Service members at Joint Task Force Guantanamo show Army Secretary max security

By 1st Lt. Macario Mora, JTF-GTMO Public AffairsApril 15, 2015

McHugh visits Service members at Joint Task Force Guantanamo
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McHugh visits Service members at Joint Task Force Guantanamo
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McHugh visits Soldiers at Joint Task Force Guantanamo
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GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba (Feb. 9, 2015) - Describing their unique mission as often misunderstood and certainly under-appreciated, Secretary of the Army John McHugh met with Soldiers who comprise the guard force at the detention facilities at Joint Task Force Guantanamo, Cuba, or JTF-GTMO, Feb. 9.

This was McHugh's second trip to GTMO, although it was his first as Army secretary. McHugh said the last time he was on the island -- located just 90 miles from the U.S. mainland -- was more than 20 years ago when he was a U.S. Congressman from New York. That was long before the JTF was established.

While much has changed in two decades, "The one constant over that whole time is our Soldiers' willingness to serve," McHugh said.

McHugh said he was honored to meet the Soldiers and Service men and women who perform a vital security mission for the United States. Their hard work and dedication help to make America and the world a safer place, he said.

"I'm here today as your secretary," McHugh said during a town hall meeting, "greatly humbled by what you do each and every day."

"In particular, you're required to quietly do a mission that is important for this country, and is under an international microscope where every misstep is magnified dozens of times. I thank you for your service."

Rear Adm. Kyle Cozad, JTF-GTMO commander, and his staff briefed McHugh on the day-to-day operations of the JTF and provided him a tour of its facilities.

McHugh also met with Soldiers at a dining facility to eat lunch and talk with them about their concerns for the future of the Army.

McHugh finished his time at GTMO by speaking to a crowd of Soldiers and other Service members at a town hall hosted in the Windjammer Ballroom. The questions spanned topics ranging from the future of JTF missions to the role of the Reserve and Guard forces in the overall Army mission and force structure.

McHugh acknowledged the stress and often thankless nature of GTMO's non-combat mission. He also noted that many of the Soldiers had.

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