[Senate Document 113-38]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


 

Tributes

                                Delivered in Congress
                                
                                
                                
                                

                                    John E. Walsh

                                United States Senator

                                      2014-2015


[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]


                              
                              
                              
                              U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
                                   WASHINGTON : 2015
                                   
                                   
                                   
                                           


                                           


                            Compiled under the direction

                                       of the

                             Joint Committee on Printing
                                      
                                      CONTENTS
             Biography.............................................
                                                                      v
             Farewell Address......................................
                                                                    vii
             Proceedings in the Senate:
                Tributes by Senators:
                    Bennet, Michael F., of Colorado................
                                                                      4
                    Boxer, Barbara, of California..................
                                                                      7
                    Coons, Christopher A., of Delaware.............
                                                                      3
                    Durbin, Richard J., of Illinois................
                                                                      4
                    Hatch, Orrin G., of Utah.......................
                                                                   4, 6
                    Hirono, Mazie K., of Hawaii....................
                                                                      7
                    Leahy, Patrick J., of Vermont..................
                                                                      6
                    Reed, Jack, of Rhode Island....................
                                                                      3
                    Reid, Harry, of Nevada.........................
                                                                      5
                                      BIOGRAPHY

               Senator John Walsh was born and raised in Butte, MT. 
             Senator Walsh is the son of a union pipefitter and a 
             homemaker. He graduated from Butte High in 1979 and 
             enlisted in the Montana National Guard the same year. He 
             began college at Carroll College in Helena, and became the 
             first person in his family to graduate college, earning 
             degrees from the University of the State of New York and 
             the U.S. Army War College.
               From 1979 until 1987, John Walsh served in the enlisted 
             ranks of the Montana National Guard. In 1987, he was 
             commissioned as a second lieutenant. Through hard work and 
             dedication, he became the adjutant general of Montana's 
             National Guard. In 2004 and 2005, John Walsh led over 700 
             soldiers into combat in Iraq--the largest deployment of 
             Montana soldiers and airmen since World War II. For his 
             distinguished service, John Walsh is the recipient of the 
             Bronze Star, Legion of Merit Award, and Combat Infantry 
             Badge.
               In 2012, John Walsh retired from the Montana National 
             Guard and served as Montana's 30th Lieutenant Governor, 
             working to balance the budget, improve Montana's school 
             system, and strengthen laws on child abuse.
               John Walsh was sworn into office on February 11, 2014, 
             becoming one of Montana's U.S. Senators and the first Iraq 
             veteran to serve in the U.S. Senate. He served on four 
             committees: Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry; 
             Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Rules and 
             Administration; and the Special Committee on Aging.
               Senator Walsh is married to Janet, his wife of 29 years. 
             Janet has been a paraeducator in the Montana public 
             schools system for 17 years. They have two sons, Michael 
             and Taylor, a daughter-in-law, April, and a granddaughter, 
             Kennedy.
                               Farewell to the Senate
                            Wednesday, December 10, 2014

