Chairman of Joint Chiefs speaks to Airmen

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Matthew Rosine
  • Air Force Print News
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AFNEWS) --  Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Peter Pace spoke to Airmen, Soldiers, Sailors and Coast Guardsmen at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, during a town hall meeting Feb. 23.

The main message of his speech was only two words.

"We came a long way to say, basically, two words to you and those are thank you," said General Pace. "I want to say thanks to you for all you do and all you have done and, unfortunately, some of the things that we are going to have to ask you to do in the future."
According to the Airmen in attendance, it was an unexpected, but highly appreciated message.

"That did impress me," said Tech. Sgt. Mark Mullins, a 3rd Logistics Readiness Squadron vehicle maintenance journeyman. "A lot of us work really hard to do our best every day and we almost never get a pat on the back for our efforts. And I really appreciated that. It re-energized me. When a guy like that - in his position - says something like that, well, I guess that's about as high a compliment as you can get."

After his brief message to servicemembers in attendance, the general moved onto what he considered the "real reason" for his visit - talking to the troops.

During the question and answer period of his town hall visit, General Pace discussed a variety of topics including service unique uniforms, meeting the needs of the National Guard and Reserve, the media's perception of the war in Iraq and differences between the Vietnam War and today's Global War on Terrorism.

"This was a great opportunity. The perspective he brings, a man in his position, is a great value to us," said Senior Master Sgt. Mort Gould, superintendent of the 3rd Contracting Squadron. Sergeant Gould was one of the servicemembers who asked the general a question during the town hall. "I thought his answers were articulate and straight forward, not just sound bites. Even with the tough questions, he explained everything very well."

The chairman also took some time to talk about a special group of people in the military.
"I would also like to take a minute to ask you to reach out to your families," said General Pace. "If you haven't thanked them lately, thank them for what they do. If you think about it, those of us who go into harm's way know when we are in trouble. And when we are in trouble we are normally surrounded by Soldiers, Marines or Airmen - not a bad place to be.

"But our families don't know that," he said. "So the whole time we are deployed they think we are in trouble all the time. And they worry about us all the time and pray for us all the time. And then when we come home, we get awards and they pretend that they had nothing to do with it. Whereas in fact we all know that keeping our families tied together the way they have is an incredible job, responsibility, sacrifice and service to the nation. I believe in my heart that our spouses and our families serve this nation as well as anyone who has ever worn the uniform. If you haven't done so recently, thank the person who loves you for their support." 



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