here and how important you are is known back in the states.”
III MEF’s actions during Operation Tomodachi are the perfect example of what Marines can do, he said.
“We respond to today’s crisis with today’s force, today,” he said. “That’s precisely what III MEF did [during Operation Tomodachi].”
“The leadership here,” he said pointing to Lt. Gen. Kenneth J. Glueck, III MEF commanding general, and other senior III MEF leaders, “without any direction … everybody said, ‘this is what we do … we can get ourselves together to go help out our brothers and sisters in Japan because it is the right thing to do.’”
Following Operation Tomodachi, the Japanese ambassador to the U.S. called Amos personally to thank him for the Marine Corps’ efforts following the natural disaster, he said.
“I don’t know that I’ve been more proud than what happened with III MEF here going up north to help the Japanese. It is a bright and shiny gold star on what the Marine Corps does,” Amos said.
Amos also talked about the Corps’ future, discussing the drawdown of combat operations in Afghanistan, resetting Marine Corps assets from combat zones and reducing the Corps’ end strength to less than 200,000 beginning in the next 18 months.
Amos then introduced Barrett as the new sergeant major of the Marine Corps. Barrett assumed the position from Sgt. Maj. Carlton W. Kent in a ceremony at Marine Barracks Washington in Washington, D.C., June 9. Barrett, known as a warfighter, had recently returned from a deployment to Helmand province, Afghanistan, where he served as the Regional Command Southwest sergeant major.
At Schwab, he talked about the heroism and sacrifice Marines have made in Afghanistan. He said Marines were getting the job done in Afghanistan and serving with distinction.
He promised Marines and sailors that during his tenure as the top enlisted advisor to the commandant, “I’m going to be in tune with what is affecting Marines.”
Amos and Barrett also answered questions from audience members before heading to Camp Hansen to talk with Marines and sailors there.
Lance Cpl. Devin King, with 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, III MEF, said he was very impressed with the quality of the information provided by the commandant during the talk and during the question and answer portion.
“[This visit] gave me reassurance about what’s going on within the Corps,” King said.
It was a great opportunity to see the new sergeant major of the Marine Corps so soon after his appointment, he added.
“He’s very motivating. He’s got a lot of spirit, which is refreshing,” King said of Barrett.
Amos and Barrett attended briefs and visited with Marines and sailors at Camps Courtney, Foster and MCAS Futenma June 14 before departing Okinawa for MCAS Iwakuni.
| Date Taken: | 06.13.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 06.14.2011 05:54 |
| Story ID: | 72053 |
| Location: | CAMP SCHWAB, OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 1,049 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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