During his service at the Pentagon, General Pete Pace has shown us many talents. He's shown an intellect sharpened by post-graduate studies at George Washington and Harvard. He's shown us great oratorical skills -- this is a man who frequently speaks without notes -- I really don't recommend this to everyone. (Laughter.) He's shown a sharp wit. When a Naval commander once made an edgy joke in front of the Secretary of Defense, the General stepped right in and gave the young officer some advice. He said, "Never let a promising career stand in the way of a good joke." (Laughter.)And then this:
The most important attribute General Pete Pace has shown us is a quiet strength. It is a strength that has won the admiration of friends and peers. It is a strength built on the love and support of a strong and devoted wife, Lynne, and their family, Peter, Lynsey and Tiffany. It is a strength that gave Pete solace in the tough, and sometimes bitter, world of Washington, D.C. It helped him bring selflessness to a city filled with egos, and a dignity to a political process that might have worn down lesser men. He now leaves active service with a distinguished team in place and a talented successor. And yet I also have the sense that General Pace is not going to end it all here. He's a man who has always put country first and he will find new ways to serve.General Pete Pace always understood what's important. It wasn't titles received, or honors bestowed -- and it certainly was not the good graces of official Washington. What mattered most were the young men and women who serve our country and risk their lives for its honored cause. He kept a picture on his desk of the first Marine who died under his command in Vietnam. He can still recite the names of all other Marines who died under that first command -- and because this is a man with a tender heart, sometimes it's hard for him to get through all the names without choking up a little bit.
Pete has devoted his life to those who wear our country's uniform. And they are devoted to General Pace. They're among the hundreds who've received his advice and friendship. They're among the thousands who lined up at military bases during his final tour to shake his hand and wish him well and say goodbye. They're among the millions whose names he will never know but who will always remember him. And they include that single soldier who came up to the General on his last visit to the war zone. He looked at General Pace with gratitude, respect and pride, and said, "Thanks for your service. We'll take it from here."
Great. Now I'm all teary-eyed.
