PETER PACE

'Peter Pace' (b. November 5, 1945) is the current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the first U.S. Marine appointed to be America's highest-ranking military officer. Appointed by George W. Bush, Pace succeeded United States Air Force Gen. Richard Myers on September 30, 2005.
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced on June 8, 2007 that he would advise the President not to renominate Pace for a second term, so Pace is expected to step down on September 30, 2007. The President nominated Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michael Mullen as Pace's replacement. Gen. Pace to Step Down as Chairman of Joint Chiefs ^[1]

Contents

Personal background

Military career

1968-1979

1980-1988

1990s

2000s; Joint Chiefs of Staff

Expected retirement

Dates of rank

Military awards

Other awards

Quotations

See also

References

Footnotes

Sources

Personal background

Pace was born in Brooklyn, New York to Italian-American parents, and raised in Teaneck, New Jersey. He received his commission in June 1967, following graduation from the United States Naval Academy. He also holds a Master's Degree in Business Administration from George Washington University. He is married and has a son, Peter, and a daughter, Tiffany. Peter Pace Jr. is currently serving as a Captain in the Marine Corps Reserve. Pace is Roman Catholic.^[2]

Military career

1968-1979

Upon completion of the Basic School, MCB Quantico, Virginia, in 1968, Pace was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division in the Republic of Vietnam, serving first as a Rifle Platoon Leader and subsequently as Assistant Operations Officer.
Returning from overseas in March 1969, he reported to Marine Barracks, Washington, D.C.. During this tour, he served as Head, Infantry Writer Unit, Marine Corps Institute; Platoon Leader, Guard Company; Security Detachment Commander, Camp David; White House Social Aide; and Platoon Leader, Special Ceremonial Platoon. He was promoted to Captain in April 1971. In September 1971, Pace attended the Infantry Officers' Advanced Course at Fort Benning, Georgia. Returning overseas in October 1972, he was assigned to the Security Element, Marine Aircraft Group 15, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, Namphong, Thailand, where he served as Operations Officer and then Executive Officer.
In October 1973, he was assigned to Headquarters Marine Corps, Washington, D.C., for duty as the Assistant Majors' Monitor. During October 1976, he reported to the 1st Marine Division, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, where he served as Operations Officer, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines; Executive Officer, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines; and Division Staff Secretary. He was promoted to Major on November 1, 1977. In August 1979, he reported to the Marine Corps Command and Staff College as a student.

1980-1988

Upon completion of school in June 1980, he was assigned duty as Commanding Officer, Marine Corps Recruiting Station, Buffalo, New York. While in this assignment, he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in October 1982. Reassigned to the 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, Pace served from June 1983 until June 1985 as Commanding Officer, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines. In June 1985, he was selected to attend the National War College in Washington, D.C.
After graduation the following June, he was assigned to the Combined/Joint Staff in Seoul, South Korea. He served as Chief, Ground Forces Branch until April 1987, when he became Executive Officer to the Assistant Chief of Staff, C/J/G3, United Nations Command/Combined Forces Command/United States Forces Korea/Eighth United States Army. Pace returned to Marine Barracks in Washington, D.C. in August 1988 for duty as Commanding Officer. He was promoted to Colonel in October 1988.

1990s

In August 1991, he was assigned duty as Chief of Staff, 2nd Marine Division, Camp Lejeune. During February 1992, he was assigned duty as Assistant Division Commander. He was advanced to Brigadier General on April 6, 1992, and was assigned as President of the Marine Corps University and Commanding General of Marine Corps Schools at the Marine Corps Combat Development Command, Quantico, Virginia, on July 13, 1992. While serving in this capacity, he also served as Deputy Commander, Marine Forces, Somalia, from December 1992 to February 1993, and as the Deputy Commander, Joint Task Force - Somalia from October 1993 to March 1994. Pace was advanced to Major General on June 21, 1994, and was assigned as the Deputy Commander/Chief of Staff, U.S. Forces, Japan. He was promoted to Lieutenant General and assigned as the Director for Operations (J-3), Joint Staff, Washington, D.C., on August 5, 1996.
Pace served as the Commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Atlantic/Europe/South from November 23, 1997 to September 8, 2000.

2000s; Joint Chiefs of Staff

He was promoted to General and assumed duties as the Commander in Chief, United States Southern Command on September 8, 2000 until September 30, 2001, when he was appointed Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. On August 12, 2005, he was succeeded as Vice Chairman by Admiral Edmund P. Giambastiani.

On April 22, 2005, at a White House press conference, President George W. Bush nominated Peter Pace to be the next Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The previous Chairman, Richard Myers, retired from the position on September 30, 2005.
On his nomination, Pace said, "This is an incredible moment for me. It is both exhilarating and humbling. It's exhilarating because I have the opportunity, if confirmed by the Senate, to continue to serve this great nation. It's humbling because I know the challenges ahead are formidable." ^[3]
On June 29, 2005, Gen. Pace appeared before the Armed Services Committee for consideration of his nomination Hearing Schedule and was later confirmed by the Senate. On September 30, 2005, General Peter Pace was sworn in as the 16th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

