By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 19, 2007 - Psychological wounds are just as devastating to servicemembers and families as physical wounds, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said after meeting with servicemembers and veterans undergoing treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder at Tripler Army Medical Center here yesterday. When Marine Gen. Peter Pace met with men undergoing treatment at the Department of Veterans Affairs PTSD Residential Recovery Program, he asked them where and when they had been wounded.
Some of the men were on the verge of saying they weren't wounded, but the chairman continued. "I use that term specifically to include you," he said. "Because it doesn't matter if it was psychological or physical, you were wounded in service to your country, and we need to do all we can to make you better."
The VA administers the program at Tripler.
"The program has done a lot for me and my family," said a Marine veteran of the second battle for Fallujah. "I didn't believe there was anything wrong with me when I came back to Kaneohe Bay. By the time I did, I didn't want to do anything because of the stigma attached."
The young man got out of the Marine Corps, but had serious problems adjusting and coping with the memories of Iraq. He first learned about getting help at the Veterans Center at Marine Base Kaneohe Bay.
Reserve component servicemembers also are part of the program. A soldier from Guam received physical and psychological wounds from his service in Iraq. He wants to get healthy, he said, so he can deploy with his unit when it goes again. "We're still warriors, sir," he told Pace.
The program has active duty servicemembers in it as well. One active duty soldier involved in the program went to Camp Zama, Japan, after a very tough tour in Baghdad. He spiraled in pretty fast, he said -- abusing alcohol and "messing up."
"I just didn't care any more," he told the chairman. "I had hit rock bottom, and I don't like to think about what could have happened."
He is still in the service. At Zama, his superiors referred him to the Army's substance abuse program, and that organization got him into the residential program. "I'm sober for eight months now, and I'm learning to handle things here," he said.
The soldier is in the minority. Usually, active duty servicemembers don't get diagnosed in time to remain in the service. Often, they abuse alcohol or drugs, and they have problems relating to family and friends. The trouble mounts, and they find themselves receiving Article 15 nonjudicial punishments or worse, and they often are discharged.
The behaviors that got them in trouble in civilian life after leaving the military often are the ones they relied on to survive combat. "These are skills the soldiers used in Baghdad to keep themselves alive," said Dr. Kenneth A. Hirsch, the director of the traumatic stress disorders program for the VA. "They learned how to turn off these feelings in order to survive. It's a coping mechanism."
Hirsch told Pace that junior leaders and noncommissioned officers – the ones closest to the fight and the troops – must be educated to recognize the signs of PTSD, and to get people help early enough so professionals can intervene.
Hirsch also said there needs to be a better screening process. Servicemembers fill out a questionnaire when their combat tours are over, but they don't want to say anything is wrong.
"No one wants to say that they may have a problem – it might delay the start of block leave," Hirsch said. "It also might affect the way others – superiors – regard them as somehow damaged goods."
After the meeting with the men, Pace said he was impressed with the treatment they're receiving. "I had met with individuals suffering with PTSD before, but this was the first time at a group session – where there was actually a program," he said in an interview.
Pace is concerned about the stigma that has been associated with psychological wounds. "It's important for senior leaders to make sure that folks understand that (PTSD or other psychological wounds are), for some people, a consequence of going to war," he said. "It's very much a wound that needs to heal just as a physical wound. Leaders need to be very comfortable in stepping forward or recommending subordinates to receive care."
Pace said it will take a collective dialogue of all levels in the military to understand that PTSD is a wound and needs care just as a soldier of Marine would need care for a chest wound.
The general is interested in following the work of a joint Defense Department-Veterans Affairs group looking at the "whole life" medical approach. The two agencies would share records of servicemembers from the time they enter service, though discharge and on.
"I want to make sure I get some input into the DoD-VA group that's looking at the situation," he said. "Mental health needs to be part of the full spectrum of medical health care to make sure we develop the necessary screening tools.
"We screen for cancer and all kinds of diseases," he continued. "We need to develop the mechanisms to screen for mental health conditions in a way that becomes routine as an X-ray or a blood test."
The Army and Marine Corps – the services most affected by PTSD – are developing systems to educate the troops and their families about the symptoms of the disorder. They need to know what to watch for in themselves, their buddies or their spouses.
At the end of the meeting, Pace and the men drank a toast with a typical Hawaiin concoction that contained pineapple juice and iced tea. He raised the paper cup to the men and said, "To your health."
