[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 3 (Friday, January 5, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S81-S82]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             THE DEATH OF ADM. ARLEIGH A. BURKE, U.S. NAVY

  Mr. THURMOND. Mr. President, on Thursday, January 4, 1996, the Nation 
paid its final tribute to a naval hero and patriot whose profound 
influence spanned more than 70 years and who laid down the blueprint of 
today's balanced fleet almost 40 years ago. I want to take this 
opportunity to honor the truly vital contributions made by that man, 
Adm. Arleigh A. Burke, who died on January 1, 1996, at the age of 94. 
He was buried on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD 
where he graduated in 1923. At sea and on land he was among the finest 
leaders that our country has produced. He stood watch on active service 
to our country for more than 40 years, rising from a meager farm at the 
foot of the Colorado Rockies to serve as Chief of Naval Operations for 
an unprecedented 6 years during the bleakest days of the cold war.
  Admiral Burke defined himself by an unwavering commitment to making 
the most of every opportunity presented and giving the best he had to 
every challenge that confronted him. When reminded of his earliest days 
of commissioned service, leading cleaning teams through the bilges of 
the USS Arizona (BB 39), he once observed, ``You have only one job. 
Very seldom do you get the job you want. Do the best you can with the 
job you have. If it isn't very important, do it better. When you do a 
job well, it makes itself important.'' This straightforward approach to 
life, combined with an unwavering commitment to those with whom he 
served, produced an exceptional naval officer and leader who, in the 
words of our current Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Mike Boorda, ``--
defined what it is to be a naval officer: relentless in combat, 
resourceful in command, and revered by his crews.'' He was a man who 
received all the honors a grateful nation could bestow during his 
lifetime, yet chose for his burial marker the simple phrase ``Sailor'' 
to capture the sum and substance of his life.
  As commander of Destroyer Squadron 23, ``The Little Beavers'', during 
World War II, he carried the fight to the Japanese navy night after 
night in the Solomon Islands, earned the nickname ``31 Knot Burke'' 
from Admiral Halsey, and did as much as any man to turn the tide of 
battle against an Imperial Japanese Fleet that was flushed by an 
unbroken series of victories. Over a sustained campaign of 4 months, 
his squadron turned the tide of battle in the Solomons at Empress 
Augusta Bay, off Cape St. George. In ``The Slot'' and in 22 desperate 
engagements they produced a rich harvest of sunken ships and downed 
aircraft.
  As commander of the ``Little Beavers,'' Admiral Burke showed a 
remarkable ability to absorb the lessons of experience and then distill 
them into battle orders and combat tactics that inspired his men and 
took maximum advantage of every weapon at his disposal. He taught his 
squadron to fight at night, to fight with stealth through the use of 
torpedoes over guns, to strike quickly with maximum power, and to seize 
the initiative in battle and never let it go. He instructed his 
commanders concisely that, ``The difference between a good officer and 
a poor one is about 10 seconds'' and set their priorities clearly, ``If 
it helps kill the enemy it is important. If it will not help kill the 
enemy it is not important.''
  Serving on the Chief of Naval Operations staff after World War II, 
Arleigh Burke played an extraordinary and vital part in clearly 
explaining the pivotal role the Navy could have in preserving national 
security during the cold war. He was not a controversial man by nature, 
but he never shunned it when the needs of the Navy and our country made 
their demands. During a postwar period of intense and bitter 
interservice rivalry that almost cost him his career, Arleigh Burke was 
a clear voice of logic and sanity in stating the case for a Navy that 
time and again responded to emerging cold war crises worldwide.

  It was my great privilege to have served as a member of the Armed 
Services Committee and worked with Admiral Burke during his tenure as 
Chief of Naval Operations. I speak from first hand experience when I 
reflect on the vision, forcefulness, intellect, and leadership that he 
brought to bear on his duties. From his razor sharp mind came the 
concepts of a balanced multi-mission Navy that could deal with crises 
on short notice yet stay for the long haul when needed, antisubmarine 
warfare and tactics as a top priority, the tremendous potential of 
nuclear power for naval ships, Polaris missiles at sea as an essential 
element of nuclear deterrence, and an unwavering commitment to 
``training as we'll fight and fighting to win.''
  Many able naval leaders have served our country well since Admiral 
Burke retired in 1961. I have worked with them all. They have been men 
of great talent and commitment, but they have all had the advantage of 
following a course that was clearly charted for them by Arleigh Burke, 
combat hero of World War II, a great naval leader of the cold war, a 
man who stepped down willingly when offered a remarkable fourth term as 
CNO to make way for younger men. He was a ``sailor's sailor.''
  The Navy shares my admiration. It honored him in his lifetime by 
naming the most powerful class of surface combatant in the world, the 
Arleigh Burke class destroyer, for him. His legacy to the crew of the 
first ship was the simple observation, ``This ship was built to fight, 
you had better know how.''
  I want to express my condolences to Mrs. Roberta Burke, Admiral 
Burke's widow and wife of 72 years. She cherished and sustained her 
husband in peace and war, a ``Sailor's Wife''. She has set a standard 
of service and commitment for thousands of naval families who must 
daily endure the stress of family separation that accompanies service 
at sea. Without the sacrifices that Mrs. Burke and many other spouses 
have shouldered, our Navy could not have been the force for freedom 
that has helped guard this country and support our allies for so many 
years.
  I had the privilege of working with Arleigh Burke for several years. 
I came to admire him immensely. I always 

[[Page S82]]
knew where he stood and what he stood for. I was struck anew by his 
simple eloquence when I read the following words in his funeral 
pamphlet: ``Life has been good to me. I didn't did young. I wasn't 
killed in the war. I did most everything I wanted to do, and some 
things I didn't want to do. I had a job I liked and a woman I loved. 
Couldn't ask for more than that.'' Such a powerful summation of an 
extraordinary life.
  Mr. President, I thank my colleagues for the time and I yield the 
floor.

                          ____________________