[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 141 (Monday, October 3, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      LESSONS LEARNED FROM SOMALIA

  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Thank you, Mr. President.
  Mr. President, today there was a ceremony at Arlington National 
Cemetery. It was the first anniversary of the 18 rangers that were 
killed in Somalia and there was a ceremony that commemorated that 
event. There was a wonderful article in the Wall Street Journal this 
morning by Larry Joyce whose son was killed on that mission 1 year ago.
  I want to take this opportunity, because I think it is very 
important, to say that we should have learned some lessons from 
Somalia; and for Larry Joyce to feel that the loss of his son, Casey, 
was worth something, I think we are going to have to show Larry Joyce 
and the parents of those rangers that were killed that, in fact, their 
deaths will save the lives of others.
  I think we need to look at the lesson because we are in a situation 
that is very similar right now, and we have American troops in harm's 
way in Haiti. I think we need to make sure that the mission is clear. 
They have been sent over there on a U.N. resolution to try to bring 
democracy to Haiti. I want to help the people of Haiti, but I think we 
must determine if there is a United States security interest that would 
put our troops in harm's way that is a mission that we have accepted in 
this country that would allow for the spilling of American blood in 
Haiti.
  I have asked this question. I have asked it on the floor of the 
United States Senate, and I have asked it many times: What is the 
mission in Haiti? I think it is time for the President to define the 
mission.
  We were told in briefings that our troops would not get between 
Haitian-on-Haitian violence, and yet we are seeing on television that 
there is much violence in Haiti, and we see our soldiers with their 
bayonets or their guns standing in the middle of this.
  I am very concerned about the safety of our troops. I know everyone 
is. I know all Americans are concerned, and I know that every Member of 
the U.S. Senate is concerned.
  So I just want to say that I think this day, the 1-year anniversary 
of what happened in Somalia when we lost 18 of our rangers, is an 
appropriate time to say, ``Mr. President, define the mission, tell us 
what your timetable is and when will we begin to see our troops come 
home and when will we be finished with this phase of this mission?''
  I think it is a very important question, and I want to say that I 
honor the 18 rangers who were killed in Somalia. I know all Americans 
do, and I think we should have a moment to say thank you and to say 
that we want the loss of life in Somalia to make a difference so that 
our troops are brought home from Haiti so that we will not again send 
our American troops into harm's way unless there is a United States 
security interest, unless there is a clear United States mission, and 
unless we know what our plan is, how our troops go in, what they are 
going to do when they get there, and how we are going to get them out.
  I ask unanimous consent that the article written by Larry Joyce be 
printed in the Congressional Record.
  There being no objection, the article was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

              [From the Wall Street Journal, Oct. 3, 1994]

              Remember the Losses--and Lessons--of Somalia

                          (By Larry E. Joyce)

