--- title: "Marine Corps Commandant hospitalized with ‘medical emergency’" description: "The head of the Marine Corps is in the hospital after a \"medical emergency\" Sunday. A three-star general is the acting commandant." date: "2023-10-30" modified: "2023-10-30" authors: - name: "Patty Nieberg" job_title: "Senior Reporter" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/patty-nieberg/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/marine-corps-commandant-hospitalized/" categories: - "Marine Corps" - "Military Branches" - "News" tags: - "hospitalized" --- # Marine Corps Commandant hospitalized with ‘medical emergency’ ![Marine corps commandant]() *Gen. Eric Smith, commandant of the Marine Corps, was hospitalized on Sunday with a medical emergency. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)* The head of the Marine Corps is in the hospital after a medical emergency, according to the service. Gen. Eric M. Smith, the Marine Corps Commandant had a medical emergency on Sunday evening. https://twitter.com/USMC/status/1719076299518730390 Lt. Gen. Karsten Heckl, Deputy Commandant for Combat Development and Integration and commanding general of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command, is serving as acting Commandant. Heckl was elevated to the temporary role as the next-senior officer assigned to Marine Corps headquarters. Smith’s ascension to the role of Commandant was at the center of a political fight in the Senate last month. Smith was [confirmed in late September]() when Senate leaders brought his name, along with two other pending service chiefs, to the floor of the body for confirmation, a move that skipped over an administrative hold on general officers put in place by Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.). [**Subscribe to Task & Purpose Today**]()**. Get the latest military news and culture in your inbox daily.** [Tuberville held up]() Smith and about 400 other general officers’ promotions in protest of the Defense Department’s health policy which covers the travel expenses of servicemembers who seek reproductive care including abortions when those procedures are banned in the state they are stationed. The Marine Corps did not offer additional details about Smith’s condition. Heckl, a career helicopter pilot, served combat tours in senior leadership positions in Iraq in 2008 and 2010. He’s also served as a requirements officer, J3 Director of Operations for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Marine Aide to the Secretary of the Navy, Assistant Deputy Commandant for Aviation, and U.S. naval support for NATO. ***The latest on Task & Purpose*** - **Marines investigating video in which man claims** [**body buried at Camp Lejeune**]() - **The** [**best MRE**]() **of the War on Terror, according to combat veterans** - **19 US troops have** [**Traumatic Brain Injury**]() **after drone attacks in Iraq and Syria** - [**US expects Iran**]() **to continue to escalate Israel/Hamas war** - **Fort Liberty special operations soldiers** [**arrested for drug possession**]() ## Author Patty is a senior reporter for Task & Purpose. She's reported on the military for six years, embedding with the National Guard during a hurricane and covering Guantanamo Bay legal proceedings for an alleged al Qaeda commander. Her previous bylines can be found at the *Associated Press*, *Bloomberg Government*, *Washington Post*, *The New York Times*, and *ABC*. You can reach Patty by email at [Patty.Nieberg@taskandpurpose.com](). ### Author social links [Twitter]() [LinkedIn]()