Event

2011 MCA Ground Dinner

General James F. Amos, USMC

December 8, 2011 - 6:00pm - 9:30pm

Crystal Gateway Marriott

The Marine Corps Association & Foundation hosted the Winter Ground Dinner on Thursday, 8 December 2011 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. A yearly event with the purpose of highlighting issues of importance to the ground element of the Marine Air Ground Task Force, the dinner was co-hosted by HMC Plans, Policies and Operations (PP&O) Division and featured General James F. Amos, Commandant of the Marine Corps as the guest speaker.

Gen Amos & LtGen Tryon arriving

Commandant with MCA&F’s SgtMaj Bennett in background.

A no-host social hour and a concurrent VIP reception for General Officers and MCA&F sponsors preceded the dinner and at the conclusion, dinner guests were summoned to the banquet hall. Guests were briefly serenaded by the President’s Own United States Marine Corps Band and observed a presentation of the colors ceremony and the band played a spirited rendition of the Washington Post March with an inspiring flute solo ending with a rousing crescendo.

Drum Major

Gen Amos with Drum Major

The band marches on

Band Seranade

The Color Guard in action

MajGen Edward G. Usher III, USMC (Ret) the MCA&F President and CEO was introduced by MCA&F Quantico Area Representative SgtMaj Kevin Bennett, USMC (Ret) who then acknowledged the General Officers, VIP’s and corporate sponsors in the audience, made welcoming and administrative comments and was followed by Captain Craig G. Muehler, USN, Deputy Chaplain of the Marine Corps for the dinner’s invocation.

MajGen Usher welcomes the dinner guests

Chaplain’s invocation

Dinner followed with a sumptuous feast of New York strip steak followed by a dessert of vanilla sponge cake with creamy caramel and toasted pecans. While desert was being served, LtGen Richard Tryon, Deputy Commandant, Plans Policies & Operations took the stage to introduce the Commandant. He acknowledged Generals Amos and Dunford (ACMC) along with SgtMaj Barrett and their ladies and expressed thanks to MajGen Usher and the Marine Corps Association and Foundation for hosting the dinner and he also thanked the Division Commanders and Deputy Commanders who were in the audience and also thanked the many industry partners who were present. Introducing the Commandant, LtGen Tryon pointed out that General Amos was the first aviator commandant and that the Corps was very fortunate to have him on point during these trying times. At that point LtGen Tryon proceeded to raze and roast the Commandant whereupon Gen Amos took to the stage, walked up to him and humorously pulled his rank insignia from his shoulder. When the teasing continued, Gen Amos threw LtGen Tryon’s stars to his wife seated at a table in the front row. The dinner crowd erupted in laughter which grew even greater when the Commandant quipped to LtGen Tryon that “You are out of uniform!”

Gen and Bonnie Amos with SgtMaj Barrett at dinner


LtGen Tryon introduces the Commandant (In uniform and OUT)

General Amos started his remarks by thanking SgtMaj Barrett (SgtMaj of the Marine Corps) and General Dunford (Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps) for their support. He stated that he always had a great time at MCA&F professional dinners and then thanked MajGen Usher for the support the professional association for all Marines provides. Dwelling on MCA&F support, Gen Amos mentioned the Awards program, the magazines, Leatherneck and Marine Corps Gazette and The MARINE Shop by name and indicated that all were first rate and important to Marines. Commenting that all Marines ought to be members he concluded that thought with “and if you are not a member, get the hell out of here.” to the amusement of the crowd.

He thanked the 39 general officers and SES members in the audience for their attendance, introduced his wife of 41 years (Bonnie Amos) and then fired back at LtGen Tryon with a joke. He pointed out that he was glad that LtGen Tryon was able to come to the dinner as he had just got back from a two week tour of Italy and that while he was there, his wife had visited a Gypsy fortune teller who looked in to a crystal ball and prophesized that her husband would experience a particularly gruesome death this year to which Mrs Tryon asked “Will I be acquitted?”

Gen Amos Presentation

Gen Amos began his serious remarks with a current ops update and trip report on Afghanistan. He stated that he and SgtMaj Barrett just returned after spending Thanksgiving there and he pointed out that Gen Dunford would be going for Christmas. He stated that the Marine Corps’ number one priority was to win in Afghanistan and then asserted that we have every reason for optimism and that he was more enthusiastic today than he was before. Lauding the successful efforts of LtGen Rich Mills who just returned from Afghanistan, he stated that Marines can now walk down the center of formerly dangerous Marjah wearing nothing more than utilities. Due to the savvy of Marines who have experienced multiple tours in Afghanistan, formerly conflicted places like Sangin were peaceful with no combat activity in many weeks with people, politicians and Afghan soldiers all feeling very confident in the future. Stating that he “Smelled success” he finished with an anecdote about C Co, 1stBn, 6^th Marines that had led to very productive relations in the war torn Helmand province. A patrol from the unit found a little girl floating down the river face down. A young NCO from the company threw off his combat gear and raced in to the water to rescue the girl. Bringing her to the river bank, the unit corpsmen worked hard to revive her and were successful at preventing her from drowning. Rather than taking credit for themselves, the Marines turned the little girl over to the area’s Afghan soldiers and they returned her to her family. The effort caused a significant thawing of relations and created considerable good will both for the Marines in the area and also for the Afghan soldiers stationed in the area and was illustrative of the quality of leadership exhibited by mature Marines of all ranks.

Further to the issue of mature leadership Gen Amos talked briefly about MARSOC and stated that it was a very good decision to stand up MARSOC. He said the leadership was superb with mature Captains on repeat tours leading small MARSOC teams to great advantage in dangerous places like Sangin.

Talking about the future, Gen Amos stated the Marine Corps stock was “High” and that we will get smaller because 202,000 Marines would be a Marine Corps too big after our return from Afghanistan but that in the process of drawing down, he promised that the force would not be hollow. He concluded with the statement that he was very confident about our future.

MajGen Usher presenting guest speaker memento to Gen Amos