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Pace Discusses Chinese Military During Japan Troop Visit
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 19, 2007 - U.S. leaders continually assess China's military capacity, but don't believe the Chinese intend to harm to the United States, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here Aug. 16. "This does not mean that we go to sleep," said Marine Gen. Peter Pace during a town hall meeting.
Pace told servicemembers he judges capabilities and intentions on facts. "Fact No. 1 is for any country, anywhere on the globe, a threat must have two things: capacity and intent," he said.
The capacity of the Chinese military is growing and has been growing for the past decade. Despite this growth, "I have not seen any indications that their intent is to use any of that capacity against us," Pace said.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff keep an eye on developments in China and around the world. The successful Chinese anti-satellite test conducted in January is of concern militarily, the chairman said. The United States depends on the high ground of space for much of its military advantage. U.S. military officials are thinking about how to counter that Chinese capability, he said.
"How do we counter that?" he asked. "What ways do we have to solve the problem should one of our satellites one day be knocked out of space?"
Even with a Chinese military build-up, their capabilities don't match those of the United States, the general said.
"If you look at Chinese military power and you look at ours, you get pretty comfortable, pretty quickly," he said. "Chinese capacity is increasing, our capacity is increasing, and the overall delta between their capacity and ours remains huge in our favor."
Pace urged the audience to look at the United States military through Chinese eyes. "You would see a nation that has enormous, overwhelming capacity to deliver pain," he said. "Therefore, you probably would not want to get into a conventional fight with the United States."
Trade with China is a steadying influence in the relationship between the two countries, Pace said. "The more trade there is between countries, the less likelihood there will be conflict between those countries," he said. "This is because as each country becomes more dependent on the resources of another, as one nation becomes more dependent on the health of another, it makes less and less sense for those two nations to enter a suicide pact by fighting each other."
He said he is an optimist about the relationship with China, a country he last visited in March. "As the Chinese government works to provide resources and a better quality of life for 1.3 billion people, the opportunities there for the entire globe to have a higher standard of living are enormous," Pace said.
The United States and its allies must pay attention to the friction points with China that could create tensions and make Chinese leaders willing to give up the benefits of trade for war, the chairman said.
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 19, 2007 - U.S. leaders continually assess China's military capacity, but don't believe the Chinese intend to harm to the United States, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here Aug. 16. "This does not mean that we go to sleep," said Marine Gen. Peter Pace during a town hall meeting.
Pace told servicemembers he judges capabilities and intentions on facts. "Fact No. 1 is for any country, anywhere on the globe, a threat must have two things: capacity and intent," he said.
The capacity of the Chinese military is growing and has been growing for the past decade. Despite this growth, "I have not seen any indications that their intent is to use any of that capacity against us," Pace said.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff keep an eye on developments in China and around the world. The successful Chinese anti-satellite test conducted in January is of concern militarily, the chairman said. The United States depends on the high ground of space for much of its military advantage. U.S. military officials are thinking about how to counter that Chinese capability, he said.
"How do we counter that?" he asked. "What ways do we have to solve the problem should one of our satellites one day be knocked out of space?"
Even with a Chinese military build-up, their capabilities don't match those of the United States, the general said.
"If you look at Chinese military power and you look at ours, you get pretty comfortable, pretty quickly," he said. "Chinese capacity is increasing, our capacity is increasing, and the overall delta between their capacity and ours remains huge in our favor."
Pace urged the audience to look at the United States military through Chinese eyes. "You would see a nation that has enormous, overwhelming capacity to deliver pain," he said. "Therefore, you probably would not want to get into a conventional fight with the United States."
Trade with China is a steadying influence in the relationship between the two countries, Pace said. "The more trade there is between countries, the less likelihood there will be conflict between those countries," he said. "This is because as each country becomes more dependent on the resources of another, as one nation becomes more dependent on the health of another, it makes less and less sense for those two nations to enter a suicide pact by fighting each other."
He said he is an optimist about the relationship with China, a country he last visited in March. "As the Chinese government works to provide resources and a better quality of life for 1.3 billion people, the opportunities there for the entire globe to have a higher standard of living are enormous," Pace said.
The United States and its allies must pay attention to the friction points with China that could create tensions and make Chinese leaders willing to give up the benefits of trade for war, the chairman said.
