By Sgt. Brandon L. Saunders | Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany | June 13, 2013
Maj. Gen. Charles L. Hudson salutes the colors Friday as they are retired at sunset during his relinquishment of command ceremony. Hudson will assume his new role as the commanding general of Marine Corps Installations Pacific in Okinawa, Japan. (Photo by Sgt. Brandon Saunders)
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Maj. Gen. Charles L. Hudson, outgoing commanding general, Marine Corps Logistics Command, addresses Marines, Civilian-Marines, Sailors, distinguished guests and friends during his relinquishment of command ceremony, Friday, at MCLC’s parade field. (Photo by Sgt. Brandon Saunders)
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Col. Christopher Michelsen, commanding officer, Blount Island Command, Jacksonville, Fla., leads his Marines during pass and review, Friday, to give Maj. Gen. Charles L. Hudson, outgoing commanding general, Marine Corps Logistics Command, honors during a relinquishment of command ceremony at MCLC’s parade field. (Photo by Sgt. Brandon Saunders)
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The color guard for Marine Corps Logistics Command presents the national colors and the Marine Corps colors for the relinquishment command of Maj. Gen. Charles L. Hudson during a sunset ceremony at MCLC's parade field June 7. (Photo by Sgt. Brandon Saunders)
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Maj. Gen. Charles L. Hudson, right, outgoing commanding general, Marine Corps Logistics Command, returns the MCLC’s colors and battle streamers to Sgt. Maj. Joseph M. Davenport III, sergeant major, MCLC, Friday, during a relinquishment of command ceremony held at MCLC’s parade field. (Photo by Sgt. Brandon Saunders)
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MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE ALBANY --
Maj. Gen. Charles L. Hudson relinquished command of Marine Corps Logistics Command Friday during a sunset ceremony at the newly-commissioned MCLC parade field.
The ceremony was celebrated and attended by nearly 200 Marines, Sailors, Civilian-Marines, friends, family members and distinguished guests to extend honors to the outbound commanding general.
Deputy Commandant for Installations and Logistics, Lt. Gen. William M. Faulkner, Washington, D.C. was the reviewing official on hand to see Hudson off.
Hudson will assume his new role as the commanding general of Marine Corps Installations Pacific in Okinawa, Japan.
At the parade field, ground tactical equipment was on display as a backdrop to accompany the USS Nassau ship’s bell and two platoons of Marines in Dress Blue Delta uniforms, representing Marine Depot Maintenance Command, here, and Blount Island Command, Jacksonville, Fla., respectively.
The armored, ground tactical equipment represented MCLC’s mission and dedication to the warfighter in forward deployed locations and the unit’s continued commitment to provide logistics support in accomplishing the mission while abroad.
The depth of this mission set by the commandant has given these, roughly, 4,600 Marines, uniformed and non-uniformed, to serve in multiple locations, is truly amazing, according to Hudson.
“This command encompasses not only the headquarters here, but the Marine Depot Maintenance Command, Production Plant Albany, Production Plant Barstow (California), and of course Blount Island Command in Jacksonville (Florida),” Hudson said.
According to Hudson, each physical branch of MCLC provides a great service to Marines. MDMC provides maintenance repairs and technical services for ground combat support and developmental equipment. Blount Island Command plans, coordinates and executes the Marine Corps’ prepositioning program.
During his tenure as the executive agent for retrograde, Hudson’s leadership ensured the proper and expedient retrograde and return of 65 percent of the equipment and materiel from Afghanistan.
MCLC (Forward), in Afghanistan, participated in the planning and execution of tasks critical to the Marine Corps in support of retrograde and redeployment and in support of reset and reconstruction. When equipment in a combat environment needed to be returned for servicing, or replaced, MCLC personnel were up to the task, Hudson said.
Hudson was responsible for the consolidation of MCLC’s two maintenance depots under a single command establishing the MDMC. This initiative achieved considerable savings for the Marine Corps and created a more efficient depot operation.
To expound on the broad scope of all that Hudson oversaw while in command, there are more than 400 different kinds of ground combat and combat support equipment repaired and upgraded within the production plants at MDMC, thus totaling more than 20,000 items of equipment to be repaired, and returned, to Marines in combat and training.
“We established the Enterprise Lifecycle Maintenance Planning process for depot-level maintenance in coordination with the priorities of the Marine operating forces,” Hudson said.
The Enterprise Lifecycle Maintenance Planning process integrates equipment maintenance and sustainment operations across the Marine Corps to optimize capabilities.
From the moment he arrived at MCLC, and in his closing remarks, Hudson continually focused MCLC’s attention on the Marine in harm’s way.
His daily efforts were aimed at improving the services and logistics capabilities that ensure Marines have what they need when they need it.
“Based on the commandant’s desire for (my family) to do something else, we leave with heavy hearts,” Hudson said. “We leave with heavy hearts because we have a tremendous family inside and outside the wire as well.”
With noncommissioned swords, Mameluke swords and service rifles, Marines formally gave honors to their outgoing general.
The formation of Marines represented the hard work all Marines, Civilian-Marines and Sailors have accomplished while under Hudson’s command.
Hudson said goodbye to friends he had made here and told those gathered, this tour was special to him.
“It’s very rare that one comes into a command organization and feels the warmth and the southern hospitality that the Hudson family felt when we came to this location,” he said. “We’ve never felt that before, and to be perfectly frank, we hate to give it up.”
The ceremony concluded with the USS Nassau’s bell being rung and the colors being retired as the sun set on the horizon, marking the end of an era as Hudson departs.
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