Sec. Nav. talks future plans at Camp Pendleton

Photo By Cpl. Orrin Farmer | Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus visited Marines, sailors and civilians of Camp Pendleton during an all hands call at the base theater Friday, Jan. 10. Secretary Mabus spoke about current events and answered any questions the Marines or sailors asked. His visit was a part of a short trip to reinforce morale and inform the troops.  

CAMP PENDLETON, CA, UNITED STATES

01.10.2014

Story by Cpl. Scott Reel 

I Marine Expeditionary Force

CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus visited Camp Pendleton Calif., to address Marines and Sailors during an all-hands call today.

Mabus spoke about upcoming changes regarding deployments and amphibious alterations moving on from Afghanistan.

The Secretary of the Navy also met with non-commissioned officers at a lunch prior to his speech to discuss current events within the Corps.

Sgt. Kyle Kiser, a wire supervisor with 1st Marine Division, said Mabus offered insightful information on the budget and where he thinks the Navy and Marine Corps are going.

“I took away that the Navy and Marine Corps are kind of in a tough spot right now, but they’re going to push through and persevere,” Kiser said.”

Packing the base theater, Marines and Sailors listened to Mabus refer to the crowd of servicemen as a rightful heir to those that served before them.

“We’re ready not just on day one, but we’re ready on day zero—to do whatever needs to be done, wherever it needs to be done,” Mabus said.

He went on to commend the efforts given during the demanding pace of the last decade and offer a sense of security for the future.

“I hope that we can get to a more regular rotation so that you and your families can plan better, and that we can make sure that we have the resiliency to keep this force as fine as it is,” Mabus said.

Before taking questions, Mabus spoke to every audience member of the Navy and Marine Corps when complimenting them on the difficulty of their job.

“When you are doing your job forward deployed, you are almost always far from home,” he said. “The American people don’t get to see how good you are, how skilled you are, how hard your jobs are and how dangerous it is a lot of the time. And they need to know that. They need to know what great force Navy and Marine Corps provide for them.”

• Date Taken: 01.10.2014
• Date Posted: 01.10.2014 18:07
• Story ID: 119042
• Location: CAMP PENDLETON, CA, US