Compass Points - Week in Review
The passing of General Gray.
Compass Points - Week in Review
The passing of General Gray.
March 24, 2024
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Happy Sunday!
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Sunday is a good day to look back at the week. We started on Monday with a report on the Philippines’ continuing unwillingness to allow Marine “Stand-in-Force missile units on their islands. Tuesday updated the discussion of the serious shortage of Naval amphibious ships. On Wednesday and Thursday, we celebrated the life of General Alfred M. Gray. We ended the week with the Marine Times article on the discredited Force Design wargames and a salute to the Desert Warriors. In all, it was a week of particularly good discussion and particularly good memories.
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Monday 18 Mar – South China Sea
If the Philippines, a fairly powerful nation in that part of the Pacific, are too afraid of China to open the door to US Marine missile units in the Pacific, then why should any of the smaller nations?
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Tuesday 19 Mar – Save Our Ships
To continue to serve as the nation's always ready 9-1-1 crisis response force, the Marine Corps must have amphibious ships so that Marine Expeditionary Units (MEU) can be on constant global patrol as part of the Amphibious Ready Groups (ARG).
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Wednesday 20 Mar – Rest in Peace
It is being reported that the 29th Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Alfred M. Gray, passed away peacefully at his home at 0057, today. Tributes are coming in from around the entire community of Marines.
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Thursday 21 Mar – More on Al Gray
General Al Gray sank his roots deep in the history of the Marine Corps and deep in the history of war. Those deep roots gave him the strength to grow and to change. He expected others to grow and to change as well and he expected the same of the Marine Corps. Gray was a gruff and always motivating leader, never leaving anything as it was -- or anyone. In his article, "Transforming the Marines for an Uncertain Future" General Charles Wilhelm summarized the impact Gray had on the Marine Corps.
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Friday 22 Mar – Wargame Consequences
Now, even the Marine Times is reporting concerns. A recent Marine Times article, "Marine wargames offer a look at the future — and fuel dissent" reveals that the wargames that supposedly provide the foundation and justification for Force Design were seriously flawed.
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Saturday 23 Mar – Desert Warriors
Compass Points salutes the extraordinary service and sacrifice of the Marine Corps' desert warriors who served from 1990 to 2024. -- many of these Marines are still serving on active duty today. It is these desert warriors who deserve more recognition and acclaim for their service. Now, as the next challenges loom, it is these Marines who will shoulder so much of the burden of creating the enhanced and upgraded, combined arms, crisis response force of the future.
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Compass Points appreciates all the great discussion this week and thanks all our readers who served as seminar leaders this week by providing topics, articles, and comments. Compass Points offers special thanks for the life and wisdom of Al Gray. Many thanks General!
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Finally, Paul Otte has complied an entire book of "Grayisms" quotes, comments, and stories about Al Gray. One story connects Gray with another Commandant, John A Lejeune.
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Grayism: "You are the one responsible"
General Gray has always seen himself as the one ultimately responsible for what happened to his Marines. In 1990, after a helicopter crash in Korea, Marines were medically evacuated to the Burn Center at San Antonio, Texas. Sergeant Major Sommers was with him when General Gray walked into the waiting room, told the families assembled there that he was responsible for their sons’ injuries, and asked them what he could do to help.
This took moral courage.
His actions symbolize the unspoken bond between Marines, a spirit that has led them through hard times. Even today, he is asked to many reunions, numerous special occasions, and despite a very busy schedule, he joins his Marines whenever he can – Why? It is a part of his sense of responsibility. Marines have, or at least believe they have, a relationship with the Commandant. And the Commandant readily accepts that he’s responsible for all they do or fail to do.
It goes back to General John A. Lejeune, our 13th Commandant, when he said the relationship between officers and enlisted Marines is not one of a superior to a subordinate, but more like a teacher and a scholar; and he implored that all Marines should be responsible for their activities, and that you owe it to your Marines to see to it that each one is stronger morally, mentally, and physically when he leaves you than when he joins you.
And that’s a cardinal thought process that Marine Commandants share and accept as a responsibility.
-- Paul Otte on A.M. Gray
