[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.