The LadyX shameslessly presents a new
[George Washington Type] Hero for America!!
[A U.S. Marine Corps General - surprise, surprise..:))]
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Pace Vows to Remember Impact of Advice on Servicemembers
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, Sept. 30, 2005 – Marine Gen. Peter Pace vowed today that as he gives his best military advice to the president and other members of the National Security Council, he "will remember not only the mission, but the impact it will have on the lance corporals and the airmen and the lieutenants junior grade and the captains."
Pace became the first Marine to serve as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during an Armed Forces "hail ceremony" here today. He succeeds Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, who swore him into office.
"We have a lot of work to do," Pace said. "This moment in history is one where we have an enemy whose stated public intent is to destroy our way of life; 2.4 million American men and women in uniform say, 'Not on our watch.'"
Addressing the servicemembers attending and participating in the ceremonies, Pace called upon them to continue the work done by those who went before them. "Generations and generations of American fighting servicemen and women have sacrificed and died that we might have the freedoms we enjoy today," he said. "And it is now our moment in history -- you and I in uniform -- to protect those freedoms for our children and our grandchildren -- and protect them, we will."
Pace thanked President Bush for his confidence in him and for the president's steadfast leadership and unwavering support for men and women in uniform. "Every single one of us in uniform knows that you are leading us and know that you are supporting us at the same time, and it makes a huge difference to each and every one of us," Pace said.
The new chairman, who started his Marine career as a platoon leader in Vietnam at the Battle of Hue City, thanked the ceremonial troops who represent the 2.4 million members of the military. "It's a hundred degrees in Baghdad right now," he said. "We've got troops wearing flak jackets and helmets. It's 90 degrees in Kabul. They're doing the same thing there. Your performance on this parade deck and their performance protecting us overseas is, quite simply, awesome."
Bush said that he has come to know Pace well during the general's service as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "I appreciate his wisdom and commitment to serve, and I look forward to having Pete by my side in the years ahead," Bush said.
The president called Pace a brilliant thinker and an inspiring leader. "His life is the story of the American dream," Bush said. "From his early years in Brooklyn and New Jersey, to his days as a midshipman in Annapolis, to his decades of service in Vietnam and Thailand and South Korea and Somalia and elsewhere -- in every place he has been, Pete Pace has impressed those around him with his bravery, his knowledge and his devotion to duty."
The president said he knows Pace will build on the vital work set into motion under Myers.
Before he swore in Pace as the new chairman, Myers said he has been honored to serve alongside Pace.
Myers spoke of how George Washington was chosen as the commander of the Continental Army in 1775. The Continental Congress chose him "because they knew him; they trusted him; they knew his courage; they knew his integrity."
"Today, when our nation's ideals are once again at stake, it's appropriate to once again chose a military leader for the same reasons," Myers said.
"In my opinion, there's no finer officer in uniform anywhere in the world," he continued. "The president nominated him and the Senate confirmed him as chairman because they knew him, they trusted him, they knew his courage, and they knew his integrity."
~~~ SHADES OF CHESTY PULLER!!!! ~~~ Marines do more than maim and kill - - -
~ LadyX
Marines Complete Hurricane-Relief Mission
American Forces Press Service
NAVAL AIR STATION NEW ORLEANS, La., Sept. 30, 2005 – A specially tailored Marine task force ordered to the Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Katrina is headed home after wrapping up its work in some of the region's most devastated communities.
More than 1,200 active-duty Marines will return to their home base at Camp Lejeune, N.C., in the coming week and resume preparations for a scheduled deployment in the spring.
The departing Marines, part of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, were among thousands of troops summoned by the president to bolster relief efforts in the desperate days following Katrina's impact.
"The intent was clear," said Marine Col. John Shook, commander of Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force St. Bernard, named for the Louisiana parish that would become the focus of the Marines' efforts. "Do whatever we could to help save lives and ease the suffering of those who survived. We approached our mission with a sense of purpose and accomplished what we set out to do."
In the first two weeks following the Aug. 29 storm, the Marines searched more than 5,000 homes; rescued 610 stranded residents; transported nearly 1,500 other displaced citizens; delivered two million pounds of supplies; and cleared debris from more than 1,000 homes, schools, and municipal buildings.
