[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 115 (Wednesday, July 31, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9289-S9291]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       FULL HONOR REVIEW AND AWARD CEREMONY FOR SENATOR SAM NUNN

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, history will record Senator Sam Nunn's 
distinguished public service with many chapters. There are, I am 
certain, more to come covering future challenges he will accept.
  None, however, will be more important, more meaningful to him, than 
his ever vigilant concern for the men and women of all ranks of the 
armed services.
  I can attest to his work, for I was privileged to serve on the Armed 
Services Committee for 6 years, when Senator Nunn was chairman, as the 
ranking Republican.
  We were partners and a very high degree of bipartisanship prevailed 
among all members.
  One of the many tributes to his service on this committee was paid to 
Senator Nunn on July 12, 1996, with a Trooping of the Colors by the 
troops for their chairman.
  I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record remarks made on 
this memorable auspicious occasion.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

       Full Honor Review and Award Ceremony for Senator Sam Nunn


                            Award Narrative

       For exceptional and outstanding service as Chairman, 
     Ranking Member, and Member of the Armed Services Committee of 
     the United States Senate from 1972 through 1996.
       Senator Nunn has been the leading legislative voice on 
     national security issues during a period of extraordinary 
     change and challenge for the Department of Defense. With his 
     unparalleled knowledge of national defense and foreign policy 
     issues, his contributions to the security and well-being of 
     our Nation are profound. His clear and eloquent voice has 
     focused public debate on defining the vital interests of the 
     United States, and promoted a strong defense and peace for 
     future generations.
       Senator Nunn has taken the initiative in authoring and 
     sustaining legislation that has strengthened the morale and 
     welfare of our men and women in uniform and their families, 
     including the Nunn-Warner increases in military pay and 
     benefits in 1980 to put the All-Volunteer Force on a sound 
     footing, the Persian Gulf benefits package for the men and 
     women who fought in Operation Desert Storm, and the post-
     cold-war transition benefits for military personnel, 
     Department of Defense civilians, and defense industry 
     employees.
       Senator Nunn co-authored the Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat 
     Reduction Program which has reduced significantly the threat 
     of nuclear war by providing incentives for the states of the 
     former Soviet Union to dismantle their arsenals.
       Senator Nunn played a critical role in the development of 
     the Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986, 
     creation of the combatant command for special operation 
     forces, enactment of the Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act 
     of 1994, establishment of cooperative acquisition programs 
     with our NATO allies, passage of legislation to facilitate 
     cost savings through the closing of military bases, and in 
     the development of the annual National Defense 
     Authorization Acts.
       At the request of President Clinton, he accompanied former 
     President Jimmy Carter and retired General Colin Powell to 
     Haiti during the 1994 crisis, where he helped to achieve an 
     agreement that averted a military confrontation.
       Senator Nunn has consistently articulated his views in a 
     bipartisan manner that recognizes and sustains the 
     traditional values of military service, duty, and patriotism. 
     His achievements and dedication represent the highest 
     traditions of government and public service, and reflects 
     great credit upon himself, the Department of Defense, and the 
     Congress of the United States. For these and his many other 
     contributions, I take great pleasure in presenting Sam Nunn 
     the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public 
     Service. [Applause]
       Secretary Perry: Less than a mile up the Potomac River from 
     here on Roosevelt Island are inscribed these words of 
     President Theodore Roosevelt: ``In popular government, 
     results worth having can be achieved only by men who can 
     combine worthy ideals with practical good sense.'' For more 
     than two decades, our government has been blessed with the 
     worthy results achieved by a man known for combining worthy 
     ideals with practical good sense. That man is Senator Sam 
     Nunn.
       Worthy ideals and practical good sense are the hallmarks of 
