Joint effort continues at Jalalabad PRT

16 April 2007
By Army Pfc. Daniel M. Rangel
22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

JALALABAD AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – A new provincial reconstruction team dominated by active duty Airmen, Army National Guard and Reserve Soldiers assumed its role in Nangarhar during a transfer of authority ceremony conducted April 12 at the PRT compound in Jalalabad.

Air Force Lt. Col. Gordon Phillips assumed command from Air Force Lt. Col. Dave Naisbitt, outgoing PRT commander, during a ceremony attended by a mass formation of incoming and outgoing PRT Soldiers and Airmen.

Naisbitt praised the efforts of his own organization and expressed confidence in the incoming team during his remarks.

“The people standing here are better trained then we were, better equipped than we were. They’re going to come in more motivated than we possibly could have. We’ve seen it already. So this should be a fantastic year coming up,” Naisbitt said.

The incoming PRT includes Airmen stationed around the globe and Soldiers from the Arizona and Hawaii National Guard. More than 75 percent of the 84 personnel volunteered for the PRT mission.

Key leaders in attendance included Air Force Brig. Gen. Christopher Miller, commander, Combined Joint Task Force-82 Air Combat Command; Army Col. John Nicholson, commander, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division; and the BCT’s senior noncommissioned officer, Army Command Sgt. Maj. James Redmore.

Last year, servicemembers at the Jalalabad PRT have made significant contributions to Nangarhar Province which included supplying food, Qurans, prayer rugs, loud speakers, and carpets for mullahs and mosques.

The outgoing PRT left an impressive legacy of accomplishment. PRT members conducted over 850 combat patrols throughout Nangarhar Province, suffering no casualties during the arduous yearlong deployment.

Working closely with international aid organizations, nongovernmental organizations and Afghan contractors, PRT members took enormous strides in regional development. They assisted the directors of education, public health and public works in creating comprehensive databases of schools, medical facilities and roads, enabling fact-based decision making. PRT personnel expanded construction capacity by expanding the capability of the Construction Trade Training Center and relationships with the Nangarhar Builders Association.

PRT members reinforced Coalition support for the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan by contributing food, Korans, prayer rugs, loud speakers, carpets for mullahs and mosques. The PRT also funded the completion of a mosque in the Achin District and a watershed management structure in the Hisarek District. The watershed management structure will increase irrigated land and minimize flood damage.

Photo: Air Force Lt. Col. Gordon Phillips, incoming PRT commander, turns the formation over to Army 1st Sgt. Garry Murdock April 12 in Jalalabad. (Photo by Army Pfc. Daniel M. Rangel)

Diwaniyah “returning to normal, step by step”

Sunday, 15 April 2007
Multi-National Division – Baghdad PAO
4th BCT (Abn.), 25th Inf. Div. Public Affairs

DIWANIYAH — The provincial governor of Qadasiyah Province, Iraqi and Coalition commanders and government representatives met with the media to discuss the progress of Operation Black Eagle at Camp Echo April 13.

“There is no fighting going on in the city at this time. The city is returning to normal, step by step,” governor Hazma said.

“The local government and Iraqi Army along with Coalition Forces have been able to begin providing aid, food rations, fuel and other services to those who are in need,” he added. “Health, water, sewage and other departments are working and providing services.

“It isn’t to the point we want, but it is a good start and it is getting better all the time,” the governor said. “Every school and government facility will be open Monday.”

Hazma praised the Diwaniyah populace for supporting the operation and said security in and around the city has improved as a result.

“The only way our city will get better is through a joint effort with our friends in the Iraqi Army and Coalition,” said Hamza.

Efforts are on-going to improve the security situation in Diwaniyah, according to the commanding general of the 8th Iraqi Army Division, Maj. Gen. Oothman Faroud.

“Yesterday we toured the city for about four hours,” he said. “We decided to establish two additional check points in key neighborhoods to ensure security for those areas.

“We talked to a lot of people and all of them assured us of their support and thanked us for our help,” the general continued. “We have also reestablished the flow of food and other humanitarian aid in to the city.”

The 8th Iraqi Army Division commander also discussed the reasons why the Coalition force is still supporting his division in Operation Black Eagle.

“We still depend on the Coalition to provide technical support and expertise to help us find and remove [improvised explosive devices],” he told the assembled media members. “They have removed dozens since Black Eagle began. We also depend on their helicopters to give us air support, at times.”

