The Congressional 'Peter' Principle

[thedrifter]

The Congressional 'Peter' Principle <br />
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Honor sacrificed by others upon the Altar of Political Ambition <br />
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By Steve Schippert <br />
ThreatsWatch.Org <br />
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This picture of an index card placed at the Vietnam...

[thedrifter]

10/12/2007
Exiting ‘chief’ leaves his calling card
Bay Ridge Courier

Marine Gen. Peter Pace retired on Oct. 1, along with his signature coin that he shared with thousands of service-members, family members and veterans he’s met personally during his two years as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The Pentagon-shaped coin has become a physical extension of the chairman — part calling card, part memento and part symbol of appreciation for service to country and a job well done.

Army Command Sgt. Maj. William J. Gainey, Pace’s senior enlisted advisor, called it “a coin of excellence” that recognizes actions beyond the call of duty, both big and small.

Wherever Pace traveled — the halls of the Pentagon, military installations stateside and overseas, forward operating bases in combat zones — he rarely missed an opportunity to walk up to soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines to thank them for their service. As he looked them in the eye and shook their hands, he inevitably slipped his personal coin into their palms.

Pace shared his coin with wounded troops being treated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and other military medical facilities. During an early-June town hall meeting at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, he offered up a coin to the first family member in a group about to be affected by the Army’s new 15-month deployment policy who was willing to step forward to ask a question.

In early August, Pace presented coins to all 150 new recruits he swore into the military at Pennsylvania’s Pocono International Raceway just before a NASCAR race. “If you’re joining the United States Army today, then I want you to have my coin,” the chairman told one of the recruits, who probably had no concept at the time of what the coin represented.

Military coins, whether commander’s coins, challenge coins, or unit and squadron coins, have become increasingly popular throughout the military.

Stories of where the custom originated vary widely. One of the most accepted traces it to World War I, when a wealthy lieutenant had bronze unit medallions struck for his squadron. As the story goes, a squadron pilot who was shot down and captured behind German lines ended up with nothing but that medallion to identify himself after his escape. Ultimately, the identifying coin ended up saving him from being executed by the French as a spy.

The squadron’s tradition of medallion or coin carrying continued, with “challenges” regularly made to ensure all members had theirs handy. A unit member who couldn’t quickly produce the medallion when challenged had to buy the challenger a drink. But if the medallion could be slapped down, the challenger had to buy.

Over the years, some units have continued this tradition. But more commonly, military coins have become a symbol of affiliation that’s used to boost morale, foster esprit de corps, and honor service.

Coin-collecting has become something of a military tradition. President Clinton is said to have saved the coins U.S. service members presented him while he was in office, and his official White House portrait shows several racks of those coins in the background.

When President Bush made his unannounced visit to Iraq earlier this month, he returned with a military coin presented to him by a Marine Corps unit at Al Asad Air Base.

Many service members have become coin collectors, too, and it’s not usual to walk into a headquarters building to see a table full of military coins, all protected under glass.

But as many coins as some people may acquire, few are as distinctive — or considered as prestigious to possess — as Pace’s.

Embossed with his name and title, four stars, the seals of all four military services, and the Joint Staff flag and crest, the coin is a work of art in itself. It’s not the kind of coin quickly slipped into a pocket; recipients typically pause when they feel its weight in their palms and roll it over to study its details.

When he presented the coin, as in a Sept. 20 ceremony during which he said goodbye to troops serving at the Pentagon, Pace he joked, “They’re worth about 5,000 bucks on eBay,” he told service members as they lined up to shake the chairman’s hand and receive his coin. “When you log on, the price may have changed a little bit. But when I logged on this morning, it was worth about 5,000 bucks.”

As of this date not a single one of Pace’s chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff coins was anywhere to be found on eBay. Gainey said that’s because Pace’s coins have become so coveted by troops who think of the chairman as ‘a rock star’ who always looks out for their interests.

“It’s so much more than a just a little piece of metal,” Gainey said. “There are some soldiers out there who would much rather have his coin than a medal.”

At a recent farewell ceremony at the Pentagon, Pace hinted that he understands the coin’s effect and the symbolism it conveys.

