Hailston nominated to command
U.S. Marine Forces Pacific
By David Allen, Okinawa
bureau chief
CAMP FOSTER — Marine Lt. Gen. Earl B. Hailston has been
nominated to command U.S. Marine Forces Pacific, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
announced Tuesday.
Hailston, 54, who became the commanding general of the 3rd Marine
Expeditionary Force and Marine Corps Bases Japan in June 1999, will become the top Marine
general in the Pacific if Congress approves his nomination. The command includes about
80,000 Marines and sailors throughout the Pacific, covering over half the Earth’s
surface.
During his time in Okinawa, Hailston was the first U.S. general to be
invited to officially attend the annual prefectural memorial services commorating the end
of the Battle of Okinawa during World War II.
He also was instrumental in establishing the first base access
agreements with several local communities, allowing emergency vehicles to transit through
U.S. bases on emergency runs. He also worked with local community representatives and
government officials to reduce accidents and incidents by Americans on Okinawa.
Local officials praised Hailston for adding 200 jobs for Okinawans on
Marine bases.
But several high-profile crimes by U.S. servicemembers also marred
Hailston’s tour as the top Marine in Japan. The incidents renewed local
officials’ calls for a tighter rein on the behavior of troops on Okinawa.
One incident that attracted international attention occurred just
before President Clinton and the leaders of the world’s major economic powers met on
Okinawa last summer for the Group of Eight Summit.
On July 3, just two weeks before the summit, a 19-year-old Marine was
arrested for allegedly molesting a 14-year-old Okinawa girl after drunkenly stumbling into
her Okinawa City apartment. The incident prompted apologies from Hailston and former U.S.
Ambassador to Japan Thomas Foley.
And then in February, Okinawa Gov. Keiichi Inamine and other island
leaders denounced the general after an internal e-mail message to his commanders was
leaked to the local press. In the e-mail Hailston called Okinawa officials “nuts and
a bunch of wimps” for “standing idly by” as the prefectural assembly passed
a resolution calling for a reduction of the number of Marines stationed on Okinawa.
Hailston’s new titles will include commanding general Fleet
Marine Forces Pacific and commander Marine Corps Bases Pacific. He will be assigned to
Camp Smith, Hawaii.
Major commands within MARFORPAC include the 1st and 3rd Marine
Expeditionary Forces, the 1st and 3rd Marine Divisions, the 11th, 13th, 15th and 31st
Marine Expeditionary units, the 1st and 3rd Marine Air Wings, and the 1st and 3rd Force
Service Support Groups.
Major bases within the command include Marine Corps bases in Japan,
southern California, Arizona and Hawaii.
Hailston replaces Lt. Gen. Frank Libutti, who became commander of
MARFORPAC in June 1999 after a two-year stint as commanding general of the 3rd Marine
Expeditionary Force and Marine Corps Bases Japan.
Libutti’s next assignment has not been announced.
Hailston is a native of Utica, N.Y., and enlisted in the Marine Corps
in 1967. He received his commission through the Enlisted Commissioning Program. He saw
combat in South Vietnam with the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion in 1969. In 1972 he earned
his wings as an F-4 pilot.
Other major commands for Hailston included commander of Marine
Aircraft Group 31, the 3rd Force Service Support Group and U.S. Pacific Command Director
of Strategic Plans and Policy.
Hailston’s major awards include the Defense Distinguished
Service Medal, the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star with Combat V, the
Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Medal with Gold Star, the Navy and
Marine Corps Commendation Medal and the Combat Action Ribbon.
Major Gen. Wallace C. Gregson, 55, will replace Hailston as commander
of the 3rd MEF on July 31. Gregson has been nominated for promotion to lieutenant general.
Hailston has turned down repeated interview requests by Stars and
Stripes.
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