Marine Gen. Pace Takes Reins At Southcom

With pomp, military luminaries from Latin America and the blessings of
Secretary of Defense William Cohen, Marine Gen. Peter Pace took charge
Friday evening of the Southern Command.

Pace, 54, arrived in Miami a lieutenant general, with three stars on
his shoulder. But by order of President Clinton, Marine Corps
Commandant Gen. James L. Jones promoted Pace to the rank of a four-
star, with his wife, Lynne, assisting inside Southcom's two-story Doral
compound.

Soon after, some 750 military and civilian guests squeezed into a huge,
circus-style tent outside the building to see Pace take the job from a
fellow Marine, Gen. Charles Wilhelm.

Pace assumes command of all U.S. military operations in Latin America
and the Caribbean at a crucial time: just as Congress has approved an
unprecedented $1.3 billion in aid for Plan Colombia, an ambitious
military and civilian campaign against the drug trafficking that has
corrupted that country for years.

As a sign of the commander-in-chief's stature, Gen. Fernando Tapias,
the commander of military forces in Colombia, came to Miami for the
occasion.

Speaking before the ceremony, Tapias said he came because the two
countries have a common interest, notably "the war on drugs," but also
"because of the affection that we in Colombia have for General Wilhelm.
He's really been a leader in South America."

Of Pace, he said, he had confidence in him because Wilhelm had spoken
with great support for his fellow Marine.

The defense secretary presided over the proceedings, paying an
exceptionally tender tribute to Wilhelm, who retired Friday from a 37-
year military career that stretched back to Vietnam.

"With great tactical skill and strategic genius, he forged deeper bonds
with the democracies of this hemisphere," Cohen said shortly after a
farewell 21-gun Howitzer salute set off car alarms throughout
Southcom's sprawling parking lots.

So he opened with a quip: "First of all, if there are any cars with
dead batteries, please see General Pace."

Later, the defense secretary saluted Pace's promotion, saying "this
straight-talking soldier of the sea has had the best possible training
for this new post -- having served under Charlie Wilhelm."

He called Pace "a man of extraordinary ability, with the skill,
experience and judgment to carry on the critical work of this Command."


Of Wilhelm, he said, he "faced one of the most daunting challenges that
our region must overcome -- the surge of narcotics that rots the fabric
of so many societies."

Pace moves to Miami from Norfolk, Va., where he was commander of
Marines deployed to European theaters and to the Southern Command.

In brief remarks, Pace turned to Cohen and said: "I understand the
enormity of the mission you have given me. I will not betray your
trust, sir."

Hundreds of uniformed men and women turned out for the ceremony, from
all four services, as well as the U.S. ambassador to Panama, Simon
Ferro; and the U.S. ambassadors to the Bahamas, Belize, Jamaica,
Trinidad and Tobago, and Uruguay.

Wilhelm spoke fondly of his "thousand days in command," begun in Miami
in September 1997 as he presided over the withdrawal of military forces
from Panama under the treaty to relinquish the Canal Zone.

During his tenure as the first Marine to command Southcom, Wilhelm, 59,
oversaw expansion of humanitarian and relief activities in the region,
championed Plan Colombia, and was an outspoken advocate of buying the
Doral headquarters to secure Southcom's permanent presence in Miami-
Dade.

Pace said at his confirmation hearings in Washington this week that he
supported Wilhelm's plan to seek $40 million for the property in a
fiscal year 2002 congressional appropriation -- and would not revisit
that decision.

There were two Marines called Pete Pace at Friday's ceremony.

The general's son is a first lieutenant and executive officer of
Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, based in California.

The general also has a daughter, a recent college graduate.