TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif. - The Marines, sailors and families of the Mountain Warfare Training Center near Bridgeport, Calif., welcomed their new commander and wished their previous leader well following the change of command ceremony here, June 5, 2012.
Col. Phillip W. Chandler transferred authority of the training center to Lt. Col. John J. Carroll after two years of leadership through periods of development as well as during one of the center’s darkest hours.
Under his guidance, Chandler charted a course change from the last decade of combat operations back to the technical skills needed at the root of the center’s mission, fighting and winning the nation’s battles in alpine environments. Instructors trained extensively in skiing, assault climbing, mule handling and orienteering in order to challenge and guide their students. Each year of his command, more than 25,000 Marines, sailors and joint and allied partners trained in Bridgeport.
“The Commandant’s number one priority is to provide the best trained and equipped Marines into combat. That’s what we’re doing here. We are contributing directly to what our Marine Corps does – go out and fight and win the nation’s battles,” Chandler said. “Outside of combat, I don’t know that you can find a more mentally and physically challenging environment than you have right here.”
Chandler and Carroll forged their team Feb. 3, when a sudden gas leak sparked an explosion at a housing unit in the Coleville, Calif., military housing area, killing a Marine’s wife and seriously injuring two more people. During the next week, the two men supervised recovery operations in the neighborhood and ensured the care of their Marines and their families as they began returning to the neighborhood following evacuations. Chandler cited it as the hardest moment in his career, but it tested and strengthened the tight-knit bonds between the MWTC families.
“I’m gonna miss it. I’m gonna miss working with these guys,” he said. “They always say ‘Thanks for allowing me to serve with you, sir.’ And I always say ‘You didn’t serve me, buddy. We served together. This is a team.’ I’m truly going to miss all the folks around here. I just think it’s a great group of professionals and that’s probably the biggest thing I’m going to miss.”
Carroll has spent 20 of his 22 years of service in either the Fleet or in various elements of Training and Education Command, giving him a strong foundation in leading and training Marines.
Additionally, his time spent “up on the hill” at MWTC during six training exercises gives him the familiarity with and appreciation for the center’s unique mission.
“There’s no other place like this in the Marine Corps, no other place like this in DOD, let alone other countries. We do a damn good job of what we do,” Carroll said. “If you’ve got an infantry battalion and you want to get some hard, tough, mentally and physically challenging training that’s going to develop your small unit leaders, you need to come here.”