[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 93 (Thursday, June 8, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8019-S8020]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                THE LATE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, LES ASPIN

  Mr. THURMOND. Mr. President, providing for the adequate defense of 
our Nation is a concern that members of the Senate Armed Services 
Committee and the House Committee on National Security take quite 
seriously. Political differences are pushed aside in order to ensure 
that our soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen are well provided for, 
both in the equipment they require to do their jobs and in being 
compensated for their sacrifices in service to the United States. Over 
the years, I have had the pleasure of working with a number of men and 
women on these committees who have demonstrated their commitment to our 
personnel in uniform and for the security of the United States. One of 
the most serious-minded and analytical of this group was the former 
chairman of the House Armed Services Committee and Secretary of 
Defense, Les Aspin, who unexpectedly passed away recently after 
suffering a massive stroke.
  A graduate of Yale, Oxford, and the Massachusetts Institute of 
Technology, Les was a man who dedicated almost his whole adult life to 
the national security field. Les entered government service with Robert 
McNamara and served in the Pentagon during the Vietnam War. After 
deciding to leave the Department of Defense, Les turned to academia and 
taught economics at Marquette for a year before running for, and being 
elected to, Congress where he served from 1971 until 1993. It was 
during those years that I came to know Les well, especially as he 
climbed the leadership ladder of the House Armed Services Committee. As 
its Chairman, he surprised, and even angered, a number of people with 
his stands in favor of the MX missile, aid to the Contras, and for his 
support in our military efforts against Saddam Hussein. He assumed 
these positions because he studied the issues, weighed their costs and 
benefits, and acted in a manner that was in the best interests of the 
United States.
  In 1992, his role as an advocate for the armed services brought him 
to the attention of then newly elected President Clinton, who decided 
that Les would make an ideal Secretary of Defense. Resigning from his 
powerful seat in the House, Les again heeded the cry of service and 
assumed the Secretary's job, a position that some said he coveted and 
many thought him ideal to hold. Unfortunately, his tenure in this post 
is not remembered with as much admiration as was his service in the 
Congress. [[Page S8020]] 
  The truth of the matter is that being the Secretary of Defense for 
Bill Clinton was no easy task, especially in the first days of his 
administration. President Clinton wanted to end the ban on gays in the 
military, envisioned turning American troops over to the United 
Nations, cutting defense, and committing U.S. forces to various 
humanitarian and peacekeeping operation. As the man charged with 
implementing these policy objectives, Les had an uphill struggle from 
the time he stepped foot in the Pentagon. Given all the obstacles 
placed before him, Les did a commendable job of working for the defense 
of the United States.
  Mr. President, Les Aspin was a man who was pleased to be able to 
serve his Nation and he worked hard in each endeavor he undertook. Some 
say his zeal for work is what killed him, but I prefer to think that he 
gave his heart for his Nation. We all appreciate the sacrifices and 
contributions that he made during his life and he will be missed by all 
those who knew him.


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