DONNA – The primary advisor to the president on defense and head of the military made a visit to the Rio Grande Valley on Wednesday.

The Donna base camp was busy as many gathered to observe the soldiers and to get a chance to meet Secretary of Defense James Mattis.

"You know what your mission is here. You had to deploy on short notice in non-traditional location and do your jobs. You focus on doing that,” says Mattis.

Soldiers tell CHANNEL 5 NEWS he made this visit to check the conditions of the camps.  

KRGV’s Angelo Vargas spoke with two veterans who are thankful for what he’s doing.

Watch the video above for the full story.