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VOLUME 75, EDITION 39
The
GL BE SERVING CAMP LEJEUNE AND SURROUNDING AREAS SINCE 1944
LAR
2nd Tanks promotes fi first rst female field grade officer| 7A
conducts annual gunnery training | 3A THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2013
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Photo by Lance Cpl. Scott Whiting
Gen. James Amos, commandant of the Marine Corps, visits Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, Tuesday, to speak to non commissioned officers with 2nd Marine Division about small unit leadership. Amos and Sgt. Maj. Micheal Barrett, sergeant major of the Marine Corps, spoke to the NCOs to motivate them to lead their Marines in garrison like they would in a deployed environment.
Commandant of the Marine Corps challenges NCOs at Lejeune LANCE CPL. SCOTT WHITING 2nd Marine Division
O
ut of approximately 178,000 activeduty Marines, 83 percent of them are sergeants and below. This statistic demonstrates the importance the Marine Corps places on small unit leadership. In order to discuss that vital subject in depth with Marines, Gen. James Amos, the commandant of
the Marine Corps, visited Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune with Sgt. Maj. Micheal Barrett, sergeant major of the Marine Corps, Tuesday. The audience was exclusively comprised of Camp Lejeune corporals and sergeants. During the meeting, Amos and Barrett stressed some of the reasons small unit leadership needs to occur on a daily basis. “We need you to help us get back to fundamental, well-disciplined leadership,” said Amos, speaking to the room of non commissioned
officers. “I’m talking about fundamentals, principles and standards in your leadership. If you see something wrong, correct it.” Amos referenced the issue the Corps is having with sexual assaults as an example of something to look out for and stop before it happens. “I don’t worry one second about what’s happening in Afghanistan,” Amos said. “That doesn’t mean I don’t care, but that I’m so confident in our training. I don’t worry about a corporal leading a patrol. But when we
come back, we forget about the junior Marines.” Barrett reiterated that statement. “I’ve never seen a Marine fail in combat,” he said. “Where we sometimes fall short is in the garrison environment.” The NCOs in attendance were also reminded of why they joined. Amos pointed out most of the Marines there were probably in 5th or 6th grade when the 9/11 attacks took place, and everyone in the military volunteered to join and fight. “There was no draft or
military service requirement,” Amos said. “You all saw the attacks on our nation and wanted to be a part of the fight.” He said the fight in garrison is just as important as the fight overseas. Budget cuts were also discussed in the meeting with the commandant. He described in detail how much the Marine Corps has to spend and how we have to make do with less money. “I don’t like (the budget cuts),” Amos said. “But it wasn’t up to me. However,
CAMP LEATHERNECK, AFGHANISTAN
Supply deliveries take planning, endurance CPL. PAUL PETERSON
2nd Marine Logistics Group
The nitty-gritty front end of combat logistics in Helmand province has Marines with Combat Logistics Regiment 2, Regional Command (Southwest), pushing through unforgiving desert landscapes. It’s a daily grind that requires service members to endure intense heat, arduous work hours and the constant possibility of enemy attack. Convoys can stretch for more than a mile. Vehicles break down, and plans change. It’s complicated, yet also simple. “When it comes down to it, it’s about getting stuff from point A to point B, but the devil is in the details,” said Capt. Eric Musser, a transportation officer with CLR-2. “You really have to pay attention to what you’re doing.” The process starts with requests from units in the field. Musser and other Marines with the regiment organize the requests into load plans for convoys. “You can kind of think of it like we’re UPS, and they put
in an order,” said Musser. “We break it down by location, what it is, who the receiving unit is, and that’s our load plan.” Logistics planners also take into account the urgency of requests and special considerations such as terrain or vehicle requirements. Requests preferably come in 10 days prior to the actual convoy. In that time, Musser and his Marines coordinate with requesting units and the Marines responsible for transporting the materiel. “We look at the big picture,” said Musser. “We don’t tell them what vehicles to use, but we do give recommendations. It’s up to the (transportation Marines) to determine how they complete the mission. We just make sure they have the assets ahead of time.” Each convoy has limited space for supplies. Whether it’s the basic food, water and fuel needed by all Marine units, or a request for additional rockets, Musser helps coordinate the most efficient way to plan each convoy’s load. Every Marine at the ground level must know what items to drop off and what items to pick
we are going to adapt and overcome as we always do. That’s what makes us Marines.” Before wrapping up the visit, Amos challenged the NCOs of Camp Lejeune to read “Leading Marines,” a publication that focuses on the importance of leadership, and “Sustaining the Transformation” by the week after next. “I know we can handle ourselves while we’re deployed,” Amos said. “But we need to get back to handling ourselves when we are back in the rear.”
Inside
Hope for the Warriors Celebrity Golf 1B
Photo by Cpl. Paul Peterson
A Marine with Combat Logistics Regiment 2, Regional Command (Southwest), controls a lift-arm as it hauls a storage unit at Forward Operating Base Now Zad, Helmand province, Afghanistan. up. Each driver needs to understand their destination, cargo requirements and end state. Some convoys support various installations at the same time. Any mistake would leave a gap in the overall load plan. “There’s two phases to any convoy fronthaul and backhaul,” said Musser. “(We) break it
down into a spread sheet for each item with a point of contact, the unit and any special instructions. It’s broken down into the basics so they can just look at it and know what needs to be picked up and how many truck spaces are required.” SEE TRANSITION 7A
Pink Heals raises awareness
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