               Mr. WALSH. Madam President, I rise today to speak to 
             this body and my fellow Montanans about service.
               In preparing to leave the Senate, I add my voice to the 
             voices of many other departing Members who have called for 
             a return to civility in Washington, DC. Politics today is 
             too full of pettiness. Public servants--you and I, as well 
             as those elected to serve in the next Congress--should set 
             the standard with better words and better actions, but we 
             should also lead from the front. I am not saying anything 
             that hasn't already been said, but more of us need to say 
             it. If we are lucky, which we are, we are even blessed to 
             stand in this room and do what we do on behalf of our 
             fellow citizens.
               Everyone in this Chamber has a unique story about their 
             roots and their path to public service. Mine began in 
             Butte, MT. I was the son of a union pipefitter in a 
             struggling blue collar town, and my path led to the 
             military. I enlisted out of high school in the Montana 
             National Guard and soon found a career serving my 
             neighbors and family.
               The National Guard--the great citizen wing of our Armed 
             Forces--was a home for me. Leading my fellow soldiers into 
             combat in Iraq in 2004-2005 was a defining experience in 
             my life. Overseeing two successful elections for the 
             Iraqis added a new perspective to my view on democracy. 
             Fighting insurgents drove home how fortunate we are to 
             live in the United States of America and to enjoy the 
             freedoms we often take for granted.
               The men of Task Force GRIZ who unfortunately didn't come 
             home with me and the men and women who came back with 
             visible and invisible wounds have truly defined the cost 
             of war for me, and they remind me every single day of the 
             cost of public servants getting it wrong when it comes to 
             our national defense. I have devoted much of my 
             professional life since returning home to accounting for 
             the true cost of war.
               Today, from my perspective, the decks are stacked 
             against the democratic process in America in many ways. 
             There is too much money, too much noise, and too little 
             commitment to finding common ground. Anonymous money 
             masquerading as free speech can poison campaigns. It 
             silences the voices of the majority of American citizens. 
             The concentration of wealth in fewer hands is bad for our 
             society, just as the ability for a handful of the wealthy 
             to carry the loudest megaphones in our elections is bad 
             for our democracy. Elections are starting to look much 
             like auctions. Dark money and circus politics shouldn't 
             prevent the U.S. Senate from honorably living up to the 
             power we have been given.
               Growing up in a little house that shook twice a day from 
             the dynamite blasts at the copper mine nearby, I never 
             thought I would be involved in public service. I aspired 
             to have a decent job. I aspired to get an education. I 
             aspired to having the time to fish the lakes and streams I 
             fished with my father. Just the normal stuff. That normal 
             stuff is what I think most Americans still want today and 
             too often can't achieve.
               Public service--becoming a soldier--was my ticket to a 
             better life: a job and a college education. After only a 
             small taste, I discovered that I loved public service. I 
             loved being devoted to something bigger than myself.
               We should all remember that Congress can always use more 
             Americans from more walks of life who have discovered 
             public service through unlikely means.
               It is the privilege of my life to serve the people of 
             Montana in the seat of Senators Lee Metcalf and Max 
             Baucus. Lee, along with Mike Mansfield, was my Senator 
             while I was growing up in Butte, MT. The great citizen 
             conservationist Cecil Garland said, ``It was typical of 
             Lee to fight to give the little guy a voice in government 
             decisions.''
               In my time in this Chamber, I have tried to follow Lee's 
             example.
               The people who need a voice in this Chamber are the 
             ranchers and hardware store owners like Cecil in towns 
             like Lincoln and Dillon. The person who needs a voice in 
             this Chamber is the mother in Troy, MT, who became the 
             primary breadwinner when her husband lost his job cutting 
             timber. The person who needs a voice here is the young 
             woman in Shelby, MT, who has done everything right--
             studied hard and earned her degree--only to be squeezed by 
             too much student debt and too few opportunities. The 
             people who need voices are the servicemembers from Laurel 
             and Great Falls, MT, who returned from the war in 
             Afghanistan and Iraq with delayed onset PTSD and have 
             fallen through the cracks at the VA. They are the 
             entrepreneurs in Big Fork and Bozeman, MT, who have opened 
             small distilleries and faced the tangle of redtape. They 
             are the committed couples across Montana--your neighbors, 
             our families, our friends--who are treated like second-
             class citizens because of whom they love.
               So today I urge my colleagues to lend people like this 
             in each of your States your voice as a Senator in this 
             Chamber.
               I am humbled by the number of challenges that face the 
             next Congress. I urge my colleagues to continue to fight 
             to protect Americans' civil liberties. I leave the Senate 
             dismayed by the scope of government surveillance in our 
             everyday life. Congress must always--and I emphasize 
             always--protect the privacy of our citizens.
               I remain deeply concerned about the National Security 
             Agency's unconstitutional spying on Americans' 
             communications, the secret back doors into the Department 
             of Commerce encryption standards, and the gag orders under 
             the FBI National Security Letter Program.
