Subscribe
A screen grab shows Maj. Gen. William F. Mullen III as he speaks on a humorous safety briefing video.

A screen grab shows Maj. Gen. William F. Mullen III as he speaks on a humorous safety briefing video. ()

The Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center put a twist on the standard holiday weekend safety briefing with a humorous video posted to social media.

The video features the center’s commanding general, Maj. Gen. William F. Mullen III, and senior enlisted leader Sgt. Maj. Michael J. Hendges at the base exchange. Mullen offers safety advice to Marines shopping for the Labor Day weekend as Hendges, in the role of exchange cashier, silently scowls and revises their purchases.

Mullen reminds Marines buying alcohol to always have a designated driver and never drink while handling open flames as Hendges stoically replaces a Marine’s case of Bud Light with a 12-pack of craft beer from Rogue Ales.

“And don’t forget to hydrate,” Mullen says after each attempted purchase, as Hendges, a former drill instructor, drops a massive jug of water onto the counter with a thud.

For Marines purchasing outdoor gear, Hendges adds a flashlight and first-aid kit — and, of course, a jug of water — before snatching a smartphone from one of the customers and tossing it in a trash can.

“Taking time to enjoy the outdoors is also time to disconnect from technology and connect with friends, family and nature,” Mullen says.

The video, which features a cast of eight junior enlisted Marines, was produced by Lance Cpl. Christian Lopez and directed by Lauren Kurkimilis, a former Marine Corps combat correspondent who works as a civilian communications specialist at the combat center. The combined arms training center is located in Southern California’s Twentynine Palms.

“I hope you enjoy your nice long weekend,” Mullen tells the Marines in closing. “You certainly earned it.”

And don’t forget to hydrate.

garland.chad@stripes.com Twitter: @chadgarland

author picture
Chad is a Marine Corps veteran who covers the U.S. military in the Middle East, Afghanistan and sometimes elsewhere for Stars and Stripes. An Illinois native who’s reported for news outlets in Washington, D.C., Arizona, Oregon and California, he’s an alumnus of the Defense Language Institute, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Arizona State University.

Sign Up for Daily Headlines

Sign up to receive a daily email of today's top military news stories from Stars and Stripes and top news outlets from around the world.

Sign Up Now