MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii -- Bill O'Reilly, turned MCB Hawaii, Kaneohe Bay, into his own private "No Spin Zone" Nov. 24 during a visit to base as part of the Pacific War Memorial Lecture Series.
Bill O'Reilly, anchor/host of the highest-rated program on cable news, "The O'Reilly Factor," brought his unique brand of no-holds barred, shoot-from-the-hip style to a near-capacity crowd of Marines, Sailors and distinguished guests at the base theater. He more than lived up to the hype.
"He was great," said Lance Cpl. Michael Cramer, a Headquarters Battalion, MCB Hawaii administration clerk, who served as O'Reilly's driver during the visit. "It was a rock-star atmosphere. It doesn't get much bigger than having Bill O'Reilly here. For all that, I couldn't get over how personable and accessible he was.
"The first thing Mr. O'Reilly wanted to do to was go to the video store to rent a copy of 'Finding Nemo' for his kids. That says a lot about what type of person he is."
Indeed, it is O'Reilly's self-styled Irish working-class attitude that has propelled him from humble beginnings growing up in Long Island to the top of the journalistic world.
"He is a man of integrity, principals and moral courage," said Brig. Gen. Jerry C. McAbee, MCB Hawaii commanding general, as he introduced O'Reilly to the crowd.
"The one thing I think says the most about his character is that his best friends are guys he went to first grade with."
During his speaking engagement, O'Reilly touched on a number of topics, including the war in Iraq, terrorism, leadership and of course, politics.
He then devoted a significant amount of time to holding a question and answer session, which greatly impressed a number of those in attendance and gave credence to McAbee's assertion that "he is not afraid to take a position and stick to it."
For his part, O'Reilly said he was impressed with all the Marines and Sailors he came into contact with aboard MCB Hawaii.
"My wife was remarking how nice everybody is, and they don't know her," commented O'Reilly. "Me, everybody runs in horror and flees, but her, she's just a regular person and everybody has been wonderful to her. I have a 4-year-old and a little baby, and when the baby cries nobody complains.
"It [the base] is a very nice and disciplined atmosphere, and we enjoyed our time here."
O'Reilly also said he had a message he wanted to relay to the Marines and Sailors aboard MCB Hawaii.
"I wish all the Marines and Sailors here a Happy Thanksgiving," said O'Reilly. "Stay safe. We need you guys."