May Director’s Cut Online

This past week, I asked the staff here at Division of Public Affairs to join me at the Pentagon Memorial on the occasion of Osama Bin Laden’s demise to reflect on the previous ten years.

Many of you were serving on active duty on that fateful day, 11 September 2001, when this new era of service began. A large group from our PA family was assembled at Palm Springs, Calif., for the annual Combat Correspondents and PA Leaders Conference. Many of you were serving at duty stations around the Marine Corps to include here at the Pentagon when it was attacked. And others were in school, years away from joining the Corps. But no matter where you were, we were all impacted by 11 September 2001. All of our lives were shaped and continue to be shaped by this event.

So, now we enter into a new era, a new phase in this long war. While many things are yet to be known, one thing is certain; your vital service is still in great need to the Marine Corps. There is nothing more important than “telling the Marine Corps story” right now. Let’s all continue to honor our friends and colleagues that didn’t make it back and start each day with a full 30-inch step toward the many challenges that still face us.

I could not be any prouder of your performance to date.

PA Marines continue to be recognized for taking that full step and sharing the courage of our Marines. I would like to take a moment to congratulate our Thomas Jefferson Award winners: