General Alfred M. Gray Jr. Funeral
On July 29th, 2024, General Alfred M. Gray Jr, the 29th Commandant of the Marine Corps, was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery.
General Gray was the CMC when I started in the Corps and I got to meet him twice as a Marine and once as a civilian (he was retired and I was still a Marine). He was a great Commandant and from those that knew him personally, he was a great person.
It was not uncommon for him to visit the troops, hang out with them, and eat chow with them. He honestly and sincerely believed that you need to take care of the troops. It was not uncommon for him to come up to a unit who is standing in formation, waiting to be inspected, call that unit to be at ease, and then walk up to each Marine and talk, or call a school circle and talk. And his talks were never one-sided, he rather hear from you, not tell you what to do.
He was a Marine’s Marine!
