Michael J. Gebhart was one of only 47 participants selected for the program from hundreds of nominees around the nation. He said that he returned with a new appreciation for U.S. military technology, but even more impressed by the professionalism and spirit of men and women in uniform.
“First and foremost I was left with a real thankfulness for the military. The First Amendment that I’ve built my career on, I have because of men and women in the military. I had tears in my eyes a couple times thinking these are the men and women that allow me to say what I want to say in the newspaper every day,” Gebhart said.
The participating civilian business, academic and civic leaders all returned better informed about the operations they observed and service members they met during the weeklong trip through U.S. European Command.
“I came up in an era where there was a perception that people entered the military because they couldn’t do anything else in life. Boy, is that wrong,” Gebhart observed. “I saw the cream of the crop. There was a part of me that wished I wasn’t 52 years old and I could enlist because I saw the absolute best men and women America has to offer.”
Gebhart received the nomination from Col. C. N. Haliday, commanding officer of the Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany. “Given his position leading The Albany Herald we thought he’d be a great candidate to familiarize himself with the branches of the U.S. military,” Haliday commented.
The conference started with briefings at the Pentagon, and a visit to the newly dedicated 9/11 memorial. JCOC participants walked among the 184 benches, each bearing the name of a man, woman or child lost in the attack. They paused to reflect on the granite and stainless steel benches, 59 facing the Pentagon to represent the passengers killed on hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 and 125 facing the opposite direction to represent those killed in the building.
“They had a group of wounded warriors visiting the pentagon. Some of them were being pushed in wheelchairs. I had to take a step back and realize these guys sacrificed themselves for my freedom,” Gebhart said.
The next day, Gebhart and other JCOC personnal boarded an Air Force C-17 Globemaster III headed to military sites in Greece, Spain, the United Kingdom and Germany.
Soon after arrival, the group flew out to the USS Iwo Jima off the coast of Crete by way of Marine CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters. One of the first items on their agenda was observing a Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier aircraft conducting vertical takeoffs and landings. The group also observed where air-cushioned landing craft stood ready to deliver the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit with its vehicles and equipment for an amphibious assault.
Gebhart and others ate chow with Sailors and Marines in the mess area, and once again, was impressed with the dedication of those he met. Gebhart took time to take names and phone numbers of military members he met and later telephone their relatives, letting them know that he had just spent time with their deployed spouse.
The group then visited the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Dallas in Rota, Spain, Air Forces Europe operations at RAF Mildenhall, RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom, Special Operations Command Europe and the European Command headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany.
The Grafenwoehr Training Area in eastern Bavaria offered Gebhart the chance to live-fire the M4 rifle, M203 grenade launcher, M249 squad automatic weapon, and 240B and M2 .50-caliber machine gun. The group also observed a special operations assault. “It was fascinating to see how the whole thing worked,” Gebhart said.
Gebhart said he left JCOC with a sense of responsibility to share his impressions of the military with others.
“I’ve always had sports heroes, but this trip made me realize that my new heroes are the men and women in our military. They need to hear us say thank you,” Gebhart said.
Gebhart’s group was the 76th to participate in JCOC since the first defense secretary, James V. Forrestal, created the JCOC program in 1948 to introduce civilian “movers and shakers” with little or no military exposure to the workings of the armed forces.
The program remains DoD’s premier civic leader program. Gebhart termed it “the trip of a lifetime.”
“I’m so proud to be an American. This trip made me realize that this freedom is bought with a price. Every day when I wake up free, somebody is out there fighting for that freedom. We as Americans need to realize that,” Gebhart said.
2nd Lt. Caleb D. Eams is public affairs officer for Marine Corps Logistics Base-Albany.