Pace Explains War Dialogue in U.S. to Yokota Troops
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 19, 2007 - Congress will continue to fund U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan even while debating the merits of combat in various countries, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told servicemembers here Aug. 16. Marine Gen. Peter Pace assured servicemembers concerned about congressional funding for combat in Iraq and Afghanistan that Congress will continue to ensure that troops receive all the resources they need.
The military has been "funded by the Congress of the United States to do the job the nation sent us to do, even while the Congress debates whether or not they support that particular mission," Pace said.
Pace went beyond that in answering the question. "The question becomes what is the dialogue in the United States really about? Some folks believe it's about whether or not we're going to participate in this war," the general said. "That is not correct."
The United States had been in the war on terror well before Sept. 11, 2001, he said. Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations declared war on the United States and vowed to destroy the U.S. way of life. "On 9-11 we got a wake-up call that we were in a war," he said.
"We can have a dialogue right now, about Iraq for example, and we can decide whether we are going to fight in Iraq, but at the end of the day, leaving Iraq does not take you out of the war with terrorists," Pace said.
The terrorists get a vote, Pace said -- al Qaeda has a hundred-year plan. "As long as the other guy is trying to kill us and change our way of life, we are in a war, and we don't get the option of voting our way out of it," the chairman said. "The dialogue going on right now is not whether we are in a war or not. We are. It's about how are we going to fight this war. Where are we going to take our stand, and how are we going to take it?"
The chairman told the servicemembers that the discussion in Congress and in America at large is valuable to have. "But make no mistake about it," he said. "We are going to fight this war someplace, and we're going to have to prevail.
"There is no doubt in my mind that the American people, our Congress and everybody who loves our nation are going to prevail in the end," he continued. "The question is where are we going to fight, how are we going to fight and how do we determine as a nation that this threat is the threat we believe it to be?"
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 19, 2007 - Congress will continue to fund U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan even while debating the merits of combat in various countries, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told servicemembers here Aug. 16. Marine Gen. Peter Pace assured servicemembers concerned about congressional funding for combat in Iraq and Afghanistan that Congress will continue to ensure that troops receive all the resources they need.
The military has been "funded by the Congress of the United States to do the job the nation sent us to do, even while the Congress debates whether or not they support that particular mission," Pace said.
Pace went beyond that in answering the question. "The question becomes what is the dialogue in the United States really about? Some folks believe it's about whether or not we're going to participate in this war," the general said. "That is not correct."
The United States had been in the war on terror well before Sept. 11, 2001, he said. Al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations declared war on the United States and vowed to destroy the U.S. way of life. "On 9-11 we got a wake-up call that we were in a war," he said.
"We can have a dialogue right now, about Iraq for example, and we can decide whether we are going to fight in Iraq, but at the end of the day, leaving Iraq does not take you out of the war with terrorists," Pace said.
The terrorists get a vote, Pace said -- al Qaeda has a hundred-year plan. "As long as the other guy is trying to kill us and change our way of life, we are in a war, and we don't get the option of voting our way out of it," the chairman said. "The dialogue going on right now is not whether we are in a war or not. We are. It's about how are we going to fight this war. Where are we going to take our stand, and how are we going to take it?"
The chairman told the servicemembers that the discussion in Congress and in America at large is valuable to have. "But make no mistake about it," he said. "We are going to fight this war someplace, and we're going to have to prevail.
"There is no doubt in my mind that the American people, our Congress and everybody who loves our nation are going to prevail in the end," he continued. "The question is where are we going to fight, how are we going to fight and how do we determine as a nation that this threat is the threat we believe it to be?"
Quake Relief Task Force Treats 200 Patients in First Three Hours
By Senior Airman Shaun Emery, USAF
Special to American Forces Press Service
Aug. 19, 2007 - Medical personnel from Joint Task Force Bravo deployed here from Soto Cano Air Base in Honduras saw more than 200 patients during their first three hours of operation yesterday and expect to see many more in the next week. The medical team deployed from Soto Cano the morning of Aug. 17 to provide humanitarian relief following an Aug. 15 magnitude 8.0 earthquake. The team is scheduled to remain in Peru treating the displaced, hungry and sick for seven days.
In a small stadium in the middle of town, the medical personnel set up to provide basic medications and medical care.
The Soto Cano servicemembers brought a mobile surgical team to treat possible traumas, but the trauma cases have been few and far between.
"We saw a lot of respiratory illness and bruises the first day," said Air Force Tech. Sgt. Melissa Walker, an independent duty medical technician deployed to Soto Cano from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. "We thought we might see worse, but luckily these are the majority of cases we diagnosed."
Each day the team arrives with enough medicine to treat up to 350 people.
"We are trying to see as many people as possible each day," said Army Maj. (Dr.) Richard Malish, a flight surgeon from Soto Cano. "Right now, we haven't seen any traumas, so our goal is to get the people medicine for their aches and pains to make them more comfortable day to day."
(Air Force Senior Airman Shaun Emery is assigned to Joint Task Force-Bravo Public Affairs.)
Special to American Forces Press Service
Aug. 19, 2007 - Medical personnel from Joint Task Force Bravo deployed here from Soto Cano Air Base in Honduras saw more than 200 patients during their first three hours of operation yesterday and expect to see many more in the next week. The medical team deployed from Soto Cano the morning of Aug. 17 to provide humanitarian relief following an Aug. 15 magnitude 8.0 earthquake. The team is scheduled to remain in Peru treating the displaced, hungry and sick for seven days.
In a small stadium in the middle of town, the medical personnel set up to provide basic medications and medical care.
The Soto Cano servicemembers brought a mobile surgical team to treat possible traumas, but the trauma cases have been few and far between.
"We saw a lot of respiratory illness and bruises the first day," said Air Force Tech. Sgt. Melissa Walker, an independent duty medical technician deployed to Soto Cano from Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. "We thought we might see worse, but luckily these are the majority of cases we diagnosed."
Each day the team arrives with enough medicine to treat up to 350 people.
"We are trying to see as many people as possible each day," said Army Maj. (Dr.) Richard Malish, a flight surgeon from Soto Cano. "Right now, we haven't seen any traumas, so our goal is to get the people medicine for their aches and pains to make them more comfortable day to day."
(Air Force Senior Airman Shaun Emery is assigned to Joint Task Force-Bravo Public Affairs.)
NORTHCOM Supports Hurricane Dean Operations
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 19, 2007 - U.S. Northern Command officials are closely monitoring Hurricane Dean's progress and continue to respond to requests for Defense Department support in preparation for landfall. At 11 a.m. Eastern Time today, the Category 4 storm was heading toward the Caribbean island of Jamaica with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph. It's expected to make landfall on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula early Tuesday.
NORTHCOM has deployed the following personnel to support the federal response:
-- The Region X defense coordinating officer and six-person defense coordinating element has deployed to Louisiana at the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
-- The Region VI DCO and six-person DCE deployed to Texas at FEMA's request prior to landfall of Tropical Storm Erin remains on-site.
-- A 17-person team from Standing Joint Forces Headquarters North is deployed to Texas to support the Region VI DCO and Army North.
-- An eight-person global patient management team from U.S. Transportation Command will help coordinate aeromedical evacuation efforts, if needed.
-- A joint interagency air-ground coordination team from Air Force Northern deployed at FEMA's request to assist FEMA and the Texas Emergency Operations Center and to help with aeromedical evacuation and search and rescue efforts, if needed.
-- The Region II DCO and DCE deployed to the Caribbean on Aug. 15, where they are supporting an advance FEMA emergency response team in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Should active-duty forces be requested to respond, the regional DCOs will provide their command and control and will facilitate requests for any additional Defense Department support through NORTHCOM.
Senior NORTHCOM officials said they are coordinating with FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security and the National Guard to ensure full situational awareness and appropriate response posture to Hurricane Dean.
NORTHCOM supports primary response agencies, as directed, as part of a comprehensive national response to manage consequences of natural or man-made disasters. The command also conducts operations to deter, prevent, and defeat threats and aggression aimed at the United States, its territories, and interests.
(From a U.S. Northern Command news release.)
Aug. 19, 2007 - U.S. Northern Command officials are closely monitoring Hurricane Dean's progress and continue to respond to requests for Defense Department support in preparation for landfall. At 11 a.m. Eastern Time today, the Category 4 storm was heading toward the Caribbean island of Jamaica with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph. It's expected to make landfall on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula early Tuesday.
NORTHCOM has deployed the following personnel to support the federal response:
-- The Region X defense coordinating officer and six-person defense coordinating element has deployed to Louisiana at the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
-- The Region VI DCO and six-person DCE deployed to Texas at FEMA's request prior to landfall of Tropical Storm Erin remains on-site.