Coalition support to Operation Black Eagle was headed up by the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, commanded by Col. Michael Garrett.

Garrett praised the partnership created during the operation and the success of the mission.

“We have arrested many of the men responsible for attacks against Diwaniyah and Camp Echo thanks to the help of the citizens of Diwaniyah,” Garrett said. “If Maj. Gen. Oothman ever needs me, I will be here for him. If the people of Diwaniyah ever need me, I will be here for them and I will be here fast.”

Iraqi Police officers are also taking part in the security operation. Brig. Gen. Sadiq Jafar Ali, the provincial police chief, discussed his plan to improve the quality of the Iraqi Police in the province.

“We are preparing to hire an additional 3,000 policemen,” he said. “We are receiving new equipment all the time and thanks to the Coalition we are receiving excellent training.”

Sadiq said as he looks to the future he is optimistic.

“All of these things will help the Provincial Iraqi Control process along,” he said.

Hazma said a demonstration had taken place in town prior to the start of the press conference protesting the presence of the Coalition force in the province, but said few people participated.

“Less than 100 people took part in the demonstration,” he told the press. “It is people like this that support terrorists and want to bring chaos to Diwaniyah. This is unacceptable. We need the Iraqi Army and Coalition Forces here. They are here to help.”

Group of Australians making a difference

Sunday, 15 April 2007
By Major John McPherson

CAMP VICTORY — There is a small group of Australian Defence Force people working in and around Baghdad who are currently making a big difference to the progress of the coalition in the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Iraq.

They are an unusual group in that they are embedded into elements of the multi national force headquarters run by our major coalition partner, the United States, and work not only with Americans but also people from a number of other nationalities.

Based predominantly out of the Camp Victory’s Al Faw Palace – with a number within the International Zone in Baghdad proper – the reputations of these 27 Australians are held high throughout the coalition. They are a mix of Army, Navy and Air Force commissioned and non-commissioned officers and their duties directly affect the outcomes of the coalition operation.

They are employed in all facets from troop movement, resource and sustainment, telecommunications, intelligence, explosive ordinance advice, engineering and legal … all the way through to designing and maintaining web pages and troop morale.

And the group is just as diverse as their jobs.

“The most junior member of the group – and only female – is Army Corporal Rebecca Kane who is responsible for the movement of all embedded coalition (non-US) troops into and out of the theatre,” said Flight Sergeant Matt Clarke, who’s involved in signals and communications. “The most senior, Royal Australian Navy Captain Paul Kinghorne, is chief of resource and sustainment.”

Most are specialists in their respective areas of expertise. Another giving witness to this is LTCOL Craig Hersant who has a highly important role as part the Multi National Corp – Iraq in which he has responsibility for the tasking and operation of a wide range of surveillance assets.

Matt Clarke says without doubt the larrikin of the group would be Navy Chief Petty Officer, Jamie McGinley, who takes his role as a Sergeant Major extremely seriously. “But he’s also a bit of a softy and is known to often visit injured coalition troops in the combat hospital and share a few well received Aussie stories,” says Matt.

These members of the Australian Defence Force work tirelessly with their American and coalition counterparts day-in and day-out and are essentially the front line operators – although they never fire a shot.

The good old Aussie “G’day Mate” is often heard throughout the halls of the Al Faw Palace headquarters although, sometimes, with a range of American and other country accents.

Although most of the embeds sleep in the same facilities as the rest of the Australians at Camp Victory they can sometimes be overlooked in the wider scheme of things because they aren’t seen in the daily work environment with everyone else.

But there should be no doubting the impact their contribution is having on the wider coalition efforts to restore this country to its former grandeur and their work deserves to be fully recognized on the broadest possible front.

Iraqi Police eager to learn****

Sunday, 15 April 2007
By Sgt. 1st Class Clinton Wood
1st Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division

ANAH — Back home in Brainerd, Minn., this Minnesota Army National Guardsman Pfc. Adam Starry tends to lawns as a landscaper. Here in this 5,000-year-old city of about 20,000 people, Starry is helping to train several Iraqi police officers.

Starry, of Company B, 194th Combined Arms Battalion, and 15 of his fellow soldiers are experiencing what it is like being an Iraqi police officer in a city that is still a hotbed of insurgent activity. They form a police transition team whose task is to train the Iraqi police on how to take control of their own communities and maintain order. Training includes learning basic organizational skills, leadership mentoring and patrolling techniques.

