U.S. MARINE CORPS FORCES PACIFIC, CAMP H.M. SMITH, Hawaii -- The Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Michael W. Hagee, paid a visit to Marines and their spouses here, April 26.
All U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific Marines were invited to the Sunset Lanai to hear the Commandant speak.
During the visit, the general spoke on many topics.
One topic that was thoroughly covered by Gen. Hagee, with the support of his wife Silke, was the importance of the Marine family.
"We have more family members in the Marine Corps than we have active duty Marines today," said Gen. Hagee. "It is up to us, those who are wearing this uniform, to ensure we provide support to those families and keep them informed on what we are doing."
The Commandant also spoke of current operations in Iraq.
"Today we have about 25,000 Marines in Iraq," he said.
"I was just there a couple of weeks ago and I can report to you that their morale is really quite high. They are very confident that they can accomplish their mission. They're ready to go after the individuals creating the problem."
And to ensure the Marines in the rear providing the support remained motivated, the Commandant left them with this, "This nation knows that if you need a force right now, a well prepared, well trained force, you turn to the United States Marine Corps."