Retiring United States Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller, left, presents the Marine colors to Gen. David Berger, who became the 38th Commandant of the Corps during a passage of command ceremony at Marine Barracks Washington, D.C., July 11, 2019. At right is Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Ronald L. Green (Emma Swislow/Stars and Stripes)
Retiring United States Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller, left, presents the Marine colors to Gen. David Berger, who became the 38th Commandant of the Corps during a passage of command ceremony at Marine Barracks Washington, D.C., July 11, 2019. At right is Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Ronald L. Green (Emma Swislow/Stars and Stripes)
Retiring United States Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller speaks at a passage of command ceremony at Marine Barracks Washington, D.C., July 11, 2019, during which Gen. David Berger became the 38th Commandant of the Corps. At the ceremony, which was attended by Acting Defense Secretary Mark Esper, Neller recounted the questions he's been asked over the past several days in anticipation of his retirement. "The last question they ask me is what are you most proud of, and that's tough," he said. "I'm proud of having served for, when they read it last night -- 45 years -- I almost fell out of my chair. It doesn't seem like 45 years." (Emma Swislow/Stars and Stripes)
Gen. David H. Berger speaks at a passage of command ceremony at Marine Barracks Washington, D.C., July 11, 2019. Berger became the 38th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, replacing retiring Gen. Robert Neller. Berger thanked Neller and the mentors he's had throughout the years, noting that he is still "coachable." (Emma Swislow/Stars and Stripes)
Acting Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, right, and D'Arcy Neller, the wife of retiring Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller, left, watch the passage of command ceremony at the Marine Barracks Washington, D.C., July 11, 2019. (Emma Swislow/Stars and Stripes)
Retiring Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller hugs his wife D'Arcy Neller after presenting the Marine Corps colors to Gen. David H. Berger, who became the 38th Commandant of the Marine Corps during a passage of command ceremony at Marine Barracks Washington, D.C., July 11, 2019. (Emma Swislow/Stars and Stripes)
Retiring United States Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller, left, receives the Marine colors from Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Ronald L. Green during a passage of command ceremony at Marine Barracks Washington, D.C., July 11, 2019. Gen. David Berger, behind Green, became the 38th Commandant of the Corps. In his remarks, Neller talked about the path forward for the Marine Corps, which he said has already made great improvements since he joined in 1975. “We’ve got to get ready for the next fight, which is going to be very, very different,” he said. “It’s going to be against someone who is certainly, in many ways, as capable if not more capable than us. Our course of action is not hope, it’s to be prepared.” (Emma Swislow/Stars and Stripes)
Members of the United States Marine Band perform at the passage of command ceremony at the Marine Barracks Washington, D.C., July 11, 2019. Gen. David H. Berger became the 38th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, replacing retiring Gen. Robert Neller. (Emma Swislow/Stars and Stripes)
Members of the United States Marine Band perform at the passage of command ceremony at the Marine Barracks Washington, D.C., July 11, 2019. Gen. David H. Berger became the 38th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, replacing retiring Gen. Robert Neller. (Emma Swislow/Stars and Stripes)
Members of the United States Marine Corps march during the passage of command ceremony at the Marine Barracks Washington, D.C., July 11, 2019. Gen. David H. Berger became the 38th Commandant of the Marine Corps, replacing retiring Gen. Robert Neller. (Emma Swislow/Stars and Stripes)
Members of the United States Marine Corps march during the passage of command ceremony at the Marine Barracks Washington, D.C., July 11, 2019. Gen. David H. Berger became the 38th Commandant of the Marine Corps, replacing retiring Gen. Robert Neller. (Emma Swislow/Stars and Stripes)
Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Ronald L. Green carries the Marine colors to retiring Commandant Gen. Robert Neller, left, during a passage of command ceremony at Marine Barracks Washington, D.C., July 11, 2019. Gen. David Berger, second from left, became the 38th Commandant of the Corps. In the background is Acting Defense Secretary Mark Esper. (Emma Swislow/Stars and Stripes)
Gen. David H. Berger speaks at a passage of command ceremony at Marine Barracks Washington, D.C., July 11, 2019. Berger became the 38th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, replacing retiring Gen. Robert Neller. Berger thanked Neller and the mentors he's had throughout the years, noting that he is still "coachable." (Emma Swislow/Stars and Stripes)
Members of the United States Marine Corps march during the passage of command ceremony at the Marine Barracks Washington, D.C., July 11, 2019. Gen. David H. Berger became the 38th Commandant of the Marine Corps, replacing retiring Gen. Robert Neller. (Emma Swislow/Stars and Stripes)
Members of the United States Marine Band perform at the passage of command ceremony at the Marine Barracks Washington, D.C., July 11, 2019. Gen. David H. Berger became the 38th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, replacing retiring Gen. Robert Neller. (Emma Swislow/Stars and Stripes)
Members of the United States Marine Band perform at the passage of command ceremony at the Marine Barracks Washington, D.C., July 11, 2019. Gen. David H. Berger became the 38th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, replacing retiring Gen. Robert Neller. (Emma Swislow/Stars and Stripes)
WASHINGTON — Gen. David H. Berger became the 38th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps during a passage of command ceremony on Thursday, July 11, 2019. He replaces retiring Gen. Robert Neller.
Following musical performances by the United States Marine Band and a parade, Neller presented Berger with the Marine Corps colors, officially handing over the command. Afterwards, acting Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, Neller and Berger spoke to the audience.
Neller talked about the path forward for the Marine Corps, which he said has already made great improvements since he joined in 1975.
“We’ve got to get ready for the next fight, which is going to be very, very different,” he said. “It’s going to be against someone who is certainly, in many ways, as capable if not more capable than us. Our course of action is not hope, it’s to be prepared.”
Neller recounted some of the questions he’s been asked over the past several days in anticipation of his retirement.
“The last question they ask me is what are you most proud of, and that’s tough,” Neller said. “I’m proud of having served for, when they read it last night — 45 years — I almost fell out of my chair. It doesn’t seem like 45 years.”
Berger thanked Neller and the mentors he’s had throughout the years, noting that he is still “coachable.”
Family and friends came up many times during the remarks on Tuesday, with Berger emphasizing the help that Neller and his wife, D’Arcy, gave to Berger’s family.
“There isn’t really a book on how to turn over command, but if there is a gold standard of how to do it, they did it,” Berger said. “That house down there, they moved out three weeks ago, early. I couldn’t tell you the hours they spent around the kitchen table with me and Donna while we asked question after question after question.”
swislow.emma@stripes.com Twitter: @EmSwiz