Starry, who said he gets an adrenaline rush every time he goes on a patrol, admitted that working with the Iraqi police can be frustrating at times because of the language barrier. However, the young law-enforcement officers seem eager to learn.

“It is definitely inspiring and exciting,” he said. “They amaze me more and more each day.”

The transition team is able to watch this transformation close-up, because it shares floor space in a city building with the Iraqi police. There is also a U.S. Marine Corps headquarters space in this former sports complex.

One newly promoted Iraqi police lieutenant said he loves being a policeman and he loves peace.

“We’re here to help you guys,” he said. At a gas station, he arrested a resident who attempted to bribe him. He told the man, “No bribes accepted here” and tore the money up.

The police lieutenant said he joined the force for several reasons, including his belief in his country, personal honor, and wanting to protect his family and the Iraqi people.

Spc. Brent Haataja, a carpenter from Menahga, Minn., said he also noticed that the Iraqi police “work pretty hard to try and do good.”

The team’s officer in charge is 2nd Lt. Vitaly Sherbina. He is also a Fargo, N.D., police officer. Sherbina said he has met Iraqi police from Rawah and Baghdad, but they weren’t as motivated as the Anah force.

“These guys motivate us and tell us this mission is possible,” said Sherbina, who came to the United States in 1999 from Russia and became an American citizen after Sept, 11, 2001. “These guys are doing everything to take control of the situation.”

The team’s noncommissioned officer in charge, Sgt. Jon Morris of Salisbury, N.C., expanded on this statement. He said the Iraqi police leaders tell his team where they want to go on patrols. Morris said the Iraqi police haven’t led any of these patrols or raids.

“They want their town cleaned up of the insurgency,” he said. It is also apparent that trust between the transition team and the Iraqi police has grown.

“There is not a guy in the room right now that I wouldn’t stand in front of or let stand behind me,” Morris said.

Sherbina agreed: “I can risk my life for any of these guys.”

The Iraqi police are very friendly toward their U.S. trainers, said Cpl. William Parker of Redwood Falls, Minn.

“They always want us to come over and hang out with them,” he said.

Spc. Mark Belcourt of Hastings, Minn., said he “hangs out” with the Iraqi police frequently. The night after the patrol, he conversed with about 10 Iraqi police officers, talking about what any young soldier might discuss. At 19, he also is the youngest soldier in the company.

“I want to try and learn Arabic as much as possible,” Belcourt said. His mother is a sergeant in the Minnesota Army National Guard’s 34th Infantry Division. “The Iraqi police treat you with such respect.”

Photo: U.S. Army Spc. Mark Belcourt of Hastings, Minn., Company B, 194th Combined Arms Battalion, talks with Iraqi police officers at their headquarters in Anah, Iraq. Belcourt is a member of a police transition team training the police. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Clinton Wood.

15th MEU Returns to Boxer Expeditionary Strike Group

15 April 2007
By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman (SW) Joshua Valcarcel
USS Boxer Public Affairs

ABOARD USS BOXER, At sea – The 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) (Special Operations Capable) completed its return to USS Boxer (LHD 4) Expeditionary Strike Group (BOXESG) April 14, after conducting security operations in Iraq since mid-November.

While in Iraq, the 15th MEU provided physical protection for Americans and Iraqi citizens and security for the country’s developing democracy. The MEU’s Air Combat Element, Battalion Landing Team and Combat Logistics Battalion worked together to coordinate air support, ground support and regional situational awareness to accomplish their mission.

“We accomplished so much out there,” said Staff Sgt. Danny Sava, data chief for the 15th MEU. “We were divided throughout Iraq, manning entry control points, carrying out local patrols and looking for insurgents. It was a great team effort.”

The Marines met Boxer in the North Arabian Gulf and returned to the ship using helicopters and landing craft, air cushions. The first group arrived on Boxer April 8. It took several more days to complete the return of nearly 2,000 Marines.

“It’s a huge relief to be back on the ship,” said Lance Cpl. Chansen Hesiamurphy, a Marine assigned to Boxer’s Combat Cargo department. “It’s nice to have the little things in life again like a bed and shower.”

