thedrifter
11-30-06, 07:47 AM
Commandant’s focus on Marines
November 30,2006
CHRIS MAZZOLINI
DAILY NEWS STAFF
The new commandant of the Marine Corps visited the Marines and sailors of Camp Lejeune on Wednesday to introduce himself and spell out his plan for his tour as lead Marine.
Gen. James Conway, the 34th Marine to hold the position of commandant, told Marines and sailors that his No. 1 priority will be taking care of the forces engaged in combat in the Middle East and around the world.
“The emphasis of our efforts will continue to be support of those young men and women and the job that they are doing,” he said during a question and answer session with reporters before the town hall at Goettge Memorial Field House.
One way that Conway said he wants to support the troops abroad is by giving them more time at home. He said that troops deploying to Iraq today normally serve seven-month combat tours and are then home for seven months.
Conway said he wants to double the time troops spend at home between deployments to allow them more time with their families and to train for various possibilities.
“We’ve got a number of folks that are gone for seven months and back as little as five before they turn around and do it again,” Conway said. “I personally think that will have some telling impact on our people. I think it’s already starting to.
“(14 months) gives a family a chance to have a baby,” he added. “You can’t have a baby in seven months.”
Because the tempo of deployments to Iraq has been so steady, Conway said an “institutional strain” has been placed on the Corps and that some of the tactics the Marines traditionally excel at have been neglected. A 14-month period between deployments should allow more diverse training, Conway said.
“We’re getting very, very good at counterinsurgency, but the other skills are starting to suffer a little bit,” he said. “I consider that an institutional weakness, when you consider what our mission is by law from the Congress, to be the nation’s shock troops.
“Is 14 months going to solve all that for us? Not necessarily, but it’s going to help a lot.”
Conway said the only way to change the “deploy to dwell” ratio is to either reduce demand on Marine services or increase the size of the Corps. He said the Marines have begun exploring what size the roughly 180,000 Corps would need to grow to.
“We need to figure out just what that magic number is,” he said.
Conway also said he wants to create a “Wounded Warriors Regiment” on each coast. It will be a nontraditional command that will track and assist wounded Marines.
Other priorities during Conway’s tenure as commandant are to “reset” the Corps equipment, either with current technology or more advanced technology; improve the quality of life for both single Marines and families; and prepare the Marines for whatever may lie ahead in the future.
In the town hall with active-duty troops, Conway laid out his priorities and gave the Marines a chance to ask questions, which ranged from queries about tattoo policy and equipment concerns to Iraq policy and mental-health issues.
One Marine asked what should be done if the situation in Iraq becomes a civil war — as many already believe it is. How would that change the mission?
Conway replied that he does not think the situation in Iraq is “strictly-speaking” a civil war. About the policy question, he said that much of that is currently being discussed in classified environments, but that part of it would be to pull troops off the roads or realign the forces in Iraq to “strategic bases” from where they can protect the country’s borders while it settles its internal differences.
Another Marine asked about what’s being done to take care of Marines who return from Iraq suffering from combat stress.
Conway said the first step to dealing with mental health situations is to have alert leadership at all levels. Then the key is to get Marines into counseling or therapy. He did say there are requests to have more funding for counseling aboard military bases.
Most importantly, Conway said, is that a Marine suffering from combat stress or PTSD needs to be taken seriously like any other wounded Marine.
Conway, who became commandant earlier this month, comes to the post after more than 35 years of military service, mostly as an infantry officer. The general served as battalion commander of Lejeune’s 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, in the early 1990s and later became commander of Camp Pendleton’s I Marine Expeditionary Force, which he commanded through two combat tours to Iraq.
The Marines and sailors who listened to Conway came away with a good impression of their new boss, especially some of his initiatives to increase the time home during deployments.
“I like the 12- to 14-month turnaround time,” said Cpl. Richard Wright, 21, a Marine with 3rd Battalion, 10th Marines. Wright, a 21-year-old from Magna, Utah, said he has been to Iraq once and is preparing to go back again. He’s had more than a year since his last deployment, and he said that time home has been good.
“It gives you time to spend with your family,” he said. “You’re not over there in the desert, worrying you’ll be shot at.”
Now, Wright said he’s anxious to go back to Iraq.
Jonathan Mothershed, 21, a Navy corpsman from Pensacola, Fla., said he likes Conway’s planned initiatives.
“He seemed like a good guy,” he said. “It seems like he’s got a lot in store.”
Contact staff writer Chris Mazzolini at cmazzolini@freedomenc.com or 353-1171, ext. 229.
