Peter Pace

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General Peter Pace

Peter Pace (born November 5, 1945 in Brooklyn , New York ) is a former general in the United States Marine Corps and last served from October 1, 2005 to October 1, 2007 as the 16th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , making him the most senior US Armed Forces soldier . He was the first officer in the Marines to hold this post. On June 8, 2007 it was announced that Pace was not - as usual - nominated for a further two-year term as chairman.

Military career

Origin and education

General Pace, 2005.

Pace grew up in Teaneck , New Jersey, and received after graduating from the US Naval Academy in Annapolis (Maryland) , 1967 the officer license as a second lieutenant . He later earned a Masters in Business Administration from George Washington University and completed Harvard University's National and International Security program for senior executives. In 1992 he graduated from the Georgetown Leadership Seminar at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University .

Pace's father was an immigrant from Italy . Pace is married with two children: a daughter and a son, who is also an officer in the US Marine Corps.

Service in the Vietnam War

After completing basic training at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia in 1968 , he was transferred to the 2nd Battalion , 5th Marine Regiment of the 1st Marine Division and served in the Vietnam War until 1969, first as platoon leader and later as deputy operations officer.

After returning from Vietnam in March 1969, he was transferred to the Marine Barracks Washington , where he served as the head of the staff of the Marine Corps Institute, as a platoon leader in the guard company, as a leader of the security train in Camp David , the country residence of the US President , and as a platoon leader in a protocol company. He was promoted to captain in April 1971 and completed the advanced infantry officer course at Fort Benning , Georgia in September of that year . From October 1972 he completed his second assignment abroad. He was transferred to the security department of Marine Aircraft Group 15 of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing at Royal Thai Air Base Nam Phong in Thailand , where he served as an operations officer and later as first officer .

Back in the United States , he joined the Marine Corps in October 1973, where he worked as an assistant observer. Three years later, in October 1976, he was again transferred to Camp Pendleton in California to the 1st Marine Division. Here he served as Operations Officer ( S3 ) of the 2nd Battalion of the 5th Marine Infantry Regiment, as First Officer of the 3rd Battalion of the same regiment and later on the division's staff . He was promoted to the rank of major on November 1, 1977 and went to Marine Corps Command and Staff College in August 1979 to study there.

After graduating from Command and Staff College , he was appointed Commanding Officer of the Recruiting Office in Buffalo , New York , in June 1980 . In this role he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in October 1982 . In June 1983 he was reassigned to Camp Pendleton and took command of the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Marine Regiment. Then in June 1985 he got the chance to attend the National War College in Washington, DC . After graduating in June 1986, he was transferred back abroad. This time to the Combined Staff in Seoul , South Korea . Here he was in command of the entire ground forces until he became the first officer of the assistant chief of staff (G3) of the combined command of the UN / United States Forces Korea / 8th US Army in the Yongsan Army Garrison in April 1987 .

In August 1988, Pace returned to the United States, was promoted to colonel in October , and was given command of the Marine Barracks Washington . In August 1991, he became Chief of Staff of the 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune , North Carolina .

Staff service

Pace as Brigadier General, 1992.

He was promoted to assistant division commander in February 1992 and Brigadier General on April 6 . On July 13, he was named President of Marine Corps University and Commanding General of the Schools of the US Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Quantico, Virginia. In this capacity he also served as Deputy Commander of the Marine Force of the UNITAF operation in Somalia from December 1992 to February 1993 ( Operation Restore Hope ) and as Deputy Commander of the Joint Task Force-Somalia from October 1993 to March 1994.

On June 21, 1994, Pace was promoted to major general and served as chief of staff and deputy commander of the United States Forces Japan . He was then promoted to Lieutenant General on August 5, 1996 , and served as Director of Operations (J-3) in the Joint Staff of the US Forces.

From November 23, 1997 to 2000, Pace served as Commander of the US Marine Corps Forces Atlantic / Europe / South. On September 8, 2000, he was promoted to general and took command of the US Southern Command . A year later, on September 30, 2001, he was named Vice-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by Donald Rumsfeld . He then gave this post on August 12, 2005 to Admiral Edmund P. Giambastiani .