During the week of their return the MEU loaded several tons of ammunition, weapons, nearly 30 aircraft including AV-8B Harriers and UH-1 Hueys, and numerous heavy transport and patrol vehicles.

“It’s like a huge puzzle trying to fit everything back on board,” said Sgt. James Shawhan, a Marine with Boxer’s Combat Cargo department. “It takes a lot of coordination between our Marines ashore and Boxer to keep track of everything returning to the ship.”

Boxer, along with the 15th MEU, will leave the Arabian Gulf after operating in the 5th Fleet area of responsibility for almost 5 months.

“Everyone came together and did what needed to be done,” said Sava. “We’re a tight-knit family and everyone took care of each other.”

Boxer is the flagship for Boxer Expeditionary Strike Group which is currently conducting maritime security operations (MSO) in support of U.S. 5th Fleet. MSO help set the conditions for security and stability in the maritime environment, as well as complement the counter-terrorism and security efforts of regional nations. These operations deny international terrorists use of the maritime environment as a venue for attack or to transport personnel, weapons or other material.

Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/Commander U.S. 5th Fleet’s area of responsibility encompasses about 7.5 million square miles and includes the Arabian Gulf, Red Sea, Gulf of Oman and parts of the Indian Ocean. This expanse, comprised of 27 countries, includes three critical chokepoints at the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab al Mandeb at the southern tip of Yemen.

Photo: Marines from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) board a landing craft, air cushion to return to USS Boxer (LHD 4) after completing operations in Iraq. Boxer is the flagship for Boxer Expeditionary Strike Group which is currently operating in the Arabian Gulf conducting Maritime Security Operations in support of U.S. 5th Fleet. Official U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman (SW) Joshua Valcarcel.

Relief and Appointment Ceremony with Admiral William Fallon Master Sergeant Curtis Brownhill Sergeant Major Jeffery Morin

Title: Relief and Appointment Ceremony with Admiral William Fallon, Command Chief Master Sergeant Curtis Brownhill, Sergeant Major Jeffery Morin.

Name: Relief and Appointment Ceremony with Admiral William Fallon Master Sergeant Curtis Brownhill Sergeant Major Jeffery Morin.

Description: MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – Marine Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey A. Morin assumed his current post as senior enlisted leader of United States Central Command today during a ceremony in front of the headquarters building here.

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Bush Condemns Attack on Iraqi Parliament

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 12, 2007 – President Bush today condemned a suicide attack on the Iraqi parliament building in Baghdad’s heavily fortified International Zone.
The attack, which occurred today in the building’s cafeteria as it was crowded for lunch, killed at least eight people, Iraqi officials reported.

President Bush, speaking at the White House during a ceremony for the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act, strongly condemned the attack. “It reminds us … that there is an enemy willing to bomb innocent people in a symbol of democracy,” Bush said.

“It is in our interest to help this young democracy be in a position so it can sustain itself and govern itself and defend itself against these extremists and radicals,” Bush said. “Our hearts go out to those who suffered as a result of this bombing.

“My message to the Iraqi government is: ‘We stand with you as you take the steps necessary to not only reconcile politically, but also put a security force in place that is able to deal with these kinds of people,’” Bush said.

The attack killed at least one member of Iraq’s parliament, Iraqi officials in Baghdad said. The Council of Representatives has vowed to meet tomorrow despite the attack, the official said.

“Today’s attack on the Iraqi Council of Representatives was an attack on democracy by individuals who oppose the concept of government that is representative of and responsible to the people of Iraq,” Army Gen. David Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, said in a written statement.

“The soldiers of the Multinational Force Iraq extend condolences to the families of the Iraqis who were martyred in this attack and salute the Council of Representatives for their commitment to convene again tomorrow to demonstrate that democracy in Iraq will not be deterred by the barbaric acts of terrorists,” Petraeus said.

A Multinational Force Iraq statement said the attack was aimed to cripple the government body “that speaks for all Iraqis.” The attack was intended to “frustrate Iraq’s efforts to build a secure, stable, and prosperous future,” According to the statement.

The council is working on legislation that will share oil revenue fairly among all Iraqis, on so-called de-Baathification legislation, to reconcile ethnic and religious groups in the country following 30 years of brutal misrule under Saddam Hussein.

Deployment Stress on Guard, Reserve Has Lessened, Hall Says

By Gerry J. Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 12, 2007 – The stress of repeated overseas deployments for National Guard and Reserve members has lessened in recent years, the Defense Department’s reserve-component chief told a special commission today at a Capitol Hill hearing.

