Topic: Peter Pace

Peter Pace, M.S.C., (born November 5, 1945) is a former four-star general in the United States Marine Corps and served as the 16th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the first Marine appointed to the United States' highest-ranking military office. Appointed by President George W. Bush, Pace succeeded U.S. Air Force General Richard Myers on September 30, 2005. His other four-star assignments include being the 6th Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from October 1, 2001 to August 12, 2005 and as Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Southern Command from September 8, 2000 to September 30, 2001.

The Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced on June 8, 2007, that he would advise the President not to renominate Pace for a second term. Pace stepped down as Chairman on October 1, 2007. He was replaced by Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michael Mullen. Pace retired from the Marine Corps on October 1, 2007.

Pace was born on November 5, 1945 in Brooklyn, New York to Italian American parents and raised in Teaneck, New Jersey, graduating from Teaneck High School in 1963. He received his commission in June 1967, following graduation from the United States Naval Academy. He also holds a Master of Business Administration degree from George Washington University. Pace currently resides in McLean, Virginia; he is married and has a son, Peter, and a daughter, Tiffany. Pace is Roman Catholic.