Pace urged the service members to approach him as the ceremony wrapped up so he would “have the opportunity to shake your hand, to give you a very small memento and to look you in the eye and tell you, ‘thank you.’”

“And through you,” Pace continued, he would be able “to say thank you to so many who are out there serving our country right now, to tell you I love you and I will miss you.”

Ellie

[thedrifter]

General Pace Time Capsule Salutes New Generation of Marines
Submitted by: Marine Barracks 8th & I
Story by: Computed Name: Gunnery Sgt. Will Price

MARINE BARRACKS WASHINGTON (Oct. 18, 2007) -- A farewell dinner and reception was held for Gen. Peter Pace at Marine Barracks Washington on Oct 5. During the dinner, Pace received many salutations for his service to country and Corps, but one gift in particular struck an emotional chord in the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff -- Colonel W. Blake Crowe presented Pace with a small cement block.

It wasn't a bullet from Belleau Wood, or a grain of sand from Iwo Jima, but in Pace's eyes, it may as well have been. This particular piece of cement, complete with engraved bronze plaque, came from the Barracks' historic Center Walk, and seeing it brought Pace back more than 16 years, to a time when he was the Barracks commanding officer. Pace had marched on the hallowed grounds as a captain and Silent Drill Platoon commander, a colonel and MBW commanding officer, and witnessed countless parades, both as a reviewing officer and guest of honor.

Moments after receiving this piece of sedimentary nostalgia, Pace revealed to Crowe and other Barracks' officers that he had buried a time capsule next to the Barracks flag pole back in 1991. This revelation could not have been more timely. Under the auspices of the Barracks Logistics Officer, Maj. Mike Castellano, the Barracks' parade deck and surrounding sidewalks were undergoing a renovation project to repair irrigation, and drainage problems and replace the sidewalks A plan was quickly forged to ensure the time capsule would be found -- hopefully in one piece.

On Oct. 17, the sidewalk around the flag pole was demolished. Once the rubble was cleared and with some persistent digging and axe-picking by Cpl. Evan Slates and Cpl. Brent Cross from MBW's Ground Combat Element, Pace's buried treasure was finally unearthed! What was its condition? Like any good Marine on a patrol in inclement weather, Pace and his Barracks' troops from yesteryear had sealed their memorabilia in an air-tight, water-proofed Mark-19 ammo can. There was a nervous buzz in the air as a crowd of more than twenty Marines, everyone from Lt. Col. Miles to lance corporals and civilian workers, gathered around to see what Pace had bequeathed the Marines of "The Oldest Post."

Slates and Cross stripped away the plastic, then pried open the rusty ammo can to revealed a letter from then-Col. Pace dated, "26 April 1991" sitting on top a cache of local newspapers, the 1991 Kelley's Blue Book, a Barracks' Alpha Roster, a bible, the U. S. Constitution, Marine Corps stickers and posters, photos of barracks' officers, Center House and the Staff Club, an audio cassette of Drum & Bugle Corps music, a Pass in Review magazine, and a G.I. Joe-type military action figure ready to low crawl to victory!

Pace's letter read, "Dear Fellow Marines, The placement of this 'Time Capsule' was not the result of long study, but rather a target of opportunity when a cement slab near the flagpole required replacement. We have assembled items of current interest which we hope will give you the flavor of our time at 'The Oldest Post of the Corps.'"

Pace continued in typical war-fighter fashion, expressing his appreciation of the 163 Marines who had deployed and successfully returned from Operation Desert Storm during his time at MBW. He wrote, "We hope you are not called on to fight, but we know that our/your Corps will be in good hands if you do." Presently, the Barracks has a platoon of Marines preparing to deploy to Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Col. Pace's time capsule also included a bottle of Budweiser, "our favorite beer," and a bottle of whiskey. "The Jack Daniels," Pace explained, "is a toast from us to you. Please enjoy a drink on us -- a salute from one generation of Marines to another!"

Col. Pace -- for your selfless dedication to Marines everywhere, for your service to your country, and, most of all, for your uncompromising love of the Corps, this generation of Marines salutes YOU.

Ellie