[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 89 (Friday, May 26, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S7636]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


               SENATOR THURMOND RECEIVES HONORARY DEGREE

 Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, on Saturday, May 20, 1995, Senator 
Strom Thurmond received the honorary degree of doctor of medical 
jurisprudence honoris causa during the 16th commencement ceremony of 
the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences [USUHS].
  Our Nation's only military medical school recognized the President 
pro tempore of the U.S. Senate and the chairman of the Senate Armed 
Services Committee for his ``uncompromising commitment to excellence in 
military service and in particular, to military medicine.'' Through his 
vision and efforts, 2,148 USUHS physicians have been commissioned into 
the uniformed services; and, of those fine, uniformed doctors, over 81 
percent remain on active duty in the service of their Nation beyond 
their initial service obligation.
  Senator Thurmond's leadership and foresight played a major role in 
the conception of USUHS. Through his consistent support and recognition 
of the importance of pre-war and wartime knowledge of military medical 
requirements, the Congress established USUHS and the scholarship 
program [HPSP] as complementary sources of accession for military 
physicians. In 1972, Public Law 92-426 established the HPSP program to 
be a flexible source for the quantity of doctors required by the Armed 
Forces. USUHS was established to provide a corps of military medical 
officers--presently 14 percent of the total physician force--who would 
provide continuity and leadership to the medical services.
  It was Senator Thurmond's sound and correct judgment that without 
continuity and leadership, the lessons learned in military medicine 
from past wars are forgotten and must be relearned at the expense of 
the fighting forces. Senator Thurmond has continuously understood that 
it is essential for military medical readiness to maintain enough 
physicians in the military services to ensure that the lessons learned 
in military medicine during both combat and peacetime will be 
safeguarded. Because of his tenacity, the USUHS military medical 
personnel, faculty, active duty alumni and programs continue to serve 
as the institutional memory for military medicine.
  During four major assaults attempting to close USUHS, Senator 
Thurmond's fortitude and mettle have provided the steadfastness of 
purpose to thwart those who do not understand that there is a vast 
difference between a civilian doctor in the military and a military 
physician. Senator Thurmond's military physicians have demonstrated 
immediate deployability and played key roles in numerous military and 
humanitarian operations at home and abroad, including: Operation Just 
Cause (Panama); Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm; Operation 
Provide Comfort (Kurdish relief); Somalia, Bosnia, Croatia, and 
Hurricanes Hugo and Andrew relief operations; the 1993 Midwestern flood 
relief; the
 operations to restore democracy in Haiti, and in operational planning 
support provided in response to the 1995 bombing of the Federal 
building in Oklahoma.

  Without a doubt, through the passage of time, the immediate 
deployability of USUHS physicians to military and humanitarian 
operations, the extraordinary retention rates of the USUHS graduates, 
the testimony of military medical combat experts during congressional 
hearings in March and April of 1994, the exceptional support from both 
military and civilian medical leadership and associations, the 
documentation from economic analyses that verifies USUHS is a wise 
investment for the Federal Government, and the renewed recognition of 
the need for military medical readiness in support of those whom we 
send into harm's way, have all combined to illuminate the foresight and 
leadership of Senator Strom Thurmond. He has truly proven himself to be 
a visionary for the special needs of military medicine.
  I sincerely thank Senator Thurmond for his magnificent service to the 
Senate and to the Nation and join in the standing ovation of the 2,000 
attendees at the USUHS commencement ceremony in recognition of his 
outstanding leadership.
  I ask to have printed in the Record the citation conferring the 
honorary degree upon Senator Thurmond.

 Senator James Strom Thurmond, Doctor of Medical Jurisprudence Honoris 
                                 Causa

       Senator Thurmond, over 70 years ago you unselfishly 
     answered your nation's call for service. Since that time, 
     your commitment to patriotism and concern for those who serve 
     their nation has won you the undying respect of all 
     Americans. Tens of thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen, 
     and Marines have benefitted from your uncompromising 
     commitment to excellence in military service and in 
     particular, military medicine. To provide the care to those 
     who serve when called is sometimes more perilous in the 
     legislature than on the battlefield. You are a luminary of 
     health care delivery and support of those who serve. Your 
     vision has been tested and proven from the battlefields of 
     Vietnam, Grenada, Lebanon, Panama, Haiti, Somalia, and the 
     Persian Gulf to the clinics and health centers that serve the 
     American people. Your spirit and humanity, together with your 
     legislative acumen, have left a legacy for this nation which 
     is unmatched and truly enviable. Through your efforts, this 
     University is now a part of that legacy. Doctors, nurses, and 
     scientists are now serving their nation because of your 
     vision and commitment to purpose. Your nation's health care 
     University takes great pride in awarding you the degree of 
     Doctor of Medical Jurisprudence Honoris Causa.
     

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