               I urge my colleagues to continue fighting for rural 
             America. We need stronger voting rights and more jobs in 
             Indian Country to promote tribal sovereignty and 
             prosperity. We need to keep our farm safety net strong and 
             address brucellosis to protect the livestock industry. We 
             need a stronger commitment to fund and reform the Payment 
             in Lieu of Taxes Program and its sister programs. Small 
             county budgets, schools, and roads depend on them. These 
             same rural communities need better management of our 
             national forests--something Congress and the Forest 
             Service need to focus on.
               We need an honest conversation and urgent solutions to 
             the incredible challenge posed by climate change. As I 
             said earlier from this same podium, ``we cannot put our 
             heads in the sand and continue with business as usual.''
               ``Members of Congress should be taking responsibility 
             and upholding the oaths we all swore. We should agree with 
             science--climate change is a clear enemy, and Congress 
             must take steps to stop it.''
               The next Congress should be thoughtful about women and 
             families--from health care decisions to paycheck fairness.
               Finally, I implore all of Congress, all of you, to 
             redouble your attention to the crisis of suicide among our 
             veterans. Yesterday the House of Representatives passed 
             the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans 
             Act. That bill now sits before this body, and we have an 
             opportunity to act. We have an opportunity to pass it. I 
             mentioned the invisible wounds of war already, but if this 
             country were losing 22 servicemembers a day on the 
             battlefield, Americans would be on the streets protesting. 
             Congress would be demanding action. But that is exactly 
             the number of veterans who die by suicide each and every 
             day from across our country. Veteran suicide is an urgent 
             crisis facing our communities, and congressional action is 
             long overdue.
               I believe extending the eligibility for combat veterans 
             at the VA is one essential way to address delayed-onset 
             PTSD and reduce the suicide rate among our veterans. This 
             simple fix and other solutions that improve access to 
             mental health care for veterans should continue to be a 
             top priority for the next Congress.
               It is fitting that in the last days of the 113th 
             Congress, the Senate is sending the President a bill that 
             carries on the public lands legacy of Senators Lee Metcalf 
             and Max Baucus and the thousands of Montanans who worked 
             together to find common ground.
               In the words of Randolph Jennings, Senator Rockefeller's 
             predecessor from West Virginia, Lee ``was a tireless 
             champion of preserving and protecting our nation's natural 
             heritage for succeeding generations to use and enjoy.''
               After Lee's death, Max and the rest of the Montana 
             delegation carried on his legacy by passing wilderness 
             designations for the Absaroka-Beartooth, Great Bear, and 
             the Lee Metcalf Wilderness Areas. In the same spirit, I am 
             honored to join Senator Jon Tester and Senator-elect Steve 
             Daines in carrying on their legacy by passing the North 
             Fork Watershed Protection Act and the Rocky Mountain Front 
             Heritage Act. We took a page from Montanans. We sat down 
             together, and we worked out an agreement that protected 
             almost 700,000 acres of the Crown of the Continent. This 
             is how democracy should work.
               Forty-two years after the first citizen-driven 
             wilderness, this week Congress is expanding the Scapegoat 
             and Bob Marshall Wilderness Areas in Montana. Thirty-eight 
             years after the Flathead River was protected from schemes 
             to dam it and divert it, this week Congress is protecting 
             the Flathead and Glacier National Park forever from 
             efforts to mine it and drill it. Montanans came together. 
             Farmers, ranchers, small business owners, 
             conservationists, hunters, anglers--all worked together to 
             find common ground. Montanans went there first, and their 
             representatives in Congress followed.
               When Congress rewards the work of citizens who 
             collaborate, when we finally reach the critical mass in 
             this Chamber to be responsive, that is the day we earn the 
             title of ``public servant.'' Montanans can be hopeful 
             today that government by them and for them still works. 
             They can still effect change. The Senate still listens and 
             serves.
               When President Eisenhower left office in 1961, Congress 
             passed legislation at his request that restored his 
             military title. He wanted to be remembered as a career 
             soldier rather than the Commander in Chief.
               My 33 years in uniform defined my life. I will always be 
             a soldier. As a soldier, as a husband to my wonderful wife 
             Janet, who has been my partner for 31 years, and as the 
             proud dad of Michael and Taylor, as the father-in-law to 
             my wonderful daughter-in-law April, and as the grandfather 
             of a little girl named Kennedy, who will inherit this 
             great Nation, I will return to civilian life with great 
             hope for the U.S. Senate and for the United States of 
             America.
               I, along with millions of others, will be watching 
             closely and imploring Members in this Chamber to check 
             politics at the door and instead focus on the future. 
             Honor veterans and their families who sacrifice so much. 
             Honor seniors who have heard promises from you. Honor the 
             most vulnerable amongst us. They are who we always should 
             fight for.
               Madam President, I am forever grateful to have served 
             the people of Montana in this building standing side by 
             side with each and every one of you. God bless each and 
             every one of you, and may God continue to bless the United 
             States of America.
               Madam President, I yield the floor.


