Authorized newspaper of Fort Lewis, Washington
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates listens as Capt. Christopher Lilley, center, and his MGS crew from 2-23 Inf. explain the vehicle’s capabilities.
Fort Lewis Soldiers received a visit from Secretary of Defense Robert Gates this week, as he spent Monday and Tuesday talking with Soldiers, Airmen and their families.
Gates, who lives near Mount Vernon, Wash. when he is not at the Pentagon, stopped by Fort Lewis and McChord Air Force Base for a visit on his way back to Washington D.C. after the Independence Day holiday.
Gates visited wounded warriors at Madigan Army Medical Center, talked with Rangers, McChord Airmen and some Fort Lewis spouses, including a few who had just given birth at MAMC. “It’s been very useful,” Gates told the press Tuesday morning after receiving a briefing in the Intelligence Operations Facility. “The conversations with NCOs and their wives are always instructive and I’m always impressed with their dedication and their commitment.”
Gates praised Army spouses for their commitment and affection for the military, saying that theirs might be even stronger than that of their Soldiers.The secretary also received a briefing from Col. Harry D. Tunnell, 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division commander, and Stryker Soldiers from 4th and 5th Brigades, 2nd Inf. Div., about their vehicles. Gates, accompanied by Lt. Gen. Charles H. Jacoby Jr., commanding general of I Corps and Fort Lewis and Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, military assistant to the secretary of defense toured four Strykers: a Commander’s Vehicle, an Infantry Carrier Vehicle, a Mobile Gun System and an Engineer Squad Vehicle.
While receiving his briefing on the MGS, Gates got a fresh-from-the-battlefield perspective from Capt. Christopher Lilley, an MGS vehicle commander and platoon leader in B Co., 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Bde., 2nd Inf. Div. Lilley and his Soldiers returned from Iraq last month, where they were the first to use the MGS in combat. Lilley was pleased to be able to share his knowledge with the secretary of defense.
“It was very nice,” he said. “I think he saw the point we were trying to get across to him...how important this vehicle is for the infantry commanders and also the infantry to have this weapon system at their hands to help them out and support them in their mission, and provide the security and firepower that they need.”
The secretary visits troops often to get a feeling for what is on their minds.
“We do this as much as possible,” said Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary. Gates finds it useful to gather troops and spend time talking to them and allowing them to ask candid questions, Morrell said.
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