Shaffer
02-14-03, 07:18 AM
Gen. Peter Pace laughs when he reads his 1963 Teaneck High School yearbook and finds the small inscription that praises his work as senior class vice president.
Certainly, he says, his classmates' words - "Leadership, modesty, reliability, and character" - are flattering, particularly for someone who was second-in-command. But for a Marine who now holds the second highest position in the world's most powerful military, they are a comfortable fit.
And Pace knows the value of being No. 2, because the position still demands the qualities of a leader. As the nation fights a war on terrorism and braces for a confrontation with Iraq, the four-star general is doing what he's always done - building bridges between his superior and his subordinates.
"When you're No. 2, it's a good way to help your boss and learn the ropes," said Pace, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "It helps you understand what an organization is all about."
Pace didn't have a lot of time for on-the-job training. Eighteen days after President Bush nominated him for the post in 2001, terrorist hijackers crashed four jetliners. His promotion was approved by the Senate, and on Oct. 1, he began his job in the Pentagon, where the walls were still damaged from one of the planes.
The 57-year-old Pace, along with the five other joint chiefs, serves as the key liaison between the White House and the armed services.
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkzJmZnYmVs N2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2MzM5NjU4
Certainly, he says, his classmates' words - "Leadership, modesty, reliability, and character" - are flattering, particularly for someone who was second-in-command. But for a Marine who now holds the second highest position in the world's most powerful military, they are a comfortable fit.
And Pace knows the value of being No. 2, because the position still demands the qualities of a leader. As the nation fights a war on terrorism and braces for a confrontation with Iraq, the four-star general is doing what he's always done - building bridges between his superior and his subordinates.
"When you're No. 2, it's a good way to help your boss and learn the ropes," said Pace, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "It helps you understand what an organization is all about."
Pace didn't have a lot of time for on-the-job training. Eighteen days after President Bush nominated him for the post in 2001, terrorist hijackers crashed four jetliners. His promotion was approved by the Senate, and on Oct. 1, he began his job in the Pentagon, where the walls were still damaged from one of the planes.
The 57-year-old Pace, along with the five other joint chiefs, serves as the key liaison between the White House and the armed services.
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkzJmZnYmVs N2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2MzM5NjU4