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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Thursday, August 4, 2005

Commander hails Corps' history

By William Cole
Advertiser Military Writer

Lt. Gen. Wallace Gregson Jr., left, and Maj. Gen. John F. Goodman salute Marines after Gregson transferred command of Marine Forces Pacific to Goodman. The Camp Smith-based command extends from the U.S West Coast to the Arabian Gulf.

Gregory Yamamoto | The Honolulu Advertiser

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John F. Goodman
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KANE'OHE BAY — With more than 500 Hawai'i Marines flanking him, most of whom have spent time in a combat zone, Maj. Gen. John F. Goodman yesterday took command of Marine Forces Pacific.

Goodman accepted the command's red flag from Lt. Gen. Wallace Gregson Jr., who undertook the assignment exactly two years ago, and is retiring after more than 37 years of service.

Goodman, who fought in Vietnam with the Army and played professional football with the New Orleans Saints before embarking on a career as a Marine aviator, assumes command of more than 74,000 Marines.

In June, Goodman was named deputy commander of Marine Forces Pacific. Before that, he was in command of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Korea.

The Camp Smith-based command is the biggest field command in the Marines and extends from the West Coast of the United States to the Arabian Gulf, and includes Iraq and Afghanistan.

Goodman yesterday paid tribute to the history of the Corps in the Pacific, telling more than 300 assembled guests that much of its lore derives from "the capabilities that (Marines) brought to this theater, and when they fought in Pacific during World War II, when they fought in Korea, when they fought in Vietnam, when they left here and fought in Desert Storm, and as they leave now to help fight the global war on terrorism."

Gregson said there are 84,000 Marines, sailors and civilians under the command, and provided a demographic breakdown: 48 percent are on their initial enlistment; the average age is 22 and 94 percent are men; 54 percent are married.

"They have a heavy deployment schedule as you know. Many Marines and sailors are on their third tour in combat in the Middle East, and many, many more are preparing to go for their third time," Gregson said.

Despite the heavy deployment schedule, Gregson said the Marines and sailors "have maintained the watch out here in the Pacific," maintained a deterrence in Northeast Asia, and assisted with humanitarian relief.