CHERRY POINT, N.C. - Sgt. Maj. Susan M. Bellis relinquished the post of 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing sergeant major to Sgt. Maj. Christopher G. Robinson during a ceremony on the Cherry Point flight line here today.

Bellis plans to retire on March 1, after more than 30 years of active service.

Robinson comes from Marine Aircraft Group 24 in Hawaii and sees his return to Cherry Point as a return home; the air station was his first duty station 24 years ago.

“It makes me honored that I’ve been able to stick around long enough to be given an opportunity to be the MAW sergeant major, especially where I grew up in the Marine Corps as a brand new Marine back in 1988,” said Robinson. Robinson's first command was Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 2.

Robinson said his primary goal is to nurture leadership and sound judgment between the ranks of corporal and gunnery sergeant, where he said most of the Marine Corps’ work gets done.

Leadership makes all the difference between a productive workplace and one with problems, he said. He gave an example of a gunnery sergeant who, during Robinson's first tour here, inspired him to earn a meritorious promotion to the rank of sergeant, become a drill instructor, and become the Marine he is today.

Bellis said it’s the Marines and sailors of a unit who make everything possible. In the case of 2nd MAW, they make it a formidable fighting force. Their focus is on getting aircraft in the air so they can support troops on the ground.

“I just want them to know that before I got here, I came from [Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center] Twentynine Palms where I worked for two infantry generals,” said Bellis. “The last one I worked for said the hardest working Marines he had ever seen belonged to the wing and he was right.”

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