E.Xtension.S Of' Remarks

E.Xtension.S Of' Remarks

17580 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS June 26, 1969 E.XTENSION.S OF' REMARKS GENERAL CHAPMAN'S REMARKS and both the UH-IE and CH- 53 helicopters man who wears the uniform of a Marine ts AT THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF will be introduced later. self-made. And you also know that to do Aside from these limitations, the IV Ma­ this he must have a sturdy inner-structure THE MARINE CORPS RESERVE rine Expeditionary Force ls ready, and I have upon which to build. OFFICERS' ASSOCIATION the fullest confidence in its ability to take The young Marine of today is physically its place next to active Marine units if the bigger, stronger, and has more endurance need should arise. than his father and uncles of World War II HON. DANTE B. FASCELL In Vietnam, active duty Marines continue and Korea. Because of his education and the OF FLORIDA to be employed on the ground and in the air improved field of communications, he is bet­ throughout the vast expanse of the I Corps ter informed, more alert, and less impressed IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES tactical zone; and operating from ships of by strange places, people, and situations. But Wednesday, June 25, 1969 the 7th Fleet as special landing forces. these are physical facts. I think the most sig­ The Marine Corps has consistently advo­ nificant quality of· today's Marine is his in­ Mr. FASCELL. Mr. Speaker, 18 months cated the principle that the war in South dividualism. ago, former President Johnson selected Vietnam can be conclusively won only From the very beginning of his service, an outstanding Floridian, Gen. Leonard through convincing the South Vietnamese this young man has made a decision, indi­ Chapman, to assume the important re­ people in the vmages and hamlets that their vidually, without the intimidation of scream­ sponsibilities of the 24th Commandant hope lies with freedom, not with Commu­ ing, hate-filled crowds, or an inner compul­ of the U.S. Marine Corps. nism. Under the present conditions of cessa­ sion to conform. His character is marked tion of bombardment of North Vietnam and with self-discipllne, leadership, and oourage. At that time I commended the Presi­ the search for negotiated settlement, this The qualities of dedication and love of coun­ dent on his choice. General Chapman becemes even more important. Marine units try cannot be questioned. They have been had a distinguished record in the Pacific in Vietnam have increased their efforts in proven-they are being proven-in training during World War n Mid received the three decisive areas: and in combat. Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star. Blocking the incursions by North Viet­ The young man joining the Marine Oorps His subsequent service in Washington namese army units in the DMZ area. today is not simply fulfilling a duty of citi­ as the Chief of Staff of Marine Head­ Assisting Republic of Vietnam Armed zenship as you did. He does not enter the quarters and then as Assistant Com­ Forces in the destruction of the Viet Cong service of his country with the unqualified infrastructure. support and admiration of the community. mandant of the Marine Corps was And, the continuance of the Marine Corps Bombarded by anti-military dialogue, and marked by the general's particular flair Civic Action Program, encouraging and as­ presented daily examples of evasion of obli­ for organization and management. sisting the Vietnamese civilians in their ef­ gation, his enlistment or induction is not a Recently Col. William Mccahill of the forts of self-help. popular act of conformity. It is an act of U.S. Marine Corps Reserve called my at­ Last year, when I had the pleasure of faith. An act of faith, ladies and gentlemen, tention to a speech delivered last month being with you in Washington, I gave you in you and me, and all the other generations a similar report on Marine operations in of Marines who have gone before him. by General Chapman on the occasion Vietnam. I wanted to make the report as He certainly harbors no illusions. He has of the annual military conference of the comprehensive as possible, so I centered it a ringside seat at the contest of polemics. He Marine Corps Reserve Officers' Associa­ around the single most important part of hears the virtues of patriotism, duty, service tion in Detroit. our Corps today: the young marine. to country, honor among fellowmen, and General Chapman's remarks con­ I knew that you would be most interested courage in the face of danger rendered sus­ in that young marine and how he approaches pect as to value, and modified in meaning cerned the nature of our fighting men his duty, so I based my remarks on his spirit. by a generous application of turnabout sta­ in Vietnam, and I commend the speech I compared his spirit with the spirit of the tistics and reasoning. He hears the Armed to the attention of our colleagues: marines of World War II, and of those who Forces of the United States termed •·the cult REMARKS BY GENERAL C8APMAN fought the