[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 16 (Wednesday, February 23, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 23, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                    TRIBUTE TO LT. GEN. NEAL T. JACO

                                 ______


                           HON. FRANK TEJEDA

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 23, 1994

  Mr. TEJEDA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Lt. Gen. Neal 
T. Jaco, commanding general of the 5th U.S. Army and Fort Sam Houston 
in San Antonio, TX. General Jaco's retirement ceremony is Friday, 
February 25, and I know that I can speak for many in the San Antonio 
community when I say his presence and his service will be sorely 
missed.
  General Jaco was born in Springfield, MO, on October 28, 1937. He was 
commissioned through the ROTC program in 1959, and holds a bachelor's 
degree from Southwest Missouri State University and a master's degree 
in international relations from George Washington University. His 
military education includes the infantry officer's basic course, the 
armor officer's advanced course, the Naval Command and Staff College, 
and the Army War College.
  General Jaco has held several command and staff positions including: 
Battalion personnel officer and brigade operations officer at Fort 
Benning, GA; company commander and battalion operations officer in 
Korea; division operations adviser in Vietnam; and training staff 
officer at the Department of the Army Office of the Deputy Chief of 
Staff for personnel.
  In November 1975, General Jaco assumed command of the 1st Battalion, 
28th Infantry at Fort Riley, KS. Just 1 year later, he took command of 
the 3d Battalion, 28th Infantry in West Germany. He later returned to 
Fort Riley to become the division personnel officer for the 1st 
Infantry Division. After attending the Army War College, General Jaco 
assumed duties as the corps personnel officer/director of personnel and 
community activities of III Corps and Fort Hood, TX. In May of 1982, he 
assumed command of the Armor Center and School Brigade at Fort Knox, 
KY. He then served as the operations officer for III Corps at Fort 
Hood. He transferred to Fort Polk, LA, where he served as the chief of 
staff for the 5th Infantry Division, and then returned to Fort Hood to 
assume duties as assistant division commander of the 2d Armored 
Division, and later, chief of staff of III Corps and Fort Hood.
  General Jaco's most recent assignments include service as the 
commanding general of the U.S. Army Community and Family Support Center 
at Department of the Army. In May 1990, he assumed command of the 4th 
Infantry Division, mechanized, and Fort Carson, CO. He has earned many 
military awards including the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of 
Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation 
Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Parachutist 
Badge, and the Army General Staff Identification Badge.

  On November 14, 1991, General Jaco took command of 5th U.S. Army and 
Fort Sam Houston, TX. It was in this capacity that I began to work with 
General Jaco on matters of importance to the San Antonio community. 
Those of my colleagues who represent military bases know how often a 
Congressman is called upon to work with those bases, on constituent 
matters or on base issues. San Antonio has five military bases, so, 
over the years, I have worked with many commanders.
  General Jaco is an accomplished leader, but he also is an 
accomplished listener. He knows how to command, and how to respond. He 
understands that an Army post is more than a collection of buildings 
and men and women, that it works with the surrounding community to 
solve common problems. Each time that I have asked for assistance in 
addressing an issue, General Jaco has responded quickly and 
courteously. He is a problem-solver with uncommon skill and zeal.
  Being a leader is never easy. But it is all that much more difficult 
to manage the modern American Armed Forces in a time of such dramatic 
change. General Jaco came to Fort Sam Houston, an old and historic 
installation, in such a time of change for this Nation's military. We 
all know that the military budget is shrinking, and that our forces are 
being asked to do more with less. So a commander like General Jaco is 
asked to manage an installation a century old at a time of great 
technological change. And he must do so in the midst of a community 
that now numbers over a million people with all the urban problems and 
tensions that they can bring.
  Let me say that General Jaco distinguished himself in the modern 
armed forces just as he distinguished himself on the battlefield. He 
has been a good friend to me, and more importantly, to the San Antonio 
community. But most of all, he has been everything that our armed 
services and this Nation could ask. On behalf of my colleagues, I would 
like to wish him many years of well-earned retirement, secure in the 
knowledge that he has many years of contribution to his country.

                          ____________________