November 30,2006
CHRIS MAZZOLINI
DAILY NEWS STAFF
The new commandant of the Marine Corps visited the Marines and sailors of Camp Lejeune on Wednesday to introduce himself and spell out his plan for his tour as lead Marine.
Gen. James Conway, the 34th Marine to hold the position of commandant, told Marines and sailors that his No. 1 priority will be taking care of the forces engaged in combat in the Middle East and around the world.
“The emphasis of our efforts will continue to be support of those young men and women and the job that they are doing,” he said during a question and answer session with reporters before the town hall at Goettge Memorial Field House.
One way that Conway said he wants to support the troops abroad is by giving them more time at home. He said that troops deploying to Iraq today normally serve seven-month combat tours and are then home for seven months.
Conway said he wants to double the time troops spend at home between deployments to allow them more time with their families and to train for various possibilities.
“We’ve got a number of folks that are gone for seven months and back as little as five before they turn around and do it again,” Conway said. “I personally think that will have some telling impact on our people. I think it’s already starting to.
“(14 months) gives a family a chance to have a baby,” he added. “You can’t have a baby in seven months.”
Because the tempo of deployments to Iraq has been so steady, Conway said an “institutional strain” has been placed on the Corps and that some of the tactics the Marines traditionally excel at have been neglected. A 14-month period between deployments should allow more diverse training, Conway said.
“We’re getting very, very good at counterinsurgency, but the other skills are starting to suffer a little bit,” he said. “I consider that an institutional weakness, when you consider what our mission is by law from the Congress, to be the nation’s shock troops.
“Is 14 months going to solve all that for us? Not necessarily, but it’s going to help a lot.”
Conway said the only way to change the “deploy to dwell” ratio is to either reduce demand on Marine services or increase the size of the Corps. He said the Marines have begun exploring what size the roughly 180,000 Corps would need to grow to.
“We need to figure out just what that magic number is,” he said.
Conway also said he wants to create a “Wounded Warriors Regiment” on each coast. It will be a nontraditional command that will track and assist wounded Marines.
Other priorities during Conway’s tenure as commandant are to “reset” the Corps equipment, either with current technology or more advanced technology; improve the quality of life for both single Marines and families; and prepare the Marines for whatever may lie ahead in the future.
In the town hall with active-duty troops, Conway laid out his priorities and gave the Marines a chance to ask questions, which ranged from queries about tattoo policy and equipment concerns to Iraq policy and mental-health issues.
One Marine asked what should be done if the situation in Iraq becomes a civil war — as many already believe it is. How would that change the mission?
Conway replied that he does not think the situation in Iraq is “strictly-speaking” a civil war. About the policy question, he said that much of that is currently being discussed in classified environments, but that part of it would be to pull troops off the roads or realign the forces in Iraq to “strategic bases” from where they can protect the country’s borders while it settles its internal differences.
Another Marine asked about what’s being done to take care of Marines who return from Iraq suffering from combat stress.
Conway said the first step to dealing with mental health situations is to have alert leadership at all levels. Then the key is to get Marines into counseling or therapy. He did say there are requests to have more funding for counseling aboard military bases.
Most importantly, Conway said, is that a Marine suffering from combat stress or PTSD needs to be taken seriously like any other wounded Marine.
Conway, who became commandant earlier this month, comes to the post after more than 35 years of military service, mostly as an infantry officer. The general served as battalion commander of Lejeune’s 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, in the early 1990s and later became commander of Camp Pendleton’s I Marine Expeditionary Force, which he commanded through two combat tours to Iraq.
The Marines and sailors who listened to Conway came away with a good impression of their new boss, especially some of his initiatives to increase the time home during deployments.
“I like the 12- to 14-month turnaround time,” said Cpl. Richard Wright, 21, a Marine with 3rd Battalion, 10th Marines. Wright, a 21-year-old from Magna, Utah, said he has been to Iraq once and is preparing to go back again. He’s had more than a year since his last deployment, and he said that time home has been good.
“It gives you time to spend with your family,” he said. “You’re not over there in the desert, worrying you’ll be shot at.”
Now, Wright said he’s anxious to go back to Iraq.
Jonathan Mothershed, 21, a Navy corpsman from Pensacola, Fla., said he likes Conway’s planned initiatives.
“He seemed like a good guy,” he said. “It seems like he’s got a lot in store.”
Contact staff writer Chris Mazzolini at cmazzolini@freedomenc.com or 353-1171, ext. 229.