-- A 17-person team from Standing Joint Forces Headquarters North is deployed to Texas to support the Region VI DCO and Army North.
-- An eight-person global patient management team from U.S. Transportation Command will help coordinate aeromedical evacuation efforts, if needed.
-- A joint interagency air-ground coordination team from Air Force Northern deployed at FEMA's request to assist FEMA and the Texas Emergency Operations Center and to help with aeromedical evacuation and search and rescue efforts, if needed.
-- The Region II DCO and DCE deployed to the Caribbean on Aug. 15, where they are supporting an advance FEMA emergency response team in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
Should active-duty forces be requested to respond, the regional DCOs will provide their command and control and will facilitate requests for any additional Defense Department support through NORTHCOM.
Senior NORTHCOM officials said they are coordinating with FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security and the National Guard to ensure full situational awareness and appropriate response posture to Hurricane Dean.
NORTHCOM supports primary response agencies, as directed, as part of a comprehensive national response to manage consequences of natural or man-made disasters. The command also conducts operations to deter, prevent, and defeat threats and aggression aimed at the United States, its territories, and interests.
(From a U.S. Northern Command news release.)
Top Leader says Army best
By Fred W. Baker III
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 19, 2007 - Calling today's Army the best that's ever been, a top leader said yesterday that he doesn't want to return to a draft-filled force. "None of us who joined the Army during Vietnam want to go back to a draft Army," said Army Vice Chief Gen. Richard A. Cody in an appearance on Fox News Channel's "Fox Online" program with Jamie Colby.
"It took us 35 years to build the best Army in the world. Right now, these young men and women who are serving downrange in Iraq and Afghanistan, or who are getting ready to serve, are in the best Army we've ever built."
Cody said the Army was too small going to the Iraq war, forcing it to rely on frequent deployments and to depend heavily on the National Guard and reserves. Now it is time to re-balance and add more soldiers, he said.
"We've got to size it properly. Clearly, we're stretched right now because the size of this Army when we came into this war was not large enough," Cody said. "We're going to put ourselves back in balance by growing the Army by 65 (thousand) or even bigger and balance out the Guard, reserve and active force structure."
Cody said recruits from "all walks of life" are enlisting in the Army now -- many of whom have watched the war in Iraq through high school and now want to join the fight.
Combat veterans also are re-enlisting despite frequent deployments and hard duty, he said.
"This generation is so remarkable. They understand the importance of this mission. They are re-enlisting in large numbers because they want to stay with their buddies. They are re-enlisting because they are make a difference, and they are re-enlisting because they know they're the shield that protects America from these terrorists," Cody said.
Cody's two sons have served in combat. He said 120 general officers have sons and daughters serving and have sent them to war.
Cody's oldest son now flies an Apache helicopter nicknamed "Rigor Mortis," the same aircraft that Cody flew leading the team of eight Apache helicopters of Task Force Normandy that fired the opening shots of Desert Storm in 1991. The crews used Hellfire missiles to destroy Iraqi air-defense sites in a nighttime raid.
Cody said that he sends his sons off to combat with the same fears as any parent, but that he has confidence in the Army they are serving and appreciates the importance of the mission.
"I know that they are in good hands because I know the type of leaders that they work for. I know they are in good hands because I know the type of soldiers they are serving with," the general said. "I also know they're serving this great country and they're in the best Army in the world."
Cody also fielded questions about improvements made in soldier care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He said the Army has added leadership, counselors and mentors to help get "wounded warriors get back on their feet, get back reintegrated into the civilian world or back into their Army job."
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 19, 2007 - Calling today's Army the best that's ever been, a top leader said yesterday that he doesn't want to return to a draft-filled force. "None of us who joined the Army during Vietnam want to go back to a draft Army," said Army Vice Chief Gen. Richard A. Cody in an appearance on Fox News Channel's "Fox Online" program with Jamie Colby.
"It took us 35 years to build the best Army in the world. Right now, these young men and women who are serving downrange in Iraq and Afghanistan, or who are getting ready to serve, are in the best Army we've ever built."
Cody said the Army was too small going to the Iraq war, forcing it to rely on frequent deployments and to depend heavily on the National Guard and reserves. Now it is time to re-balance and add more soldiers, he said.
