WASHINGTON, Sept. 28, 2007 – When Marine Gen. Peter Pace retires Oct. 1, so too will the signature coin that he shared with thousands of servicemembers, family members and veterans he’s met personally during his two years as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The Pentagon-shaped coin has become a physical extension of the chairman — part calling card, part memento and part symbol of appreciation for service to country and a job well done.

Army Command Sgt. Maj. William J. Gainey, Pace’s senior enlisted advisor, called it “a coin of excellence” that recognizes actions beyond the call of duty, both big and small.

Wherever Pace traveled — the halls of the Pentagon, military installations stateside and overseas, forward operating bases in combat zones — he rarely missed an opportunity to walk up to soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines to thank them for their service. As he looked them in the eye and shook their hands, he inevitably slipped his personal coin into their palms.

(Photo Insert) Command coins handed out by U.S. Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during his visit at a forward operating base in Afghanistan near the Pakistan border, Sept. 2, 2007.

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WASHINGTON, Sept. 28, 2007 – Marine Gen. Peter Pace, the outgoing chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, thanked servicemembers for their dedication and sacrifice in a farewell message released today.

“As my time as chairman comes to an end, I am filled with pride in the accomplishments of the incredible men and women of our armed forces, and humility in having had the opportunity to serve with each of you,” Pace, who is retiring Sept. 30, wrote.

For the past six years, Pace has served as vice chairman and chairman of the Joint Chiefs. During this time and his more-than-40-year military career, he said, he has been enriched personally and professionally by all the troops he has come in contact with. (continue reading…)

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from World War II, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

He is 1st Lt. James W. Blose, U.S. Army Air Forces, of Sharpsville, Pa. He will be buried Sept. 29 in Hermitage, Pa.

Representatives from the Army met with Blose’s next-of-kin in her hometown to explain the recovery and identification process and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the Secretary of the Army.

On April 22, 1942, Blose and another pilot, 2nd Lt. William S. Shaw, departed Nausori, Airdrome, Viti Levu Island, Fiji, on an airborne alert mission. Soon after takeoff, bad weather forced the pilots to fly below the level of several mountaintops in the area and land their P-39D Airacobras at Nandi Airdrome. Shaw successfully landed his plane, but Blose was not seen or heard from again. Initial ground searches in the thick jungles and rugged terrain were unsuccessful.

In late 2004, a Fiji citizen reported to a U.S. official in Fiji that he located possible aircraft wreckage on Viti Levu Island. The official visited the site and saw the wreckage bearing a data plate that correlated to Blose’s plane. The Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) investigated the crash site in early 2005 and collected additional data plate information.

In 2006, a JPAC team excavated the site and recovered human remains and other items including a pilot’s microphone electrical plug with Blose’s initials on it.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC also used dental comparisons in the identification of Blose’s remains.