The top officer in the Marine Corps and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Eric Smith, was hospitalized Sunday after what Corps officials called a “health emergency,” the Washington Post reports. Smith has been the Marine commandant since being confirmed in September.
Smith had been nominated in May, but his Senate confirmation was held up by Republican Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville, so since July, when Smith’s predecessor retired, Smith has had to handle the responsibilities of the commandant and Smith’s previous position, vice-commandant, another position that has not been filled because of Tuberville’s willingness to risk national security, and apparently, this man’s health.
Speaking on September 6th at the Defense News Conference in Arlington, Virginia, Smith said his schedule had left him exhausted. “Nobody should feel bad for me,” he responded to a reporter’s question about workload. “I make plenty of money, and nobody usually yells at me, so that’s good. But it is not a sustainable thing when the last thing you do is flip your computer off at 11:30 at night and you’re getting up at 5 o’clock in the morning.”