MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. -- North Carolina governor Pat McCrory met with local commanders during a visit aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune to express his dedication to service members, Aug. 8.
McCrory recently signed Senate Bill 761 into law, which gives service members the opportunity to transfer their military training into college credits though University of North Carolina and North Carolina Community College systems.
“One of my goals is to help service members returning from Afghanistan and Iraq,” said McCrory. “We are going to offer in-state tuition to out-of-state military members returning home at universities and community colleges. We want to be able to help them find jobs by coordinating training and education.”
Under SB 761, licensure and certification boards will also assist service members in carrying over their military occupational specialty training and experience to jobs after their service.
During McCrory’s visit at base, he stopped to take a closer look at a MV-22B Osprey static display, provided by Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 162, Marine Aircraft Group 26, 2nd Marine Airwing.
“The governor took time out of his schedule to learn and engage with military leadership,” said Lt. Col. Brian Koch, VMM-162 commanding officer and Akron, Ohio native. “We conduct training in North Carolina and we got to show what we do on a daily basis. It was wonderful to see the governors commitment to the military in state.”
The Osprey is the backbone of Marine Corps aviation and assault support mission, said Koch. It provides troop transport, from amphibious shipping to shore-based shipping and it will become the next generation in aviation.
“The Osprey is a marvel of art, machinery and technology all in one,” said McCrory. “Its flexibility is its strength, it has the ability to go anywhere and move quickly.”
According to the North Carolina Military Affairs Commission’s vision, North Carolina strives to be the most military-friendly state in the country by leading the coordination and planning for protecting military installations and encouraging military-related economic growth.
“We will work with the Pentagon to keep Camp Lejeune strong,” said McCrory. “Camp Lejeune has played an important role and will continue to do so for many years to come.