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FORT MYER
,
Va.
,
Oct. 1, 2007
- Reasoned discourse allows American democracy
to grow and flourish, but some people seem more
intent on spewing personal venom than in finding
solutions, Marine Gen. Peter Pace said here
today as he retired from the Marine Corps after
more than 40 years of service.
Pace spoke at an
armed forces hail and farewell ceremony as he
turned the chairmanship of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff over to Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen.
The
United States
is well-served by divergent views and discussion
that grows from those views. But the discussion
must be civil and in a way "that allows
people to argue on the merits of what they
believe and to understand that what they believe
is part of the answer," Pace said.
Americans must have the willingness to cooperate
to find the right answers for challenging times,
he said. "What worries me is that in some
instances right now we have individuals who are
more interested in making somebody else look bad
than they are in finding the right
solution," Pace said. "They are more
interested in letting their personal venom come
forward instead of talking about how do we get
from where we are to where we need to be."
Americans have the right to object and to be
heard, Pace said.
U.S.
servicemembers fighting in many corners of the
world do so to guarantee their fellow countrymen
those rights. "I can hear voices right now
of folks out in the street who are exercising
their right of free speech in this democracy to
say what they want to say," Pace said.
"And I take pride in knowing that the men
and women on the parade deck in front of us are
going to ensure that they continue to have that
opportunity."
The dialogue on the war on terror is not about
voting the country out of the war. "We have
an enemy who has declared war on us. We are in a
war," Pace said. "They want to stop us
from living the way we want to live our lives.
"So the dialogue is not about are we in a
war, but how and where and when to best fight
that war to preserve our freedom and to preserve
our way of life."
The
United States
will prevail in the war on terror, "there's
no doubt about that," he said.
Pace recounted impressions he has had in his
travels during his last 40 days as chairman,
including a visit to the 4th Marine Division
reunion. The Marine Corps activated the division
in World War II and deactivated it in 1945. In
60 days of combat in the Pacific, the division
fought at
Guam
,
Saipan
and
Iwo Jima
and suffered more than 18,000 casualties.
"They were decommissioned in November 1945,
(which) happens to be the month I was
born," Pace said. "Through an accident
of birth, I was born in the
United States of America
. Through the incredible valor of the members of
that Marine division and so many other Marine,
Army and Air Force and Coast Guard and Navy
units across the globe that fought during World
War II, through their valor, I was born
free."
In talking about going to his last NATO meeting,
Pace said he sat in the conference room and
looked at the 26 flags and nameplates on the
table, many from countries once in the Warsaw
Pact -- countries like Estonia, Latvia,
Lithuania, Slovenia, Romania, Hungary, Poland.
"And I thought to myself, how wonderful
that we have NATO as an alliance, how sad that
the newest countries had to crave for their
freedom for so long, and how instructive that
those who have most recently joined that table
of freedom are the most energetic in trying to
share that freedom with those around the globe
who do not yet have it," he said.
He also spoke of seeing a screening of "The
Kite Runner," the movie based on Khaled
Hosseini's best-selling novel about
Afghanistan
. "If we ever forget what it is that we're
fighting against, just go see that movie,"
Pace said. "It will strengthen in you the
understanding of the true nature of those who
seek to dominate us."
The general recalled he and his wife, Lynne,
visiting with families of the fallen. He said he
couldn't ease their pain, "but I hope that
in commemorating the lives of the fallen and in
the way that we spend the rest of our lives,
that we will pay respect to their sacrifice in a
way that will give meaning to all that they
fought for," he said.
Pace recalled a recent visit to Marines of
Company G, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, on duty
in
Karmah
,
Iraq
. It was the unit that 2nd Lt. Pace joined at
the height of the Tet Offensive in
Vietnam
in 1968. Yesterday evening, the general had a
reunion with men he had served with in that
unit.
"It was a wonderful bookend for me to have
seen those Marines in that platoon about two
weeks ago and then last night at my house seeing
the Marines from my platoon from
Vietnam
," Pace said. "Now, if you saw the
guys from my platoon in
Vietnam
right now, you might think that they are
middle-aged, sometimes a little bit overweight
men.
"When I look at them, I see heroes, men who
answered the call as those who serve today
answer the call," he added.
Pace said that when he travels he hears the same
question from American servicemembers: Do the
American people still support us? "In the
last 40 days, I've been with organizations like
the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation that
takes care of the children of the deceased; the
Sentinels of Freedom, who help those who are
severely wounded assimilate into productive
lives in our community; the USO, that after
decades has provided entertainment and has been
a home to the troops overseas," he said.
"The answer is a resounding yes, the
American people, no matter what they believe
about the ongoing conflict, believe in their
troops."
He also talked about two other destinations he's
visited in the past 40 days. The first was
Chaminade
High School
in
Mineola
,
N.Y.
, where he spoke to 1,700 young men who were
"clear-eyed, smart, sharp, looking forward
to taking over leadership positions in our
country."
The second was a family wedding. "What
struck me ... was that the clear expectation of
everybody in the wedding party was one of great
hope and optimism for the couple that was
getting married, for the possibility of them
having children, and the belief that this
country would provide to them and their children
and their grandchildren the same liberties and
freedoms that we have enjoyed," he said.
"I could not help think about what an
incredible country where weddings and other
ceremonies like that reflect on the pure
optimism that rightly so pervades our
nation."
Being able to participate in the processes of
government – such as news conferences and
testimony before Congress -- are privileges,
Pace said. "I would be less than honest if
I told you I looked forward to either one of
those," he said. "They are not fun.
But it is a privilege; it has been a privilege
to participate as an American citizen, to know
that the senior military leadership of the
country gets called in front of the Congress of
the
United States
to answer is an important part, a fundamental
part of our freedom.
"There is no country in the world that is
free that does not have a free press; said
differently, you cannot be free unless you have
a free press," he continued. "So the
fact that sometimes questions are tough is tough
because it's right for a democracy."
The general said he is sad to leave, not because
he will miss the perks of being chairman,
"I simply will miss putting on this
uniform, going to work each day and trying to do
the right thing for Pfc. Pace, wherever he or
she may be serving," he said. "And I
will miss being able to walk out and hug them
and tell them I love them."
Pace said he owes a debt to Marines who died
following his orders. "I made a promise
about 38 years ago to that I would serve this
country in whatever capacity I could for as long
as I could and try to do it in a way that would
pay respect to the sacrifice that they made
following Second Lieutenant Peter Pace in
combat," he said. "I am still in debt,
but I leave today knowing that I have tried to
fulfill that promise and in doing so have been
led on an incredible journey."
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