Remarks prepared for delivery
by General (USAF) Douglas Fraser SOUTHCOM Change of
Command ceremony U.S. Southern Command headquarters,
Miami 25 June 2009
Buenos
días South Florida – distinguished guests,
family, friends.
Rena, Hannah and I are thrilled to be in South Florida.
The welcome we have received since arriving here has
been very warm and generous – it reflects “la
hospitalidad y amistad” of South Florida and,
more broadly, of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Mr. Secretary, Vice Chairman, General Schwarz, Admiral
Keating, and most importantly, “mis compañeros”
in SOUTHCOM – thank you for honoring us today
with your presence.
I want to thank the Chairman, Secretary Gates, and our
Commander-in-Chief for their confidence in me and for
the great honor to lead this vibrant command.
Command is a great privilege. I take this privilege
very seriously. As such, I am humbled to be the first
Airman to command U.S. Southern Command. Mr. Secretary,
Vice Chairman, I will work vigorously every day to enhance
security across the Americas and to improve U.S. military
relations with our partners in the region.
General Schwartz, thank you for your support. Chief,
I will make our Air Force proud.
I want to begin by thanking the many friends and family
who have traveled great distances to share this day
with us. They come from Alaska, Hawaii, Japan and the
U.S. Air Force. Your presence here today means a great
deal to Rena and me.
Through many years, I’ve relied on my soul mate
and very close partner for my strength, my wife Rena.
Rena, thank you for the love and care you give our family.
Your strength makes our family thrive. But in addition,
your caring support to the families of our men and women
in uniform has made a big difference in so many lives.
Thank you.
I also want to thank my children, Heather, Hannah and
Ian, for the sacrifices you have made over the years.
I’m very proud of you.
Finally, I want to thank my parents. My Mom and Dad
have been rocks of support and wonderful role models.
I wish my Mom could have been here today. Unfortunately,
she passed away a couple of months ago, but I know she
is with us in spirit. Thank you Dad for attending today
for both of you.
I would also like to call your attention to a special
group of people here today – my classmates from
the U.S. Air Force Academy Class of 1975, “The
Best Alive.” Would my classmates please stand.
They are my brothers. As such, I’m humbled to
represent them as our class’s first four-star
general.
Finally, joining us today is a very dear friend
and superb pilot, Lt Gen (retired) Toshimishi Nagaiwa.
We met 25 years ago when Japan sent its initial group
of pilots to the U.S. to learn to fly the F-15. I was
an instructor pilot at the time. Over the years, we
have built a lasting partnership that endures today.
General Nagaiwa traveled from Japan to join us today.
Toshi, thank you.
As many of you know, Miami is often called the “Gateway
to the Americas.” This fact hasn’t changed
since my youth when I traveled frequently to and from
South America through Miami.
At the time, I was living in Bogotá, Colombia,
with my parents. While in Colombia, I attended high
school at Colegio Nueva Granada, graduating in 1971.
Through this experience, I gained a life-long appreciation
and affection for Latin America. Because my career took
me to other parts of the U.S. Air Force, I never dreamed
I would have the opportunity to return home to work
with the vibrant people I so admired in my youth. I
feel very blessed to stand here today. I am back home.
As I take the stick of Southern Command, I am honored
to follow in the footsteps of a great leader and statesman,
Admiral Jim Stavridis. His vision, his innovative drive,
and his passion for advancing interagency and international
partnering, including public-private cooperation, have
made a lasting impact on Southern Command and the entire
region. Jim, Rena and I wish you and Laura great success
as you move to Europe and we look forward to working
closely with you both in the future.
My experience at U.S. Pacific Command has given me an
appreciation for the value of building and sustaining
partnerships, within and between the armed forces, and
within the interagency and international communities.
The trans-national and trans-regional challenges we
face to security, stability, and prosperity in the Americas
can only be met through strong, enduring partnerships.
This work in Southern Command must continue.
I will work with all of you to fortify and improve on
the strong foundation of partnership that Admiral Stavridis
and the other distinguished commanders of Southern Command
helped build. The vital relations they forged within
the Americas have improved our collective security.
But many challenges remain. Our nations and our citizens
are counting on us to strengthen our interagency, international,
and public-private partnerships to effectively counter
these security challenges. As the Southern Command’s
mottos states, our goal remains to foster “Partnership
for the Americas.”
I’m eager to work with this great team of professionals
at Southern Command and our partners in South Florida
and throughout the region.
Muchas gracias!
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