After pulling some strings at the Pentagon, I managed to gain access for readers of The Diary of a Mad Hedge Fund Trader to a briefing from General Douglas Fraser. He is a four star Air Force General who is the commander of US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), one of nine unified Combatant Commands in the Department of Defense.
Its area of responsibility encompasses Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. SOUTHCOM is a joint command comprised of more than 1,200 military and civilian personnel representing the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and other federal agencies.
General Fraser graduated from the Air Force Academy in 1974 and is fluent in Spanish. He has commanded Air Force combat units in Japan, Korea, and Germany. He was later a senior officer in the Space Operations Command. General Fraser joined SOUTHCOM in 2009 after serving as deputy commander of the Pacific Command for two years.
The event will be held on Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 6:00 PM at the Marines Memorial Association, 609 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA 94102. To register, please click here , check the box next to ?SOUTHCOM Commander?, then click on ?next? and complete the registration process.
This is a rare opportunity for civilians to meet one of America?s most senior military officers. Expect every retired general and admiral in the San Francisco Bay area to attend, along with many active duty members of the US Marine Corps. Absolutely no recordings of any kind are permitted. If you want to say hello, I?ll be standing next to the registration desk, wearing a blue cap with ?USS Potomac? in gold letters. Just ask for USMC Captain John Thomas.
