[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 68 (Wednesday, May 15, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5102-S5103]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO GEN. CALVIN A.H. WALLER

 Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, today a grateful nation paid tribute 
to one of its true patriots and finest soldiers, Lt. Gen. Calvin A.H. 
Waller, U.S. Army (Retired), who died last Thursday. I was privileged 
to be at the Fort Myer Chapel today for General Waller's memorial 
service, conducted by Chaplain (Major General) Donald W. Shea, with 
Chaplain (Colonel) John Kaising. The homily was presented by Chaplain 
Shea, and eulogy were offered by General Waller's son, Mark, and 
General Waller's friend Lt. Gen. Julius W. Becton, Jr., U.S. Army 
(Retired). General Waller was then interred in Arlington National 
Cemetary. It was a very moving and inspirational service.
  Born in Louisiana, General Waller was a product of the Army Reserve 
Officer Training Corps [ROTC] program at Prairie View A&M University in 
Prairie View, TX. It is approximately 45 miles from the place General 
Waller called home--Houston. His dad was also a Prairie View graduate, 
and General Waller attended college to study veterinary medicine, 
entering in 1955. Because Prairie View was a land grant college--part 
of the Texas Agricultural and Mechanical College system--the first 2 
years of ROTC were mandatory. In 1957, young Cal Waller signed up for 
Senior ROTC status. As his friend and fellow Prairie View classmate, 
retired Lt. Gen. Marvin Brialsford, says, ``Being a senior cadet at A&M 
had a certain attractiveness to it; it was prestigious, and we all 
could put the $27.90 a month we were paid as senior cadets to good 
use.'' A life in the Army, however, was far from his mind.
  After being commissioned into the chemical corps and detailed into 
the infantry, then-Lieutenant Waller attended the basic infantry 
officer's course at Fort Benning, and then served in the 8th Infantry 
Regiment at Fort Lewis, WA. Before his initial tour of duty was over, 
Lieutenant Waller had decided that the Army had the potential for a 
career, or, as Secretary of the Army Togo West puts it, ``Fortunately 
for us, he took a liking to the Army.''
  To better utilize his love of science, Cal Waller returned to the 
chemical corps, serving at Fort McCellan, AL; he went on to serve in 
the Eighth Army in the Republic of Korea; and in the 82d Airborne 
Division at Fort Bragg, NC. It was in the 82d Airborne, the All 
American division, that the Army realized what a natural leader and 
exceptional planner he was. Cal was one of the youngest officers in 
Army history to be selected for the Army's Command and General Staff 
College at Fort Leavenworth, KS, and upon graduation was immediately 
assigned to the staff of

[[Page S5103]]

the U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam.
  After a tour in Washington, then-Major Waller began his career as an 
armor officer--a tanker in Army jargon. He attempted to stay assigned 
with soldiers and combat-ready units and served in the Federal Republic 
of Germany, Fort Carson, CO, Fort Stewart, GA, and Fort Bragg, NC. In 
those assignments, his natural leadership abilities blossomed. A former 
Army Chief of Staff Gordon Sullivan noted, ``Cal Waller loved soldiers. 
He had a natural touch with soldiers, and soldiers loved him. I believe 
there are some men who have the ability, by their very presence, to 
calm the waters in crisis situations. Cal Waller was such a man.''
  In 1987, it was time to return to the Federal Republic of Germany and 
command of the 8th Infantry Division (Mechanized). It was there that I 
first met Cal Waller. I traveled with my staff director from the Senate 
Armed Services Committee, Arnold Punaro, and then-Colonel Frank Norton 
of the Army Senate Liaison, who I am now fortunate to have on my staff. 
We visited General Waller in Baumholder. After visiting soldiers and 
observing training on the multiple launch rocket system, we then had 
lunch together with some local German supporters of the U.S. Army. It 
was obvious they held Cal Waller in high esteem. For my part, I was 
greatly impressed with Cal Waller's professionalism and confidence, his 
technical acumen, his caring attitude for his soldiers and their 
families, and his wonderful, self-depreciating sense of humor. We 
developed a friendship, and I was grateful that our paths crossed on a 
number of occasions during his career and each time I was with Cal, I 
learned from him.

  After his most successful tenure as Commander of the 8th Infantry 
Division, General Waller returned to Fort Lewis as the Commanding 
General of I Corps. He continued to be assigned to I Corps while 
deployed from Fort Lewis to serve as Deputy commander in Chief of the 
U.S. Central Command, with General Norm Schwarzkopf, for Operations 
Desert Shield/Desert Storm. General Schwarzkopf writes of his 
relationship with General Waller in his autobiography ``It Doesn't Take 
a Hero.'' He says (pg. 392):

       In mid-November Lieutenant General Cal Waller had reported 
     to Riyadh as my deputy commander in chief: now I had someone 
     to help me ride herd. Cal was a friend who had worked for me 
     in two previous commands. Shrewd, soft-spoken, and given to 
     quoting sayings he'd learned from his grandmother in 
     Louisiana, he was also tough and effective. He'd been my 
     first choice for the job: he'd come up through the Army as an 
     armor officer and understood logistics; also I knew I didn't 
     intimidate him at all. We trusted each other to such an 
     extent that he could walk into my office and say point-blank, 
     ``Hey, something's all screwed up, it's your fault, and you 
     need to know about it.''

  After the success of Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm, General 
Waller returned to command I Corps, Washington, and began making plans 
to retire. His Army service spanned 32 years; he had gone from a 
platoon leader commanding 40 soldiers to commanding general of I Corps 
and Fort Lewis, where he was responsible for over 100,000 personnel.
  After retiring in 1991, General Waller returned to his love of 
science and was active in environment restoration efforts for a number 
of companies. I last saw Cal in August 1995 at a conference in Aspen, 
CO. He drove down from Arvada, CO near Denver, where he made his home. 
He was, as always, in a great mood and enjoying life. We played a round 
of golf, and had the opportunity for a lengthy visit. He noted how he 
was both enjoying and contributing in his second life.
  But he never really left the Army, and the Army never left him. As 
Army Chief of Staff Denny Reimer notes, ``The performance of our 
soldiers throughout the world * * * have their roots in (his) concerned 
leadership--making sure soldiers were properly trained for the task at 
hand and ensuring their families were well-cared for while they were 
gone. He was a patriotic American, a consummate soldier and a wonderful 
human being.''
  His friend and fellow soldier, Gen. Colin Powell says, ``His ability 
to touch the lives of so many in such meaningful ways was legendary. We 
will miss him greatly.'' I certainly agree.
  Mrs. Waller and her sons Michael and Mark know better than any of us 
the great loss our Nation has experienced. They bear their grief with 
dignity and courage--I know that Cal Waller is proud of them.
  His unselfish service to the Army and our Nation is a testament to 
Cal Waller's sense of duty and honor. Our military forces have been 
strengthened by his contribution, and America has been enriched by his 
many accomplishments. I can offer no farewell to Cal Waller better than 
that extended by his son mark in his eulogy: ``Ride swiftly, great 
Buffalo soldier.''

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