[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 16 (Monday, April 25, 2005)]
[Pages 656-657]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on the Nomination of General Peter Pace To Be
Chairman and Admiral Edmund P. Giambastiani, Jr., To Be Vice Chairman of 
the Joint Chiefs of Staff

April 22, 2005

    The President. Good morning. As President, my most solemn duty is 
protecting the American people. In meeting this responsibility, one of 
the most important decisions I make is the appointment of the Chairman 
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Today I'm pleased to announce my decision 
to nominate General Peter Pace to take on this vital job.
    When confirmed by the Senate, General Pete Pace will be the first 
marine in history to hold this vital position. He knows the job well. 
For the past 3\1/2\ years, he has served under our superb Secretary of 
Defense, Don Rumsfeld. He has been the Deputy to one of the most 
outstanding Chairmen our Nation has ever had, General Richard Myers.
    As my most senior military adviser, General Myers has helped prepare 
military forces so they can meet the threats of this new century. This 
is a huge task, even in peacetime. Dick Myers did it while defending 
America from one of the most determined and vicious enemies we have ever 
faced. On General Myers' watch, we toppled two brutal dictatorships in 
Afghanistan and Iraq and liberated more than 50 million people. By 
removing the Taliban and Saddam Hussein, we have made America safer and 
put a troubled region on the path to freedom and peace.
    I want to thank General Dick Myers for his able service over four 
decades and his tireless dedication to duty and country. And I also 
thank his wife, Mary Jo. Dick Myers has had four jobs with four stars, 
but the distinction that he is proudest of is not a military one. Last 
year, the National Father's Day Council named him Father of the Year.
    I'm confident that the great work that General Dick Myers set in 
motion at the Pentagon will continue under the leadership of General 
Pete Pace. The first thing America needs to know about Pete Pace is that 
he is a marine. To the American people, marine is shorthand for ``can 
do.'' And I'm counting on Pete Pace to bring the Marine spirit to these 
new responsibilities.
    General Pete Pace's life is the story of the American Dream. His 
father was an immigrant from Italy. Pete Pace was born in Brooklyn. He 
grew up in New Jersey, and he graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy. He 
was a rifle platoon leader in Vietnam. He commanded marines in Somalia, 
and he went on to command U.S. Marine forces in the Atlantic and became 
the head of the U.S. Southern Command. It tells you something about Pete 
Pace's devotion to his troops that under the glass on his desk at the 
Pentagon, he keeps a photo of Lance Corporal Guido Farinaro. He was the 
first marine he lost in combat in Vietnam.
    I've come to rely on Pete Pace's wisdom, judgment, and sense of 
humor. I will continue to rely on those qualities as he serves our 
Nation as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. We'll need his wisdom 
and determination as we continue to transform our Armed Forces so we can 
defeat today's enemies while preparing ourselves for military challenges 
we will face as this new century unfolds.
    General Pete Pace also understands the critical role military 
families play in the success of our Armed Forces. That's because he has 
a great military family, himself. I'm pleased to welcome his wife, 
Lynne, and daughter, Tiffany, who have joined us today. They're proud of 
Pete, and they should be.
    Because he has served in the job, General Pete Pace also understands 
the important role that the Vice Chairman plays. Today I

[[Page 657]]

am pleased to announce that I have nominated an outstanding military 
officer, Admiral Ed Giambastiani. [Laughter] He shall be known as 
Admiral G. [Laughter] Anyway, he's going to be the Vice Chairman. 
[Laughter]
    For the past 2\1/2\ years, Admiral G., as his friends and now the 
President calls him--[laughter]--has been serving our Nation while 
wearing two important hats. As Commander of the U.S. Joint Forces 
Command in Norfolk, he has been transforming our Armed Forces so they 
can better work together to defeat the threats of the 21st century. As 
the first Supreme Allied Commander for Transformation, he's been leading 
the effort to bring reform to NATO military so our Alliance is prepared 
for the threats of tomorrow.
    Admiral G. is joined today by his wife, Cindy, daughter, Cathy, and 
his son, Pete, a Navy lieutenant, and Pete's wife, Jennifer.
    I appreciate the willingness of these men and their families to take 
on these new assignments in an extraordinary moment in our Nation's 
history. We still face ruthless adversaries who wish to attack our 
country. With the leadership of men like these, the outcome of the 
struggle is assured: America will defeat freedom's enemies and ensure 
the security of our country for generations to come.
    It's my honor to bring to the podium General Pete Pace.

[At this point, Chairman-Designate Pace made brief remarks.]

    The President. Thanks for bailing me out. [Laughter]

[Chairman-Designate Pace continued his remarks, and then Vice Chairman-
Designate Giambastiani made brief remarks.]

    The President. Thank you all for coming.

Note: The President spoke at 10:12 a.m. in the Roosevelt Room at the 
White House. In his remarks, he referred to former President Saddam 
Hussein of Iraq. The transcript released by the Office of the Press 
Secretary also included the remarks of Chairman-Designate Pace and Vice 
Chairman-Designate Giambastiani.