General Pete Pace Receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom

On the day he left his post as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Peter Pace (USMC) went down the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and left three sets of his four General’s stars on index cards with notes to each of the three men who died in the platoon he led in Vietnam.
“These are yours- not mine!” Pace wrote.

President George W. Bush places the Medal of Freedom on retired U.S. Marine Corps General Peter Pace, former chairman of the Joint chiefs of Staff, during a ceremony at the White House in Washington June 19, 2008

“One of my great privileges as the President has been to meet so many outstanding Americans who volunteer to serve our nation in uniform. I’ve been inspired by their valor, selflessness, and complete integrity. I found all those qualities in abundance in General Peter Pace. As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Pete Pace was a skilled and trusted advisor in a time of war. He helped transform our military into a more efficient and effective force in America’s defense.
General Pace experienced the blessings America offers at an early age. He was born in Brooklyn to an Italian immigrant father who sometimes worked two or three jobs at a time to make ends meet. He was raised by a mom who instilled in him the sustaining power of faith. Together his parents raised four children who each went on to great achievements in their chosen fields. That childhood gave young Pete Pace an early glimpse of what he would later call “the incredible benefits that our nation bestows on those who come to our shores.”
Pete Pace attended the Naval Academy, and as a young Marine soon found his way to Vietnam. The age of 22, he took command of a platoon engaged in heavy fighting against the enemy during the Tet offensive. Pete quickly won the respect and the trust of his unit and formed a bond with all those who served with him. That bond only strengthened throughout his military career.
He was the first Marine to serve as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. And he performed his duties with a keen intellect, a sharp wit, and a passionate devotion to our country. He won the admiration of all who knew him. And that includes a soldier in Afghanistan who came up to General Pace last year during his farewell visit to that country, and said simply: “Sir, thanks for your service. We’ll take it from here.”
On his final day in uniform, General Pace took a quiet journey to the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial. He searched the names engraved in the sleek granite, and then found a spot where he placed his four stars that had adorned his uniform. Along with those stars he attached notes addressed to the men who died under his first command some four decades ago. The notes said: “These are yours — not mine. With love and respect, your platoon leader, Pete Pace.” General Pace ended his military career the same way that he began it — with love for his country and devotion to his fellow Marines.
For his selfless service to his country, and for always putting the interests of our men and women in uniform first, I am proud to award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to General Pete Pace.”

Wild Thing’s comment……..
Thank you Gen. Pace and God bless you!
Last year, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid declared Pace, a four-star Marine general with 48 military decorations on his chest, to be “incompetent.” What incredible effrontery. Reid-who never wore the uniform-could have said he didn’t agree with Pace’s decisions or with the politically unpopular war in Iraq. He could have said he disliked the way Pace executed his responsibilities in advising the President. But incompetent? This kind of public disparagement of a military hero is disgraceful.