Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff makes final visit to Afghanistan before retirement

Courtesy Photo | At Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, paid a final visit to deployed coalition forces serving in Operation Enduring Freedom on Sept. 2 before his retirement later this month.  

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AFGHANISTAN

09.04.2007

Courtesy Story

Combined Joint Task Force - 82 PAO

By Senior Airman Dilia DeGrego
CJTF-82 PAO

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff paid a final visit to deployed coalition forces serving in Operation Enduring Freedom on Sept. 2 before his retirement later this month.

Marine Gen. Peter Pace visited various forward operating bases in eastern Afghanistan bringing words of gratitude and praise to hundreds of service members.

"I came a long way to say two simple words to you – 'thank you,'" Pace said. "As I get closer to the end of my time on active duty, I just wanted to have one more opportunity to say how much we respect and appreciate all you are doing here."

"I've been getting back here every three to five months since early 2002 and the change in Afghanistan is incredible," he added. "Just flying down here from Bagram, seeing the number of cars on the roads, the number of gas stations, the number of police patrols...the economy is really coming on line and folks here are really getting an opportunity to live their lives the way you have made it possible. All the things that have changed over the last several years have changed because of you and your predecessors. Thank you."

In addition to thanking coalition forces as a group, Pace showed his appreciation for each individual's service by shaking the hand of each servicemember he encountered, individually thanking them and handing out coins to each one of them.

During a question-and-answer session, Pace addressed various concerns coalition forces members had, to include the upcoming presidential elections, the incoming CJCS and their effect on the military.

"There is a debate going on in the United States as to how best to fight this war. While that debate goes on, our congress has continued to provide all the resources that we've asked for to fund what we need," said Pace. "So the resources will continue to flow as long as our congress and our President have us engaged overseas fighting our nation's wars. I am confident and comfortable that those leaders will continue to do what they've done for the last six years.

"Sometimes the dialogue of what's happening in Washington can be misunderstood," continued Pace. "It can certainly be misunderstood by our enemies who don't understand that the strength of a democracy is various people having various opinions. Because they don't understand democracy, they see the debate as weakness. They don't see it as the strength of our democracy as we know it. Others think that the discussion is about whether we are going to fight or not. When you have an enemy, like we have who has a 100-year plan that says that their final objective is the destruction of our way of life, and they are trying to kill our people, the discussion is not about whether or not we are in a war. You can vote to leave Iraq, you can vote to leave Afghanistan, fair enough, but you're not voting to leave the war as long as you have an enemy who has declared war on you. So the dialogue and the discussion or the debate isn't about whether we are in a war or not, it's how are we going to fight this war and where are we going to fight this enemy. From my perspective, we are fighting this enemy where we should be. What you do everyday around here is making it so we don't have to do the same thing inside the United States."

Pace also offered words of condolence for those units who recently suffered losses and encouraged servicemembers to live their lives to the best of their ability in honor of those who have paid the ultimate price for their country. In addition, Pace had the opportunity to promote several Soldiers and present others with various military awards, to include the Purple Heart and the Army Combat Action Badge.

Bringing his final trip to Afghanistan to a close, Pace concluded his trip by expressing a final word of appreciation and admiration for those serving overseas.

"I will miss many things about serving my country, but what I will miss the most is getting the opportunity to come out here and shake each of your hands and thank you for what you do. This morning on our very first stop a great Soldier came by and said a very simple thing," Pace continued. "He said, 'thank you for your service, General, we got it from you,' and that is absolutely true. I have the utmost faith and confidence in the incredible abilities of our Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force. Again thank you, it's been an incredible opportunity for me to serve as your chairman."

• Date Taken: 09.04.2007
• Date Posted: 09.04.2007 11:21
• Story ID: 12150
• Location: BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF