Courtesy Photo | Maj. Gen. James B. Laster, right, outgoing commanding general of 3rd Marine Division,...... read more read more
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OKINAWA, Japan - Brig. Gen. Mark A. Brilakis accepted command of 3rd Marine Division, III Marine Expeditionary Force, from Maj. Gen. James B. Laster in a ceremony at Camp Courtney March 1.
During the ceremony, Brilakis promised, “I will do my best for these Marines and sailors.”
He told the formation of Marines and sailors, “I am looking forward to getting to know you in the months ahead. Stay focused on our mission and continue to train hard.”
Following the ceremony, Brilakis, who was previously the commanding general of 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, III MEF, and the MEF’s deputy commanding general, said of 3rd Marine Division: “This is a great division with a very long history that forms the backbone of what the legacy of the Marine Corps is all about.”
Today, the division is engaged “around the globe conducting combat, engagement, training, security and theater security operations and activities and is prepared to meet crisis and contingency response needs here in the western Pacific,” Brilakis said.
“We have Marines in combat today, and tomorrow, we’ll have Marines in combat, and next year, we’ll have Marines in combat,” Brilakis said. “So, it’s important that we remain focused on the things that are really important which are combat readiness, individual well being, individual resilience, engaged leadership and taking care of our families.
“My intent is to maintain the high level of individual and unit readiness required to continue meeting these demands while focusing on personnel and family readiness to ensure we are able to sustain our efforts,” he said.
Brilakis added, “This is a tremendously diverse organization with missions and operations that span a good part of the world … Keeping up with these young Marines and sailors, as fast as they’re running to accomplish the things they are doing, will be a great challenge and a great joy for me.”
Brilakis said that though his Marines and sailors “are the glue that keeps this division moving forward,” the division could not get the job done without the support of its families.
“I also want to acknowledge that our families and friends here on Okinawa, Hawaii and back home have a great deal to do with the division’s past and future success – for that devotion and support they have my deep thanks and admiration, and they are a priority for myself, Sergeant Major [Bruce H.] Cole and the division’s commanders,” he said.
It will be an honor leading the division which has already been well lead by Laster, said Brilakis.
“General Laster has done a great job in this division, and it is clicking on all eight cylinders,” Brilakis said. “I just feel really lucky to follow in his footsteps and add my little twist to what is already a great division.”
Laster, who took command of the division in August 2009, also spoke of the division’s high operational tempo.
The division’s Marines and sailors are spread throughout the Asian-Pacific region and in other parts of the globe serving within units, as individual augments and as advisors, Laster said.
“No other division in the Marine Corps is as dispersed as we are,” he said.
Laster, who has served five tours on Okinawa, said being with the division was “like home to me.”
He recalled his first assignment “as a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed second lieutenant” with 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd MarDiv., on Camp Schwab.
“My career started right here in the MEF,” he said, adding he continues to serve with “the same passion and energy as when I was a second lieutenant.”
He told the assembled division Marines and sailors that his success was a result of them, their staff noncommissioned officers and officers.
“I am only as good as the people around me,” he said admiring their dedication.
“The majority of you were still in school when [the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001] happened. Since then, you decided you wanted to be a part of something bigger. To join during a time of war says a great deal about your character,” Laster said.
After the ceremony, Laster said he wants the troops to remember to “take care of each other, take care of your families and continue to live by your core values.”
He said the division is in good hands with Brilakis whom he has known for many years.
“I can’t think of a finer officer, general officer or gentleman to take the helm of 3rd Marine Division,” said Laster. “He’s well qualified to command 3rd Marine Division, and I am proud to give up the helm to him.”
Laster is scheduled to be the deputy chief of staff for operations, International Security Assistance Force Joint command, Afghanistan.
| Date Taken: | 03.04.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 03.04.2011 02:16 |
| Story ID: | 66451 |
| Location: | OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 273 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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