                                           

                                      TRIBUTES

                                         TO

                                    JOHN E. WALSH
                              Proceedings in the Senate
                                              Tuesday, December 9, 2014
               Mr. REED. Mr. President, I would like to take a few 
             minutes to salute my colleagues who are departing the 
             Senate at the end of this year with the conclusion of the 
             113th Congress: Mark Begich of Alaska, Saxby Chambliss of 
             Georgia, Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, Kay Hagan of North 
             Carolina, Tom Harkin of Iowa, Mike Johanns of Nebraska, 
             Tim Johnson of South Dakota, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, 
             Carl Levin of Michigan, Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Jay 
             Rockefeller of West Virginia, Mark Udall of Colorado, and 
             John Walsh of Montana.
               They have all worked hard, ceaselessly giving their 
             energy and considerable time and service to their 
             constituents, to their home States and to our country. I 
             want to thank them for their service and for their 
             kindness to me over many years in so many cases. In 
             particular, I want to say a few words about these 
             colleagues. ...
               John Walsh is a friend I met and served with over the 
             last several years. I want to salute him, not only as a 
             Senator but as a combat veteran. He has had the greatest 
             privilege that I believe any American has--the privilege 
             to lead American soldiers. He did it well. I thank him for 
             that. ...
               Along with all of my other colleagues who are leaving us 
             at the conclusion of the 113th Congress, let me thank them 
             for their service, their dedication to improving the lives 
             of Americans, and on a very personal level for their 
             friendship. I wish them all well.
                                           Wednesday, December 10, 2014
               Mr. COONS. ... As I close, I would also like to thank 
             those of our colleagues who will be leaving the Senate 
             after the New Year.
               It is an incredible privilege to work in this Chamber 
             and to represent the people. Every day I am awed by the 
             dedication and talent of many of my colleagues, public 
             servants who come to work to fight for their States and 
             their government.
               To those who are ending their service in the Senate, 
             know that I value your friendship and partnership. It has 
             been an honor to work with you, and I thank you for all 
             you have done for our Nation.
                        ORDER FOR PRINTING OF SENATE DOCUMENT
               Mr. BENNET. I ask unanimous consent that the tributes to 
             retiring Senators be printed as a Senate document and that 
             Senators be permitted to submit tributes until December 
             23, 2014.

               The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so 
             ordered.
                                            Thursday, December 11, 2014
               Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I want to take a few 
             moments to thank a Senator who will be leaving at the end 
             of this term: Senator John Walsh of Montana.
               Though only in the Senate a brief time, Senator Walsh 
             brought his wealth of experience to the work here and 
             fought the good fight. Serving 33 years in the Montana 
             Army National Guard, he brought his bravery and courage 
             into the Senate. John Walsh supported the Paycheck 
             Fairness Act and was one of the original cosponsors of the 
             Bring Jobs Home Act. He lived up to the values he was 
             fighting for in the military by standing for workers here.
               I thank him for his service and friendship and wish him 
             the best in all his future endeavors.
                                              Friday, December 12, 2014
               Mr. HATCH. Madam President, I pay tribute to Senator 
             John Walsh. I have known John for only a brief time, but I 
             know that he is a good man who has served his country 
             well.
               Senator Walsh began his service to our country long 
             before he came to the Senate. He joined the Montana 
             National Guard right after high school--the start of an 
             impressive military career. John served 8 years as an 
             enlisted U.S. Army soldier before he was commissioned as a 
             second lieutenant in 1987. As an officer, he distinguished 
             himself and quickly rose through the ranks.
               Senator Walsh led the 163d Infantry Battalion in Iraq, 
             commanding more than 700 Army National Guard soldiers in 
             combat. He later received the Bronze Star and the Combat 
             Infantry Badge for his service. In 2008, Governor Brian 
             Schweitzer appointed John the adjutant general of 
             Montana's National Guard. As adjutant general, John 
             oversaw the command of thousands of troops. These soldiers 
             and their families looked to him for leadership and 
             strength, and he always delivered.
               Senator Walsh moved from military service to public 
             office when he became Montana's Lieutenant Governor in 
             2013. Governor Steve Bullock appointed John to fill former 
             Senator Max Baucus' seat in February 2014, making John the 
             first Iraq war veteran to serve as a Senator.
               Though his time here in the Senate was brief, Senator 
             Walsh was an active member of the Committee on Rules and 
             Administration; the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 
             and Forestry; and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
             Transportation. He always treated me and our other 
             colleagues with the utmost kindness and respect.
               Senator Walsh is a good man who has dedicated his life 
             to serving our country and keeping us safe. I wish him, 
             his wife Janet, and their children the very best.
                                              Monday, December 15, 2014
               Mr. REID. Madam President, there is only one combat 
             veteran of the Iraq war in the Senate, and that is General 
             John Walsh--Senator John Walsh.
               In 2004 General Walsh led the deployment of several 
             hundred National Guard men from Montana to Iraq. He did 
             the same thing a year later. It was a very difficult time 
             for Americans in Iraq. General Walsh's men were in some of 
             the heaviest battles. Many of them were wounded, and a 
             number of them gave the ultimate sacrifice.
               He led the largest deployment of Montana soldiers and 
             airmen since World War II. For his service, John was 
             awarded the Bronze Star, the Legion of Merit Award, and 
             the Combat Infantry Badge. John came to the Senate a hero, 
             and he will leave the Senate a hero.
               He treated his time in the Senate like his time in the 
             Army--he volunteered for the most difficult assignments 
             here in the Senate. For example, Saturday night it was 
             late--we thought we may have to be in here all night--and 
             he volunteered to be here all night, not having to be 
             relieved. He agreed to be here all night. He said, ``That 
             is what I am here for.''
               He served the people of Montana admirably in the Senate. 
             I thank him for his service over the past year.
               I thank his family--his wife Janet, his sons Michael and 
             Taylor, and granddaughter Kennedy--for their sacrifice in 
             supporting his work here in Washington, DC.
               I wish him the very best. He was the Lieutenant Governor 
             of Montana, a job I held in the past, and we talked about 
             that.
               I don't know what the next chapter in his life will be, 
             but knowing the courage and integrity of John Walsh, it 
             will be an important chapter.

               Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, Senator John Walsh has 
             served but a brief time in the Senate, but he came to this 
             body with a long history of public service. A decorated 
             veteran, he enlisted in the Montana National Guard in 
             1979, and he rose through the ranks, ultimately being 
             selected as Montana's adjutant general. He is the first 
             veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to serve as a 
             Senator, and during his tour of duty, he earned the Bronze 
             Star, the Legion of Merit, and the Combat Infantry Badge.
               As a Senator, John Walsh has been a strong advocate of 
             mental health care for veterans, preserving Native 
             languages, and bringing outsourced jobs back to the United 
             States. As cochair of the Senate National Guard Caucus, I 
             recognize and greatly appreciate his deep understanding 
             and strong support for the Guard, its needs, and its 
             future.
               I wish him, his wife Janet, and their children and 
             grandchild all the best in the next chapter of their 
             lives.
                                             Tuesday, December 16, 2014
               Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, as we wind down the final days 
             of the 113th Congress, it is a good time both to reflect 
             on the past and to look toward the future. I have been 
             very moved as I listened to the farewell speeches of our 
             departing Senators, and I wish I had time to pay tribute 
             to each one of them. They have all been wonderful 
             colleagues, and I enjoyed working with and getting to know 
             every one of them. I wish them all the very best in all 
             their future endeavors. They will most certainly be 
             missed. ...

               Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to our 
             colleague, Senator John Walsh of Montana. While his Senate 
             career is shorter than any of us would have hoped, the 
             institution is better for his service, and he will be 
             missed.
               His road to this body is different than most anyone 
             else. He grew up in Butte, MT, close enough to a copper 
             mine that his house would shake when the dynamite went 
             off. His dreams were modest--get an education, find a job, 
             and do some fishing.
               But life often takes unexpected turns. He enrolled in 
             the Montana National Guard in order to pursue those modest 
             dreams, and found a home in the Guard. He rose to serve as 
             adjutant general of the Montana National Guard. In this 
             capacity he commanded troops in Iraq in 2004 and 2005. He 
             earned the Bronze Star, Legion of Merit Award, and Combat 
             Infantry Badge for his efforts leading over 700 young men 
             and women. This military experience is one that he carries 
             with him in ways that most of us will never know.
               After retiring from the National Guard in 2012 he served 
             as Montana's Lieutenant Governor, and currently, as a 
             Senator. He is the first Iraq war combat veteran to serve 
             in the Senate.
               His experience growing up in a working class family, 
             serving in the military, and as a public servant in 
             elected office have made him a valuable Member of this 
             body.
               His advocacy for Montana, and for our servicemembers and 
             veterans, and his perspective on national security 
             matters--particularly reigning in the National Security 
             Agency--have been valuable to our caucus. I know that he 
             will carry these priorities forward in whatever endeavor 
             he pursues next.
               I am proud to have served as his colleague in the 
             Senate. Aloha John, and a hui hou, ``until we meet 
             again,'' to you, your wife Janet, and your family.

               Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I wish to celebrate and thank 
             the 13 outgoing Senators who have worked tirelessly to 
             represent their home States in the Senate: Senator Mark 
             Begich, Senator Saxby Chambliss, Senator Tom Coburn, 
             Senator Kay Hagan, Senator Tom Harkin, Senator Mike 
             Johanns, Senator Tim Johnson, Senator Mary Landrieu, 
             Senator Carl Levin, Senator Mark Pryor, Senator Jay 
             Rockefeller, Senator Mark Udall, and Senator John Walsh.
               I have worked side by side with these men and women for 
             years--some for decades--and witnessed first hand their 
             extraordinary commitment to public service and to the 
             people they so proudly represent.
               Even when we didn't see eye to eye on every issue, I 
             always deeply respected and admired their service to our 
             Nation and their dedication to fight for what they believe 
             in.
               It has been a privilege to serve alongside each and 
             every one of these extraordinary colleagues. I will miss 
             their leadership and their friendship, and I wish them all 
             the best as they embark on the next chapter.