"We've got to size it properly. Clearly, we're stretched right now because the size of this Army when we came into this war was not large enough," Cody said. "We're going to put ourselves back in balance by growing the Army by 65 (thousand) or even bigger and balance out the Guard, reserve and active force structure."
Cody said recruits from "all walks of life" are enlisting in the Army now -- many of whom have watched the war in Iraq through high school and now want to join the fight.
Combat veterans also are re-enlisting despite frequent deployments and hard duty, he said.
"This generation is so remarkable. They understand the importance of this mission. They are re-enlisting in large numbers because they want to stay with their buddies. They are re-enlisting because they are make a difference, and they are re-enlisting because they know they're the shield that protects America from these terrorists," Cody said.
Cody's two sons have served in combat. He said 120 general officers have sons and daughters serving and have sent them to war.
Cody's oldest son now flies an Apache helicopter nicknamed "Rigor Mortis," the same aircraft that Cody flew leading the team of eight Apache helicopters of Task Force Normandy that fired the opening shots of Desert Storm in 1991. The crews used Hellfire missiles to destroy Iraqi air-defense sites in a nighttime raid.
Cody said that he sends his sons off to combat with the same fears as any parent, but that he has confidence in the Army they are serving and appreciates the importance of the mission.
"I know that they are in good hands because I know the type of leaders that they work for. I know they are in good hands because I know the type of soldiers they are serving with," the general said. "I also know they're serving this great country and they're in the best Army in the world."
Cody also fielded questions about improvements made in soldier care at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He said the Army has added leadership, counselors and mentors to help get "wounded warriors get back on their feet, get back reintegrated into the civilian world or back into their Army job."
Pace Returns From Trip to Meet, Thank U.S. Troops
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 19, 2007 - Marine Gen. Peter Pace is back in the nation's capital after traveling around the world to shake hands with American servicemembers doing the nation's business. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff returned from the trip to Djibouti, Korea, Japan and Hawaii early today.
In the course of this trip and one last month to Iraq, Afghanistan and Germany, the chairman and his senior enlisted advisor, Army Command Sgt. Maj. William J. Gainey, personally spoke and shook hands with more than 20,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, Defense Department civilians and their families. In addition, Pace received crucial briefings from military leaders in all those areas.
"The best part of the trip was just to hug the troops and say thanks," Pace said on the flight home.
Pace said he wanted the troops to understand how their service helps further American interests around the world.
"What's important for those folks to understand is that if they are not in combat right now, what they are doing where they are is important, also," he said. "The peace and stability in the Pacific region and the peace and stability of the Horn of Africa are all facilitated by the sacrifices of these guys."
The chairman hands out his personal coin during many of these events. In most places, the servicemembers thank the chairman and move along. In Djibouti, the servicemembers made a point to thank him "for coming way out here." Servicemembers said they often feel forgotten in the Horn of Africa.
"People based in Djibouti need to understand that what they are doing is exactly what our country needs them to do to prevent another Iraq or another Afghanistan," Pace said.
The servicemembers in these regions do not get a lot of headlines, and they should be proud of that fact, the chairman said. "The fact that they are not in the headlines means their part of this is going very well," he said.
Pace came to the Joint Chiefs as vice chairman in 2001. He rose to become chairman two years ago. He said that over the past six years, the quality of the force has improved. He said the troops clearly execute their primary missions in the war on terrorism better than in the past.
"Working as long and as hard as we have on the mission, we've gotten better at that," he said. "But the focus and the determination of the troops after six years has been honed by the war effort. The part that most impresses me is how resilient the force is and how strengthened and focused it appears to me to become in the time I've been vice chairman and chairman."
The chairman left Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Aug. 13 and with a refueling stop in Rota, Spain flew to Djibouti. He met with leaders of the Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa and spoke with servicemembers at the "Thunderdome" at Camp Lemonier.
He left Aug. 15 and flew to Osan Air Base, South Korea, arriving in the middle of the night. The next morning, he spoke with troops based at Osan and at Hunsan Air Base at the Black Cats hangar at Osan. He then flew to Yongsan in Seoul, where he met with thousands of troops from U.S. Forces Korea.
He next moved to the Blue House, where South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun presented him with the Order of National Security Merit Tongil Medal.
After meetings with South Korean and U.S. officials, Pace returned to Osan for an early morning departure for Yokota Air Base, Japan.
