Officials from Marine Corps Base Hawaii (MCBH) held a meeting with members of the local Military Affairs Council of Hawaii (MAC) at MCBH, Dec. 13, 2017.
Col. Raul Lianez, the base commanding officer, met with MAC representatives and discussed present and future issues critical to maintaining a lasting, mutually beneficial relationship with the local Oahu community.
“Today we met with the Military Affairs Council of Hawaii, which is a great group affiliated with the chamber of commerce,” said Col. Raul Lianez, the commanding officer for MCBH. “Their mission is to support and partner with the military units on Oahu.”
Lianez stressed the importance of community relations to his plans moving forward.
“In the Marine Corps, we’re different people,” Lianez said. “We come in and we do our jobs, but we always want to interface well and build good relationships, person to person, organization to organization.”
Lianez’s basis of interpersonal relationships and cooperation resonated with members of the MAC, including its chairman, David Carey.
“It’s encouraging to see someone who talks firstly about his engagement with the community,” said Carey. “From my perspective in the MAC, that’s a very positive thing.”
Carey also cited the benefits of working with the base Chief of Staff, Doug Wadsworth.
“The MAC has been advising military commands in Hawaii to have a civilian engaged in the
command structure that can bridge change of commands,” Carey said. “To have the Chief of Staff here be a civilian, who is likely to be here for the next command, is a positive point for understanding ongoing community issues.”
Wadsworth, a retired colonel and former MCBH commanding officer, is continuing his work in public service, helping to bridge the gap between civilian and military leadership.
“I’m excited about the fact that we’re here today, talking with the MAC,” said Wadsworth. “We had a brief period where we didn’t connect particularly well, or enough. I think that there is some real interest in creating a partnership.”
The partnership could be beneficial on several different levels, said Wadsworth.
“The MAC recognizes the value of the military being here,” Wadsworth said. “Not only for the defense of the country, but in part, because it brings good business, improving the economy of the state. They want to be partners in ensuring that we flourish, and that benefit remains.”
The benefits extend beyond the vectors of economics, Carey said.
“We understand how valuable Marines are as members of our community,” Carey said. “Marines help in the schools, they do volunteer work in the community. We’re happy to have them here.”