On November 29, 2005, Gen. Pace was present at a press conference given by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, where Rumsfeld said that "the United States does not have a responsibility" to prevent torture by Iraqi officials. Pace disagreed with Rumsfeld, saying "It is the absolute responsibility of every U.S. service member, if they see inhumane treatment being conducted, to intervene, to stop it". ^[4]
News Transcript:News Briefing with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Gen. Peter Pace
After White House officials asserted that Iran was supplying insurgents in Iraq with munitions, Gen. Pace questioned the validity of the claim in a February 2007 press conference. Specifically, Gen. Pace questioned the existence of direct evidence linking the Iranian Government to the supply of the weapons, explosively-formed penetrators. Top general casts doubt on Tehran's link to Iraq militias
In a March 12, 2007 discussion with editors of the ''Chicago Tribune'', Gen. Pace said, "I believe homosexual acts between two individuals are immoral and that [the U.S. military] should not condone immoral acts...I do not believe the United States is well served by a policy that says it is okay to be immoral in any way...As an individual, I would not want [acceptance of gay behavior] to be our policy." In the same discussion, however, Pace also said that he supports the "don't ask, don't tell" policy of The Pentagon, in which gay men and women are allowed in the military as long as they keep their sexual orientation secret.
^[5] On March 13, 2007, Pace released a statement reading, "In expressing my support for the current policy, I also offered some personal opinions about moral conduct. I should have focused more on my support of the policy and less on my personal moral views."^[6]

Expected retirement

On June 8, 2007, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced that he would advise the President not to renominate General Pace because of concerns about contentious confirmation hearings in the Democratic-controlled Congress. The President nominated the current Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michael Mullen to replace Pace. Gen. Pace to Step Down as Chairman of Joint Chiefs Gen. Pace out as Joint Chiefs chairman Pace Ousted as Joint Chiefs Chairman in Bid to Avert Senate Battle

Dates of rank

★ Second Lieutenant: 1967 – 1969

★ First Lieutenant: 1969 – April 1971

★ Captain: April 1971 – November 1977

★ Major: November 1977 – October 1982

★ Lieutenant Colonel: October 1982 – October 1988

★ Colonel: October 1988 – April 6 1992

★ Brigadier General: April 6 1992 – June 21 1994

★ Major General: June 21 1994 – August 5 1996

★ Lieutenant General: August 5 1996 – September 8 2000

★ General: September 8 2000

Military awards

Gen. Pace's personal decorations include:

★ Defense Distinguished Service Medal with two bronze oak leaf clusters (3 awards)

★ Defense Superior Service Medal

★ Legion of Merit

★ Bronze Star Medal with Valor device

★ Defense Meritorious Service Medal

★ Meritorious Service Medal with gold award star (2 awards)

★ Navy Commendation Medal with Valor device

★ Navy Achievement Medal with gold award star (2 awards)

★ Combat Action Ribbon

★ Navy Presidential Unit Citation with bronze service star (2 awards)

★ Joint Meritorious Unit Commendation with three bronze oak leaf clusters (4 awards)

★ Navy Unit Commendation with bronze service star (2 awards)

★ Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation with three bronze service stars (4 awards)

★ National Defense Service Medal with two bronze service stars (3 awards)

★ Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with two bronze service stars (3 awards)

★ Vietnam Service Medal with silver and bronze service stars

★ Global War on Terrorism Service Medal

★ Korea Defense Service Medal

★ Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with two bronze service stars (3 awards)

★ Overseas Service Ribbon with three bronze service stars (4 awards)

★ Recruiting Service Ribbon
Military badges include:

★ Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge

★ Parachutist Badge

★ Expert Rifle Shot Badge

★ Expert Pistol Shot Badge
Foreign decorations include:

★ Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation with Palm

★ Republic of Vietnam Civil Actions Unit Citation with Palm

★ Order of the Sacred Treasures of Japan

★ United Nations Medal with bronze service star

★ Vietnam Campaign Medal with 1960 date bar

★ Korean Tongil Medal, the highest award South Korea presents to foreign officers^[7]

Other awards

During the 2006 Congressional Medal of Honor Society meeting, Gen. Pace was awarded the Society's ''Patriot Award'', which is presented annually to a "distinguished American who has exemplified the ideals that make this country strong. Their dedication to freedom, their love for fellow man, their allegiance to our flag and a full understanding of its demands, accepted without reservation".^[8]

Quotations

★ "Only if the Shi'ites and Sunnis love their children more than they hate each other." Gen Pace made this statement to the Senate Armed Services Committee when the question was asked if civil war in Iraq could be averted. Editorial:The generals' worry Note that this is a rephrased version of a quote usually attributed to Golda Meir, referring to the wars between Israel and the Arab countries - "Peace will come when the Arabs will love their children more than they hate us".

★ On the leadership of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld: "He leads in a way that the good Lord tells him is best for our country". ''Yahoo News'', October 19, 2006. Top General: Rumsfeld 'Leads In A Way That The Good Lord Tells Him'

See also

★ List of United States Marine Corps four-star generals

References

Footnotes

1. http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/06/20070628-1.html
2.
3.
4. Rumsfeld's War On 'Insurgents'
5. Top general calls homosexuality 'immoral'
6. A Statement From Gen. Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
7. http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2007/08/113_8470.html
8. Congressional Medal of Honor Society Awards, 2006 Boston Convention

Sources

:''This article incorporates text in the public domain from the Joint Chiefs of Staff.''

★ Biography General Peter Pace

★ US general defends phosphorus use Peter Pace December 13, 2005 statement concerning the use of White phosphorus in Iraq.