Pace met with U.S. Forces Japan commander Air Force Lt. Gen. Bruce Wright, and then moved to the base theater for a town hall meeting with servicemembers. He flew to Tokyo, where Defense Minister Yuriko Koike presented the general with the Grand Cordon of the Rising Sun, an award approved and signed by Emperor Akihito.
Pace met with his Japanese counterpart and then boarded his aircraft for Hawaii. Crossing the International Date Line meant the chairman had two Fridays. He arrived in Hawaii and immediately went into a town hall meeting at Marine Corps Base Kaneohe Bay. He next moved to Pearl Harbo,r where he held another town hall meeting with personnel at the submarine base there.
Pace and his party moved to Tripler Army Medical Center and visited with soldiers recovering from wounds suffered in the war on terror. Yesterday, the chairman and his party left Hawaii for the flight back to Washington.
American Forces Press Service
Aug. 19, 2007 - Marine Gen. Peter Pace is back in the nation's capital after traveling around the world to shake hands with American servicemembers doing the nation's business. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff returned from the trip to Djibouti, Korea, Japan and Hawaii early today.
In the course of this trip and one last month to Iraq, Afghanistan and Germany, the chairman and his senior enlisted advisor, Army Command Sgt. Maj. William J. Gainey, personally spoke and shook hands with more than 20,000 soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, Defense Department civilians and their families. In addition, Pace received crucial briefings from military leaders in all those areas.
"The best part of the trip was just to hug the troops and say thanks," Pace said on the flight home.
Pace said he wanted the troops to understand how their service helps further American interests around the world.
"What's important for those folks to understand is that if they are not in combat right now, what they are doing where they are is important, also," he said. "The peace and stability in the Pacific region and the peace and stability of the Horn of Africa are all facilitated by the sacrifices of these guys."
The chairman hands out his personal coin during many of these events. In most places, the servicemembers thank the chairman and move along. In Djibouti, the servicemembers made a point to thank him "for coming way out here." Servicemembers said they often feel forgotten in the Horn of Africa.
"People based in Djibouti need to understand that what they are doing is exactly what our country needs them to do to prevent another Iraq or another Afghanistan," Pace said.
The servicemembers in these regions do not get a lot of headlines, and they should be proud of that fact, the chairman said. "The fact that they are not in the headlines means their part of this is going very well," he said.
Pace came to the Joint Chiefs as vice chairman in 2001. He rose to become chairman two years ago. He said that over the past six years, the quality of the force has improved. He said the troops clearly execute their primary missions in the war on terrorism better than in the past.
"Working as long and as hard as we have on the mission, we've gotten better at that," he said. "But the focus and the determination of the troops after six years has been honed by the war effort. The part that most impresses me is how resilient the force is and how strengthened and focused it appears to me to become in the time I've been vice chairman and chairman."
The chairman left Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Aug. 13 and with a refueling stop in Rota, Spain flew to Djibouti. He met with leaders of the Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa and spoke with servicemembers at the "Thunderdome" at Camp Lemonier.
He left Aug. 15 and flew to Osan Air Base, South Korea, arriving in the middle of the night. The next morning, he spoke with troops based at Osan and at Hunsan Air Base at the Black Cats hangar at Osan. He then flew to Yongsan in Seoul, where he met with thousands of troops from U.S. Forces Korea.
He next moved to the Blue House, where South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun presented him with the Order of National Security Merit Tongil Medal.
After meetings with South Korean and U.S. officials, Pace returned to Osan for an early morning departure for Yokota Air Base, Japan.
Pace met with U.S. Forces Japan commander Air Force Lt. Gen. Bruce Wright, and then moved to the base theater for a town hall meeting with servicemembers. He flew to Tokyo, where Defense Minister Yuriko Koike presented the general with the Grand Cordon of the Rising Sun, an award approved and signed by Emperor Akihito.
Pace met with his Japanese counterpart and then boarded his aircraft for Hawaii. Crossing the International Date Line meant the chairman had two Fridays. He arrived in Hawaii and immediately went into a town hall meeting at Marine Corps Base Kaneohe Bay. He next moved to Pearl Harbo,r where he held another town hall meeting with personnel at the submarine base there.
Pace and his party moved to Tripler Army Medical Center and visited with soldiers recovering from wounds suffered in the war on terror. Yesterday, the chairman and his party left Hawaii for the flight back to Washington.
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