Their efforts began just hours after the levees burst, as Marines from the 4th Assault Amphibian Battalion and the Corps' Anti-Terrorism Battalion rushed to the scene from their bases in the stricken area.
On Aug. 30, Marine helicopters and amphibious vehicles began pulling survivors to safety.
Most of those rescues were carried out by the task force's air component, composed of Marines of the Reserve 4th Marine Air Wing and their active-duty counterparts from the 2nd Marine Air Wing, who flew in on Sept. 1 to help.
During three days of nearly continuous daylight sorties, four UH-1N Huey utility helicopters -- working in tandem with a mix of heavy-lift CH-53Es and medium-lift CH-46Es -- plucked 446 people from rooftops, highway overpasses, and other hard-to-reach high ground where residents had taken refuge.
As the helicopters began their three-day run, an advance team from the headquarters element of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit arrived at the air station here to pave the way for additional forces.
At the same time, nearly 300 Marines from MEU Service Support Group 24 -- constituting the bulk of the task force's logistics component -- were making their way down the Atlantic coast on two naval vessels launched from Norfolk, Va. They brought with them an array of engineering equipment well suited to disaster relief and humanitarian assistance, including forklifts, large trucks, Humvees and water-purification devices.
By the evening of Sept. 4, some 700 Marines from 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, had arrived.
As Marines and sailors continued to pour into the region -- the task force would soon swell to 2,500 -- leadership shifted to Maj. Gen. Douglas O'Dell, commander of the New Orleans-based 4th Marine Division, a reserve unit.
The Marines fanned out to three areas initially: Michoud, just east of New Orleans; Slidell, east of Lake Pontchartrain; and Picayune, just over the state line in Mississippi. They would later move most of the task force to Michoud, keeping the anti-terrorism battalion in Slidell.
Most of the Marines spent the ensuing week wading through St. Bernard Parish, just east of New Orleans, rendered a swamp after water levels in some sections of the parish rose to 15 feet in the storm's wake.
Using amphibious vehicles called "amtracs," members of 1/8 and 4th Assault Amphibian Battalion -- joined by local police and soldiers from the 169th Colorado National Guard --- churned through the fetid, flooded streets in search of survivors.
After multiple sweeps that included a stop at every structure in the parish, the Marines completed their search Sept. 13, having rescued 78 residents.
The mission in St. Bernard Parish was brought to a formal close five days later with a memorial service honoring parish residents who died in the storm and its aftermath.
"We were determined to do as much as we possibly could in the time available to us," Shook said. "We set out to make a difference, to offer a lifeline, to give the local leaders enough time to get their feet under them again."
As they spent what appeared to be their final few days in Louisiana clearing roads, removing debris from homes, schools and key government facilities, and helping leaders in both St. Bernard and St. Tammany parishes prepare for the return of business owners and residents, Hurricane Rita bore down on the Gulf Coast. The Marines repositioned themselves to ensure their own safety and enable a rapid response wherever Rita came ashore.
The morning of Sept. 24 bore witness to the new path of destruction cut by Rita across southwest Louisiana and coastal Texas.
The Marines of the anti-terrorism battalion were directed to Lafayette, La. Driving through the remnants of Rita's foul weather, they arrived within hours of the storm's impact. They synchronized their efforts with soldiers from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division, who had come from New Orleans to help.
By the evening of Sept. 25, the Marines had rescued 26 people in New Iberia, La.
Farther west, Marines from 1/8 moved ashore from the USS Iwo Jima to help the devastated town of Cameron re-establish the parish courthouse as the center of local relief efforts.
Shook said the Marines' response was critical in helping the Gulf Coast recover from what he called "this double-whammy hurricane attack."
"The Marines are tired, but proud of the difference they made," he added.
As the Marines return to North Carolina this week, they will immediately pick up where they left off, readying themselves for an intensive pre-deployment training program due to begin in December.
Most of the Marines, including 1/8 and MSSG-24, are scheduled to deploy with the 24th MEU in the spring.
(From a Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force news release.)