[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 92 (Thursday, June 20, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1116]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO PICATINNY ARSENAL

                                 ______


                      HON. RODNEY P. FRELINGHUYSEN

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 19, 1996

  Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. Mr. Speaker, when ``Braveheart'' won the Oscar for 
best motion picture this year, everyone knew about it, because an Oscar 
is the top award for the motion picture industry. The Emmys, the Tonys, 
the Pulitzers, the Nobels, and others are just like it. We recognize 
these awards and immediately equate them with excellence and 
unparalleled achievement in a certain field of endeavor. They represent 
the ``creme de la creme,'' the best of the best. And when people win 
them, they receive well-deserved recognition.
  But 2 weeks ago, a group of neighbors, friends, relatives, and peers 
in our community who work at Picatinny Arsenal won the top military 
awards for installation excellence, and no one seemed to notice. In 
fact, they won the top three awards, including the highly coveted 
President's award--an extremely rare feat in the military and one which 
is referred to as the Triple Crown in the hallowed halls of the 
Pentagon. At the ceremony, I sat next to Senator Strom Thurmond--who's 
served in the Senate longer than anyone else--and even he was shaking 
his head in amazement that one base won all the awards.
  I was fortunate to have been with base commander Brig. Gen. James W. 
Boddie, Rockaway Mayor John Inglesino, and a group of Picatinny 
employees when they received the Army's top award, and I must admit it 
was an awesome explosion of pride. Military brass up to and including 
Secretary of Defense William Perry clapped long and loud, saluted time 
and again, and sat up and took notice of the success of Picatinny 
Arsenal.
  The Defense Department created these awards to recognize excellence 
and to reward improvement in quality, performance, and productivity. 
The criteria that is used is exactly the same that private businesses 
are rated on when being judged for the prestigious Malcolm Baldridge 
Awards for Quality.
  But what makes this achievement much more amazing is that all of this 
took place during what Secretary Perry called in his remarks ``the 
toughest times in the U.S. military.'' Indeed, several top officers 
told stories of the pain and reality of working in the times of base 
closures and defense downsizing, when both civilian and military 
employment rolls are being reduced.
  ``You can't cut excellence,'' said Lt. Col. Carl Smith, in reference 
to the shrinking military. Smith is a staff officer who works for the 
assistant chief of staff for installation management. I asked him how 
rare it was that Picatinny hit the grand slam of military awards. ``It 
is a milestone, because most of the time the larger installations--the 
Fort Bennings--are the top-dog winners. To have a smaller installation 
like Picatinny come in and win all three really is precedent-setting.''
  I couldn't say it any better myself.
  On Memorial Day, we'll salute and remember the men and women who gave 
the ultimate sacrifice for this Nation. And when we do, we often think 
of veterans and those who currently serve our Nation in the armed 
services.
  The men and women at Picatinny Arsenal are these people. They build 
the munitions and armaments that our soldiers in Bosnia and throughout 
the world are using. They assure that we have the best technology and 
arms to keep the peace.
  When I traveled to Bosnia in December and met with our troops on the 
eve of their deployment, I saw determination, professionalism, and a 
willingness to do the job. When Secretary Perry led the thundering and 
raucous applause to congratulate Picatinny employees for being the best 
of the best, I saw joy and pride of a job well done.
  Congratulations, Picatinny. I salute you, and salute those who gave 
their lives and those who have defended our country on this Memorial 
Day.

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