PA Marines Out…There will STILL be a Conference

CCHQ was advised by the Deputy Director of Information at HQMC July 3 that the Public Affairs Leadership Conference for 2012 in San Diego has been cancelled.  We have also been advised by the Director of Public Affairs, Marine Corps Recruiting Command (MCRC) that their anticipated participation with the PA Leadership Conference has also been cancelled.

We have been more or less expecting this.  As most know, the government has mandated massive military budget cuts.  More recently, a Department of Defense directive stated that any conference exceeding $100,000 in military travel and per diem would be disallowed.  Certainly, the GSA scandal from Las Vegas did not help the situation.

In his message to field PA units on Tuesday of this week, Lt. Col. Chris Hughes, Deputy Director, said “After submitting all the documentation for the required waiver, the feedback we received indicated that approval to host the conference was not expected.”

While this is a setback, does this mean that we are cancelling the 2012 USMCCCA Conference?  No!  Don O’Neal and I talked about this prior to his leaving on a vacation to France this past weekend and before this announcement was received.  His wishes are that we continue as planned but, possibly abbreviate the schedule somewhat.  Division of Public Affairs will be issuing a MarAdmin to all commands later this week or early next week, encouraging them to send their Merit Award winners to San Diego for the Thursday evening banquet.

We have talked to the hotel and they are doing everything in their power to work with us on this change.  We have asked for the following:

Conference to open: Wednesday, September 11 with various seminars, panels devoted to activities of interest to our members.  Old and new Board Meetings will be held Wednesday.  The annual Welcome Reception will be held Wednesday evening.  Several panels and the Annual Business Meeting/Election of Offices will be held on Thursday followed by the Annual Merit Awards Banquet Thursday evening.

On Friday morning breakfast will be served beginning at 7 a.m.  Buses will depart for the Marine Corps Recruit Depot at 8:30 so members and attendees can witness a recruit graduation.  Following the graduation the buses will drop attendees at Old Town for several hours of shopping, lunch-on-your own, before returning to the hotel.  There will be a no-host dinner scheduled for Friday evening for those who will be staying. 

While it is not a conference activity, there will be an induction ceremony at Mount Soledad on Saturday morning a 9 a.m. for Past President and our first Executive Director, Bob “Mo” Morrisey.  We hope as many attendees as can stay over will attend the ceremony.

Don’t let this setback affect your conference planning.  Join us.   We guarantee you will enjoy yourselves.  Please stay tuned to this website for news of the conference.

Jack T. Paxton, Executive Director.