war in Korea. Perhaps it was an of the gun," and sees these forces painted as Thank you, Genera.I Weinstein, Fellow Ma­ unfair comparison. tools of aggression, oppression, a nd expan­ rines: The young men who chose to serve as sion of self-seeking opportunists. And some I would like to extend my personal well­ marines from the beginning of World War II of this is presented to him from very strange done to you, Leland, for the leadership you right up to and including the Cuban count­ quarters, quarters built on a foundation of have displayed in guiding this association down of 1962-63, chose to do so under an en­ credibility and respect. over the past year. tirely different set of circumstances. Those He further observes a nation, a free nation, And to you, General McMath, my con­ young men-and I am speaking of you, ma­ now tiring of war and its expense, question gratulations upon your assumption of the rines-all came to the Corps for different all forms of preparedness and defense. On presidency this evening. I would like to add personal reasons, but you all shared a feel­ one hand he hears men of other nations my confidence to the vote of this fine organi­ ing of the duty-of-citizenship to serve. So make clear statements of intent to meet us zation. I know that your executive leader­ do the young marines of today. But I think in nuclear war, and on the other hand he ship will continue the tradition of excellence you will all agree that duty-of-citizenship listens to our internal debate as to the need established by your predecessors. was an inviolable virtue in those days. Being for a safegua.rd ABM system. I am especially pleased to be with you a marine in the United States automatically And there is no question abowt what he again, this year. I feel the pleasure of being put a man on a pedestal. Being an officer will do as a Marine. He knows that almost with comrades-the warmth of communica­ of marines raised that pedestal even higher. one third of our active duty Marine Corps is tion without the need for too many words. You deserved that elevated position. You in Vietnam. He knows where he is needed. But I do have some words for you. came to a small, elite corps of professionals, For a young American who offers his abili­ rioh in the traditions of courage and sacri­ ties and leadership as a Marine officer, the First, I want to state that the efforts of road is even tougher. I know you are aware the Marine Corps Reserve over this past year fice in its service to its country. In two wars you filled out its strength matched its pro­ of the problems faced by the Marine Corps have continued to be outstanding. As I in officer recruitment. You know how most stated before the Senate Committee on fessionalism, and raised it to new heights. In less than a quarter of a century your genera­ of you came into the Marine Corps. For years Armed Services earlier this year: "In terms we have depended upon recruiting on col­ of training, organization, and preparations tion earned more honors in battle than your predecessors had in the previous 165 years. lege campuses to provide nearly 85 percent for mobilization, our ground reserve ls at the of all new Marine officers. This gave our corps highest state of readiness in history." When we tea.ch today's recruits of the ex­ ploits of Marines at Tripoli, in the Boxer a valuable cross section of educated young I would like to add that we have kept ma­ Americans. Young leaders from every part of terial readiness abreast of training readiness. Rebellion, and even in the fields of France­ they are impressed, they regard these tradi­ this nation brought fresh sk11ls, and fresh Equipment for the 4th Marine Division and ideas to our corps. Their influence was im­ the units supporting the 4th Division/ Wing tions as high and holy things--but they don't actually relate themselves to those portant not only to the young Marines they Team is on hand or identified for priority commanded, but to us, the senior career offi­ procurement. men. Tell them of Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Iwo Jima, Inchon, the Chosin Reservoir, and even cers who commanded them. The status of the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing Now, the anti-military activities at some is a.

View Full Text

Details

  • File Type
    pdf
  • Upload Time
    -
  • Content Languages
    English
  • Upload User
    Anonymous/Not logged-in
  • File Pages
    43 Page
  • File Size
    -

Download

Channel Download Status
Express Download Enable

Copyright

We respect the copyrights and intellectual property rights of all users. All uploaded documents are either original works of the uploader or authorized works of the rightful owners.

  • Not to be reproduced or distributed without explicit permission.
  • Not used for commercial purposes outside of approved use cases.
  • Not used to infringe on the rights of the original creators.
  • If you believe any content infringes your copyright, please contact us immediately.

Support

For help with questions, suggestions, or problems, please contact us