CAMP LEJEUNE, North Carolina -- MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - Military spouses across Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River attended the Camp Lejeune Leadership Seminar at Paradise Point Officers’ Club on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina on May 7, 2025.
The Camp Lejeune Leadership Seminar consisted of educational workshops and speaker-led discussions aimed at highlighting the critical role of military spouses and their connection to leadership positions.
To kick off the seminar, U.S. Marine Corps Col. Eric Thompson, the chief of staff of II Marine Expeditionary Force, spoke with participants about II MEF mission objectives and how their support can lead to a more complete Marine Air-Ground Task Force.
Thompson spoke about the current “Special Alert Contingency MAGTF” and the impact military spouses and civilians alike have made on deploying service members. This force is comprised of Marines from across the MEF and is crucial to maintaining a scalable Forward Command Element.
“We need civilians. We need people that are outside of the scope of the Marine Corps,” Thompson said. “We need to have people like you guys to support us; we need to protect the human element.”
To conclude the seminar, U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Calvert L. Worth Jr., the commanding general of II MEF, served as the featured guest during the graduation ceremony. He reaffirmed II MEF’s mission and the objectives of its rotational forces, while emphasizing the sacrifices military spouses make on a daily basis to support their active-duty spouse’s careers.
“I’m sure some of you right now are in between jobs and careers, but you keep up with us,” Worth stated, “You keep us in line and are the balance in our otherwise stressful lives.”
Before opening the floor to ask questions, both Worth and Thompson prefaced that II MEF Marines are the cornerstone of the MAGTF and expressed their continued gratitude for the active involvement of military spouses within the Marine Corps community.
“Your support means the world to not only me, but the Marines,” Thompson said.