Gen. James T. Conway speaks to Marines with 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, Dec. 24, 2008, at Forward Operating Base Bakwa, Afghanistan. Conway, the 34th commandant of the Marine Corps, spent the holidays with Marines from 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, and Combat Logistics Battalion 3, the ground combat and logistics combat elements of Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force-Afghanistan. SPMAGTF-A has been in Afghanistan since early November, with the mission of conducting counterinsurgency operations, and training and mentoring the Afghan national police.