September 25, 2015 – MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. — The 2015 Modern Day Marine Military Expo is happening at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va. Sept. 22-24, 2015.
The expo is focusing on enhanced capabilities for expeditionary forces with booths of vendors and features discussion panels, which are new this year.
“I come here to encourage Marines to talk to vendors,” said Bernard Bledsoe, a Marine veteran and member of the Marine Corps League since 2000. “We have Marines here from a wide range of military occupational specialties who can tell vendors first-hand what is good and what can be improved.”
The expo is sponsored by the Marine Corps League. The Marine Corps League has nearly 70,000 members who are Marine Corps veterans. This is the 23rd year that MCB Quantico has hosted the expo.
“As soon as I found out the Marine Corps League was sponsoring these shows, I started volunteering,” said Bledsoe. “The interaction between the Marines, the actual user [of products and equipment], and the vendors are absolutely critical to get the best result from your equipment.”
Each day the exhibit halls are open from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The importance of the expo is to share information about what Marine Corps organizations, vendors, manufactures and companies are doing to improve equipment and technology. The expo gives Marines hands-on experience at the vendor booths.
“The importance of the expo is to not only to get information out about what the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory is doing but to see what other organizations and companies are doing,” said Maj. Brad Goldvarg, logistics combat element branch head of the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory. “To see what other kinds of technologies are out there inside industry, academia and other military organizations and agencies.”
Discussion panels are taking place each day of the expo.
“The panels are focusing on innovation,” said Lt. Gen. Robert Walsh, the deputy commandant of combat development and integration and commanding general of Marine Corps Combat Development Command. “The intent is to discuss why, how and where the Marine Corps stands about innovation. The opportunity to bring everything together is kind of an engine for innovation and an engine for where we are headed.”
The expo also has a golf tournament, an enlisted awards parade and grand banquet. The final day of the expo is a family day, which military and Department of Defense personnel will have the opportunity to bring their family members, so they can also have hands-on opportunities.