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thedrifter
07-24-09, 07:00 AM
Camp Lejeune named one of military's top bases
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July 23, 2009 - 1:28 PM
JENNIFER HLAD

Updated at 6:10 p.m.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Camp Lejeune was honored Wednesday as the Marine Corps winner of the Commander in Chief’s Annual Award for Installation Excellence, a recognition Col. Rich Flatau said is “about more than just the base.”

Flatau, commanding officer of Camp Lejeune, said the 1,900 Marine and sailors and 3,700 civilians who comprise the base, the tenant commands and the citizens of the surrounding communities all help make the base successful.

“It is truly a team effort,” he said.

As a recognition of the award’s meaning for the community, Flatau was accompanied to the Pentagon by about 80 representatives from the base and surrounding communities. However, mechanical problems delayed the military plane the group was using, and they arrived just minutes before the award was presented.

“A just-in-time arrival was not what was planned,” Flatau told the crowd gathered for the ceremony.

Mona Padrick, president of the Jacksonville-Onslow Chamber of Commerce, said she was honored to be able to attend the ceremony.

“I think this is a tremendous honor for all of us in the community,” she said. “The base is such a large part of us. … I think we can all take pride in what the base has done.”

Jacksonville Mayor Sammy Phillips agreed.

“This is a prestigious award for Camp Lejeune and Jacksonville,” he said. “We’re very proud of our Marines.”

The award recognizes “the best of the best,” and is the highest honor an installation can receive, said Dorothy Robyn, deputy undersecretary of defense for installations and environment.

This is sixth time in the award’s 25-year history that Camp Lejeune has won the award.

Wayne Arny, the outgoing deputy undersecretary of defense for installations and environment, cited Camp Lejeune’s Operation Change Out program as one of the innovative projects that put the base ahead of others.

Operation Change Out involved replacing incandescent light bulbs on base with more energy-efficient bulbs, resulting in more than a million dollars in savings, Arny said.

All the winning installations work hard to provide good work and living environments, while maintaining military readiness, Arny said.

“I laud your incredible efforts,” he said.

Camp Lejeune received a newly designed trophy, a flag, a signed letter from the president and a check for $300,000 from the Marine Corps as the award winners.

Flatau said the base will use the money to repair and upgrade facilities at Onslow Beach.

“I’m confident that’s money well-spent,” he said.

Flatau said he appreciates the support of the community, the citizens who “have shown great love for the Marines and the sailors who call this base home.” He also praised the civilians who work on base, many of whom devote decades of their lives to Camp Lejeune.

“Obviously, it’s a tremendous honor to be the commanding officer,” he said. But, “I think the base would have won it with me or without me.”



AP -- Camp Lejeune has been named one of the military's top bases.

The Marine base on North Carolina's coast won the Commander in Chief's Annual Award for Installation Excellence on Wednesday. The award recognizes bases who have managed their resources, improved the quality of life and maintained readiness.

Other winners were Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.; Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan; Hurlburt Field, Fla.; and Defense Distribution Depot San Joaquin, Calif.

President Ronald Reagan created the award in 1985.

Ellie