       On this day in 1906 my father was born in dusty Segeville, 
     Texas. And on the same day in 1993, my son, Army Ranger Sgt. 
     James Casey Joyce, was killed on a dusty street in Mogadishu, 
     Somalia, at the age of 24. Today, I'll call my dad and wish 
     him well on his 88th birthday. And, at a ceremony at 
     Arlington National Cemetery, I'll observe the first 
     anniversary of my family's most tragic loss.
       The ceremony was arranged by No Greater Love, a nonprofit 
     group that was formed to honor the memory of those who gave 
     their lives in defense of this nation or who were victims of 
     terrorism. Today, they will remember the 44 members of the 
     armed forces who died in Somalia during Operation Restore 
     Hope. My family will be there, along with the families of the 
     other American casualties of Somalia.
       It will be the first time that most of us have met, even 
     though we share an unenviable bond. While we haven't had a 
     chance to discuss it yet, I'm sure we share something else 
     too--the hope that this day of remembrance will remind the 
     nation of the terrible price we pay when our brave young men 
     and women in uniform are sent to enforce an invalid foreign 
     policy.
       As we dedicate the tree and the stone monument in Arlington 
     to those 44 young lives, I'll also be reflecting on another 
     memorial two miles away--the one that carries the names of 
     58,191 of my old comrades. I always hoped that the terrible 
     price my generation paid in Vietnam would not have to be paid 
     by my children or my grandchildren. But that hope was dashed 
     last Oct. 3. Now, I simply hope that the sacrifices of those 
     44 brave young men are not forgotten.
       That is why the No Greater Love ceremony today is so 
     important. Already the media's memory of Somalia is beginning 
     to fade. Reporters and columnists continually refer to 
     President Clinton's foreign policy misadventures and few 
     mention Somalia. Three days before American troops were sent 
     into Haiti, the New York Times reported that the anticipated 
     invasion would be the first time Mr. Clinton had ordered 
     American soldiers into ground combat.
       What about Somalia? President Bush sent the first 
     contingent of 25,000 troops to ensure starving Somalis were 
     fed. By the spring of 1993, all but 4,500 troops had been 
     withdrawn and the mission was turned over to the United 
     Nations. The responsibility for what happened to American 
     troops in Somalia after that lies at the feet of the current 
     White House resident.
       Our policy in Somalia changed dramatically when President 
     Clinton let the U.N. secretary-general talk him into 
     switching a U.N. humanitarian mission into a unilateral U.S. 
     manhunt. In August 1993, Mr. Clinton ordered a 400-man 
     Ranger Task Force to capture Somali warlord Mohammed Farah 
     Aidid.
       Like our first naive foray into Vietnam three decades 
     earlier, this new mission was ill-conceived. The task force 
     was too small. The Rangers were denied their normal air 
     support. Tanks and armored personnel carriers that could have 
     reinforced or extracted them were also denied. And on Oct. 3, 
     when they were outnumbered 30 to 1, the Rangers desperately 
     needed all those resources.
       Within 30 days, President Clinton realized what most 
     military professionals knew from the outset: It was virtually 
     impossible to track down an urban guerrilla warfare expert in 
     the back alleys of Mogadishu, where he was once the police 
     chief.
       Ironically, it was former President Carter who had told 
     President Clinton that a military solution woundn't work, but 
     a diplomatic one would. Because of a previous relationship 
     with Gen. Aidid, President Carter had made contact with him 
     and reported to President Clinton--in the middle of last 
     September--that Gen. Aidid was ready to negotiate.
       If we had already decided in mid to late September to 
     negotiate with Gen. Aidid, why was the Oct. 3 raid launched 
     that resulted in the deaths of 18 more Americans? I got the 
     chance to ask President Clinton that question face-to-face on 
     May 12. The answer was, ``I don't know.'' He told me he 
     didn't want to micomanage the military and had intentionally 
     remained disengaged from military matters in Somalia.
       Tragically, no one told the Rangers that the rules had 
     changed and to ``back off'' on capturing Gen. Aidid so a 
     diplomatic solution could be put in place. And Robert Oakley, 
     President Clinton's former special envoy to Somalia, is the 
     only one close to the administration who has publicly 
     acknowledged that there was a breakdown in communications 
     between the White House and the military. He made that 
     admission to ``Dateline NBC'' this July.
       I hope President Clinton and future commanders in chief 
     learn this from the foreign relations debacle in Somalia: 
     When American troops are in a combat environment, they become 
     the number one priority. Domestic agendas should be put on 
     the back burner until the troops are out of the line of fire. 
     The president must constantly stay abreast of the military 
     situation to ensure that military actions are consistent with 
     current foreign policy.
       Had President Clinton taken these simple steps, there would 
     be at least 18 fewer young men for us to mourn and remember 
     in Arlington today.

  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I would just like to say that I 
commend Larry Joyce for not letting the memory of his son go unheeded. 
He is saying, as I am saying, let us learn the lessons of Somalia and 
let us apply them in Haiti and let us apply them in a foreign policy 
that will stand for all the future missions that we take; and that is, 
we must make sure that our troops who sign up to defend the freedom of 
this country go only when there is a clear U.S. security interest.
  Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor.
  Mr. MITCHELL addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.

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