Photo Information

Gen. James T. Conway, commandant of the Marine Corps, speaks to members of the Military Officers’ Association of America during their annual meeting held at Coronado Island, Calif., Oct. 24.

Photo by Cpl. Deanne Hurla

CMC speaks at annual MOAA meeting

24 Oct 2009 | Cpl. Deanne Hurla 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing

Gen. James T. Conway, commandant of the Marine Corps, spoke at the annual Military Officers’ Association of America meeting Oct. 24 here.

MOAA is the nation’s largest and most influential association of military officers. It is an independent, nonprofit, politically nonpartisan organization, according to their Web site, www.moaa.org.

At the annual meeting, Conway spoke to MOAA members about the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, saying the consistencies he saw during his visits to the countries were sweat on the Marines’ brows and smiles on their faces.

“We’ve got a great young generation out there taking this fight to the end,” he said.

To help the troops keep good attitudes during this fight, Conway talked of how the Corps is taking care of families with different programs offered.

“If we want to keep this force vital, you’ve got to take care of the families,” he said.

Marines who know their families are taken care of while they are gone are more effective on the battle field, Conway added.

He concluded by saying, “You never fight the war you think your going to fight. All they need is your continued support.”

More than 500 people attended the local MOAA/Corporate Gray Career Fair Oct. 22, which was also part of the annual meeting. Nearly 50 employers were present to meet with active duty, retired, former service, reserve and National Guard service members and their spouses.

                                                         -30-