thedrifter
12-16-07, 07:58 AM
MARSOC commander breaks bread with retirees
JENNIFER HLAD
DAILY NEWS STAFF
The days of traditional warfare are over, Maj. Gen. Dennis Hejlik told the Regiment of Retired Marines on Saturday morning.
"The battlefield has changed," said Hejlik, commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command. "They don't fight the same way. ... The best weapon today is the Internet, and they use it well."
To win the War on Terror, he said, the U.S. must start with deterrents and foreign presence. That's where Marine Special Operations Command - or MARSOC - comes in.
MARSOC was established Feb. 24, 2006, and will reach full operational strength by the end of September. MARSOC Marines conduct foreign internal defense, direct action and special reconnaissance, and will eventually conduct counter terrorism, unconventional warfare and information operations.
"I know there are people out there who don't think that MARSOC should exist. And that's fine," Hejlik said. "I wasn't a fan (of the idea) about five years ago. But I am now."
Unlike other special operations units - such as Navy SEALs or Army Rangers - the Marines in MARSOC are simply that: Marines, Hejlik said.
"We're not different than any other Marine," he said. "All Marines are special."
Hejlik served as guest speaker at December's retired military breakfast at Camp Lejeune's Ball Center.
"We could not have done this without every one of you here ... because of what you brought to the fight," he told the roughly 100 retired service members in attendance. "You are what made MARSOC and what made the Marine Corps what it is today."
The address came just one day after news that the Defense Department's inspector general has opened an investigation into the Army general who ordered a MARSOC unit out of Afghanistan after a March shooting that left as many as 19 civilians dead. Hejlik said he didn't agree with the decision to pull the Marines out then, and "I still don't agree with it."
Still, he said, "The bottom line is, you don't second-guess the commander on the ground."
Ellie
JENNIFER HLAD
DAILY NEWS STAFF
The days of traditional warfare are over, Maj. Gen. Dennis Hejlik told the Regiment of Retired Marines on Saturday morning.
"The battlefield has changed," said Hejlik, commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command. "They don't fight the same way. ... The best weapon today is the Internet, and they use it well."
To win the War on Terror, he said, the U.S. must start with deterrents and foreign presence. That's where Marine Special Operations Command - or MARSOC - comes in.
MARSOC was established Feb. 24, 2006, and will reach full operational strength by the end of September. MARSOC Marines conduct foreign internal defense, direct action and special reconnaissance, and will eventually conduct counter terrorism, unconventional warfare and information operations.
"I know there are people out there who don't think that MARSOC should exist. And that's fine," Hejlik said. "I wasn't a fan (of the idea) about five years ago. But I am now."
Unlike other special operations units - such as Navy SEALs or Army Rangers - the Marines in MARSOC are simply that: Marines, Hejlik said.
"We're not different than any other Marine," he said. "All Marines are special."
Hejlik served as guest speaker at December's retired military breakfast at Camp Lejeune's Ball Center.
"We could not have done this without every one of you here ... because of what you brought to the fight," he told the roughly 100 retired service members in attendance. "You are what made MARSOC and what made the Marine Corps what it is today."
The address came just one day after news that the Defense Department's inspector general has opened an investigation into the Army general who ordered a MARSOC unit out of Afghanistan after a March shooting that left as many as 19 civilians dead. Hejlik said he didn't agree with the decision to pull the Marines out then, and "I still don't agree with it."
Still, he said, "The bottom line is, you don't second-guess the commander on the ground."
Ellie