“We have relieved the stress on the (Guard and Reserve) force in the past couple of years,” Thomas F. Hall, assistant secretary of defense for reserve affairs, told members of the Commission on the National Guard and Reserves.

Established in 2005, Congress charged the commission to recommend any needed changes in law and policy to ensure the Guard and Reserves are organized, trained, equipped, compensated and supported to best meet national security needs. Its first official meeting was in March 2006, and its final report to Congress and the defense secretary is due in January 2008.

About 74,000 Guard and Reserve members are currently mobilized in support of the war against terrorism, Hall said. That number, he said, is 120,000-fewer servicemembers mobilized than there were a year-and-a-half ago.

A recent policy change has set the Guard-Reserve length of mobilization to one-year, Hall said, instead of 18 to 21 months.

Also, Guard and Reserve organizations are now mobilized as whole units, Hall said, rather than being “cobbled-together” from different elements and then deployed.

The reserve components intend to create more predictability for servicemembers and families by eventually establishing a mobilization schedule of a one-year deployment followed by five years of stateside service.

“We cannot get there now,” Hall acknowledged, referring to the envisioned 1-5 mobilization plan. “But, clearly the Secretary (of Defense Robert M. Gates) has said a 1 and 5 (mobilization policy) in the Guard and Reserve is our goal.”

The defense secretary has also directed minimal use of the so-called “Stop-Loss” policy where servicemembers may be required to serve beyond their initial length of duty obligation, Hall noted.

Hall touched upon the recent call up of four National Guard brigade combat teams, a total of 13,000 servicemembers, for service in Iraq. The four Guard units were alerted nine to 12 months before they’re expected to deploy, he said.

“What it’s going to allow us to do is to get the equipment flowing early, get the training started early, tell the employers and families early, that they might potentially deploy from December through March,” Hall said, depending upon the situation on the ground in Iraq.

Hall said he plans to visit each of the BCTs before they deploy to ask if they’ve the equipment and training dollars they require. This, he said, exemplifies a new mobilization mindset required to support an operational reserve.

“If we’re going to make the model of ‘train, mobilize and deploy’ work, you have to do the training prior to (deployment),” Hall said, noting the law was changed to enable the Guard and Reserve to train for missions as it is called up, or mobilized, before being deployed.

The reserve components are growing, Hall said, noting the Army Guard has added 8,000 new members. And, Guard and Reserve recruiting and retention is also up.

The men and women in the Guard and Reserve “are patriots and they’re staying in greater numbers than they ever have since 1991,” Hall said.

Army Deployment Change Helps Sustain Surge

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 12, 2007 – The Army will be able to sustain 20 combat brigades in Iraq for at least a year, officials said during a news conference today.

The Army’s policy change, announced by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates yesterday, extends the service of all active-duty soldiers in the U.S. Central Command region to 15 months. All active-duty Army units headed to the command also will serve for 15 months.

This will allow the service to maintain the level of effort in the region for a year, Gates said. The five-brigade surge in support of the Baghdad security plan calls for 20 U.S. brigades in Iraq by the end of May.

While the policy increases the tour length, it also guarantees that units will spend 12 months at home station. Had the service not gone to this policy, five brigades would have been sent back to Iraq less than a year after returning to their home stations, said Lt. Gen. James L. Lovelace, the Army’s deputy chief of staff for operations. That would have meant less training for soldiers going into combat.

“Our standard is (U.S. soldiers) will not deploy unless they are the best-trained, best-led, best-equipped force there is,” Lovelace said. “With the plus-up, we faced a situation with increasing probability of sending combat units into (U.S. Central Command) that did not have enough dwell time … at home station in order to get trained.”

Lovelace said the service asked for these changes. Army leaders “know this is a hard decision for those deployed, whose families are back at home station, and for those about to deploy who thought they were going to deploy for a year,” he said during the news conference. “We’ve been at war for more than five years now. American security and America’s future is at stake. We’re in it to win, and we take this very seriously. Our soldiers understand this.”

Lovelace said that Army leaders decided that sending units to Central Command early was not an option. Typically a unit comes back to its home station and soldiers take block leave while the unit’s equipment is shipped back. The next few months are a reset time for the unit; soldiers leave for training, professional military education, reassignment, retirement or separation. At the same time new soldiers arrive; new equipment is brought in; and older equipment is fixed.