On April 22, 2005, US President George W. Bush nominated Pace to succeed General Richard B. Myers as chairman. Then Pace said: “This is an indescribable moment for me. It's intoxicating and sobering at the same time. It's exhilarating because if I am approved by the Senate , I have the opportunity to continue serving this great nation. It's sobering because I know that there are enormous challenges ahead of me. "

On June 29, 2005, Pace appeared before the Armed Services Committee of the US Senate , which examined his nomination and confirmed it on October 1.

Public views on homosexuality

Speaking to the Chicago Tribune on March 12, 2007, Pace argued that "homosexual acts" were "immoral" and that the military should not condone it by allowing gay soldiers to serve openly as others would Would favor immorality. Pace advocated that such behavior should be militarily disciplined, as it was analogous to a soldier having an adulterous affair with another soldier's spouse. In the same conversation, however, Pace said that he supports the “ don't ask, don't tell ” policy of the Pentagon , according to which since the Clinton era it has been permissible for lesbians and gays to serve in the military while they are theirs Conceal sexual orientation .

The statements met with harsh criticism, in particular from the service member Legal Defense Network (SLDN), which campaigns for the rights of homosexuals in the US armed forces. Pace refused to apologize for what he said, but made it clear that what he said was his own personal opinion and that he would only support the policies codified in the law. The US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates , who also supported the current law, did not criticize Pace for his further comments. The “ don't ask, don't tell ” rule was lifted in September 2011.

No extension of term as chairman of the Joint Chiefs

General Petraeus , Secretary of Defense Gates , Maj. Gen. Gaskin , Admiral Fallon , Lt. Gen. Odierno and General Pace, 2007.

On June 8, 2007, US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates nominated Adm. Michael G. Mullen as the new chairman of the Joint Chiefs , fearing that he would not get a majority for an extension of Pace's term in the US Senate. After the Democrats , who had positioned themselves as opponents of the Iraq war in the election campaign, emerged with a majority in the US congressional elections in 2006 , the difficulties of the nomination process for another two-year term for Pace were led on the one hand to Pace's public views on homosexuals in the United States US armed forces and, on the other hand, that he was the presidential top military advisor in an out-of-control war that may have misled the public about the full extent. From the point of view of the Pentagon or the ruling Republicans , a confirmation procedure before the US Senate committee would probably drift into a high-profile representation of the various political positions of the parties on the Iraq war, which is thus prevented.

On October 1, 2007, Pace passed the post to Mullen and retired. Half a month later, US Secretary of Defense Gates announced that he would appoint Pace to the Defense Policy Board Advisory Committee of the United States Department of Defense . This is a United States Defense Policy Advisory Committee that includes a number of former generals, admirals, and civil servants, including former secretaries of defense.

Awards

Excerpt, sorted according to the Order of Precedence of the Military Awards

supporting documents

  1. ↑ New York Times (English) 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.
  2. ^ Page of the Armed Service Committee ( Memento from August 25, 2005 in the Internet Archive )
  3. ↑ Top general calls homosexuality 'immoral' , (CBS News of March 13, 2007; English) I believe homosexual acts between two individuals are immoral and that we 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.
  4. ↑ Chicago Tribune (March 12, 2007): As an individual, I would not want (acceptance of gay behavior) to be our policy, just like I would not want it to be our policy that if we were to find out that so -and-so was sleeping with somebody else's wife, that we would just look the other way, which we do not. We prosecute that kind of immoral behavior,
  5. ↑ queer: US military: Pace under pressure
  6. ↑ CNN report
  7. ↑ defenselink.mil (March 13, 2007; English)
  8. ↑ Defense Leaders Express Support for 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Policy (Defenselink.mil, March 13, 2007; English)
  9. ↑ nbcnews.com: Obama certifies end of military's gay ban
  10. ↑ Senate leader criticizes Pace, Petraeus ( Memento of September 30, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (MarineCorpsTimes.com of June 15, 2007; English)
  11. ↑ Chief of Staff Pace has to go, Tagesspiegel of June 9, 2007
  12. ↑ DoD Announces New Defense Policy Board Members (DefenseLink.mil, October 17, 2007; English)

Web links

Commons : Peter Pace  - album with pictures, videos and audio files
personal data
SURNAME Pace, Peter
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American military, chief of staff of the US armed forces
DATE OF BIRTH November 5, 1945
PLACE OF BIRTH Brooklyn , New York