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Chamber meets to honor military

• The Albany Area Chamber of Commerce recognizes military personnel during its appreciation breakfast.

Carlton Fletcher

ALBANY — At a breakfast honoring military personnel serving their country, it was fitting that the most poignant moment came during a presentation by the commander of the local Marine Corps Logistics Base.

Asked to reflect on words he’d written for MCLB- Albany’s weekly publication “The Emblem,” Col. Christian Haliday told an audience of Albany Area Chamber of Commerce officials and local government and business leaders Wednesday, “We need to rededicate ourselves to patriotic deeds that outlast our patriotic words.”

Haliday’s moving comments highlighted the Chamber’s annual Military Appreciation Breakfast, during which the community paid tribute to the men and women who have served the country as part of its military forces. The Marine base commander offered the audience a “patriot’s to-do list” for civilians who ask what they can do to help the military cause.

“Many in the community ask me ‘What can we do’?” Haliday said. “My response is to humbly offer a patriot’s to-do list. One, remember. Refocus on the reason for patriotic holidays. Two, give blood. Our (military personnel) are literally paying the price with their blood in the war effort; we can help save a life by giving blood at home.

“Three, conserve. As the demand for goods increases, we can help by conserving and recycling. Four, volunteer. There are plenty of pressing needs right here at home. And, finally, five — and this is most important — vote. You can support our troops by doing your part here. Voting is a privilege and a responsibility.”

Haliday’s words came after a program that included a video tribute to the base produced by local Fox Television affiliate WFXL, which hosted the breakfast along with The Albany Herald.

WFXL General Manager Jenny Collins said the tribute, titled “The Hands That Built America,” grew from a visit she made to MCLB-Albany.

“I saw a sign there that read ‘What You Do Is Important: Every Day a Marine’s Life Will Depend on It’,” Collins said. “It really hit me how true that statement was.”

Herald Publisher Mike Gebhart read from an e-mail that outlined the feelings of an Australian soldier in a letter home to his father.

“The Yanks, they don’t complain, they just get on with the job and do it right,” Gebhart read.

During his opening remarks, Chamber Vice Chair John McDuffie paid tribute to the local Marine base.

“When we speak of the military in Albany, we generally think of the Marine Corps Logistics Base and the many who serve there, both military and civilian,” McDuffie said. “The relationship is one that is special and a collaborative effort in the business arena. This relationship has developed for more than 50 years and continues to remain strong.”

Leland Burkart, chairman of the Chamber’s Military Affairs Committee, recognized the base’s NCO and Marine of the Quarter during the breakfast. Honored were Cpl. Matro Carrasco, an Iraqi Freedom veteran, and Lance Cpl. Juan Escobar, who has received Global War on Terrorism and National Defense service medals, respectively.

Herald sales representative Denver Adams was named the Chamber’s Ambassador of the Quarter.

Interim Chamber CEO Wendy Martin thanked Marines at MCLB-Albany for their work during the ongoing war on terrorism.

“These guys in our very midst are responsible for getting material that our troops need anywhere in the whole world,” she said. “Some days we take that for granted, but we should remember every day what our Marines do.”

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