The next stage concentrates on training soldiers on individual skills needed in combat, followed by unit training. This culminates in the mission readiness exercise. This is a rehearsal of the mission that the unit will perform in combat. Upon completion, the unit prepares to go back to combat operations.

Units must have a year at home station to accomplish all this, Lovelace said.

Soldiers will receive extra compensation for the time over one year they spend deployed in Iraq.

“When you go over the 12-month time period, the compensation shifts,” said Roy Wallace, the director of plans and resources in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel. “Another $200 is added to hardship duty pay and another $800 is added to assignment incentive pay, for a total of $1,000.”

All money earned in the combat zone is tax free for enlisted, as is part of officers’ pay.

In addition, the Army is aware of its responsibility to families, the officials said. The Army will adapt many of the solutions found when the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team was extended in Iraq in 2006.

“When the 172nd was extended, a decision was made to stand up a Department of the Army ‘tiger team,’ … to reinforce the capabilities of the unit in the garrison,” said Army Col. Dennis Dingle, director of the Human Resources Policy Office. “Some of the things that we were able to do is streamline the processes and not have all of the issues go through the ordinary channels to get to the Department of the Army, and we were able to quickly fix a number of those issues that face our soldiers and families.”

Relief and Appointment

12 April 2007
By 1st Sgt. Marvin Baker
US CENTCOM Public Affairs

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. – Marine Sgt. Maj. Jeffrey A. Morin assumed his current post as senior enlisted leader of United States Central Command today during a ceremony in front of the headquarters building here.

Morin becomes the principal adviser to U.S. CENTCOM Commander Adm. William J. Fallon pertaining to matters affecting more than 230,000 U.S. and Coalition forces serving in the 27 countries that comprise the command’s area of responsibility.

Morin, replaces Air Force Command Chief Master Sgt. Curtis L. Brownhill who has served in his position the past three years and is retiring.

The event was highlighted by Fallon’s passing of the traditional noncommissioned officer ceremonial sword. The tradition dates back to the 1850s.

“There’s one common theme here and it’s about people,” Morin said. “It’s not about Curt Brownhill and it’s not about Jeff Morin. It’s about Central Command. It’s about the people who put the command and the command’s mission first.”

A native of Auburn, Maine , Morin enlisted in 1977. Throughout his career he has served with infantry, mechanized infantry, aviation, combat service support and headquarters service commands. He has also served time as a drill instructor and with the U.S. State Department.

Fallon made note of Morin’s accomplishments that include combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan ..

“Jeff Morin is a Marine,” Fallon said. “First and foremost he’s a grunt, a rifleman. He’s been there and done that, and he comes with a great reputation.”

Brownhill, in his closing remarks, echoed Fallon’s confidence.

“Jeff Morin in uniquely qualified,” Brownhill said. “He is everything we could hope for.”

Morin has participated in numerous Western Pacific deployments including three in support of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.

As a command senior enlisted leader, Morin’s assignments were Company H, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego; 1st Stinger Battery, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, Okinawa, Japan; 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, Headquarters Battalion 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Special Operations Capable, Camp Pendleton; Marine Corps Base, Quantico, Va. and U.S. Marine Forces Command, Norfolk, Va.

Morin’s joint duty experience includes assignments as the command senior enlisted leader for the Marine Component to Joint Task Force, National Capital Region, U.S. Joint Forces Command, Norfolk; U.S. Marine Corps Europe, Stuttgart, Germany and U.S. Marine Corps South, Miami.

Morin made it clear that he will continue to interact with the troops and the leadership, just as he has done throughout his career. He said he coined a phrase in each command that he has served in.

“I work for you. Nobody in this command will ever work for me,” he said. “Everybody says they have an open-door policy. I don’t have a door.”

Morin’s personal decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal with two Gold Stars, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal with Gold Star and the Combat Action Ribbon.

“It was a good chapter,” Brownhill said about the history of his tenure at Central Command. “But I promise you, it will be the next chapter that you will want to read.”

Photo: Admiral William J. Fallon, commander, U.S. Central Command, passes the ceremonial sword to the command’s new senior enlisted leader Marine Sgt. Maj. Jeffery A. Morin during a relief and appointment ceremony held at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Patrick Ziegler)