     each of Sam Nunn's many achievements. In 1991, Senator Nunn 
     had the practical good sense that the world would be a much 
     safer place if the thousands of nuclear weapons in the former 
     Soviet Union were dismantled and safeguarded. He combined 
     that practical good sense with worthy ideals, and along with 
     Senator Richard Lugar, created the Nunn-Lugar program. This 
     program has been a remarkable success.
       Perhaps the most compelling Nunn-Lugar success story is 
     centered on the Ukrainian town of Pervomaysk, which once 
     housed 700 nuclear warheads, all of them aimed at targets in 
     the United States. I have visited Pervomaysk four times in 
     the last two years. The first visit was in March 1994, just 
     after we signed the Trilateral Agreement, when I looked down 
     into a nuclear missile silo and saw the missile, then saw the 
     first batch of warheads on the way out. On my fourth visit 
     this June, I joined the defense ministers of Ukraine and 
     Russia in planting sunflower seeds at the site. By harvest 
     time, that former missile field will be a productive 
     sunflower field.
       Thanks to the vision of Senator Sam Nunn, over 4,000 
     nuclear warheads have been removed from deployment and more 
     than 700 bombers and ballistic missile launchers have been 
     dismantled. Ukraine is now nuclear-weapons free. Kazakstan is 
     already weapons free and Belarus will be nuclear weapons free 
     by the end of the year.
       The worthy ideals and common sense that lie behind the 
     Nunn-Lugar program, are emblematic of Senator Nunn's entire 
     career in the U.S. Senate. He has applied these traits to 
     making America safer and stronger. He was the unsung hero of 
     the Goldwater-Nichols Act. Sam never minded being unsung, but 
     I think today we ought to sing him. And--
       [Applause]
       --I believe the Goldwater-Nichols Act is perhaps the most 
     important defense legislation since World War II. It 
     dramatically changed the way that America's forces operate by 
     streamlining the command process and empowering the Chairman 
     of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the unified commanders. 
     These changes paid off in the resounding success of our 
     forces in Desert Storm, in Haiti, and today, in Bosnia. Sam 
     Nunn provided much of the thinking and logic behind the 
     legislation and was the persuasive force behind its passage 
     into law. I will always think of it as the Goldwater-Nichols-
     Nunn legislation.
       Throughout his career, Senator Nunn left his mark 
     throughout the U.S. Armed Forces. In the 1970's and the 
     1980's, he championed the stealth technology that helped 
     win the Gulf War. In the 1990's, he led the fight for 
     acquisition reform, ensuring that our forces get the best 
     equipment, at the best price, at the quickest time. And 
     he's been a strong advocate of making the most use of the 
     Guard and Reserve and their unique talents and resources.
       And nobody--I mean nobody--has done more for our men and 
     women in uniform than Sam Nunn. He knows that they are the 
     ones we count on to keep our country safe. And he's worked 
     tirelessly to help build our quality force. Thanks to his 
     efforts, we now have the best force in our history and the 
     best force in the world. I have seen that quality force in 
     action everywhere I've traveled. I've seen it at the DMZ in 
     Korea, on the carriers in the Med and along the zone of 
     separation in Bosnia.
       I visited our IFOR troops in early January. It was the day 
     after we opened up the Pontoon Bridge over the Sava River on 
     the Bosnia border. The tanks and the Bradleys were rolling 
     across the bridge and General Nash, General Joulwan, General 
     Shalikaskvili and I decided that our entry to Bosnia would be 
     on foot. And we decided to walk across the Sava River bridge 
     from Croatia into Bosnia. Halfway across, we met some of the 
     combat engineers who built the bridge, still working on 
     finishing up some of the details. One of them was Sergeant 
     First Class Kidwell, who stepped forward and said his 
     enlistment was up and he wanted to reenlist. After all he and 
     his comrades had been through to build this bridge--the 
     bitter cold, the flooding of epic proportions, the danger of 
     land mines--this sergeant still wanted to reenlist.
       And so we swore him in for another four years in the Army, 
     right there in the middle of the Sava River bridge. And I can 
     tell you I have never been more proud of our Armed Forces 
     than at that moment. And that moment--[Applause]--that moment 
     is a tribute to Sam Nunn and to the quality force he has 
     fought to build.
       Today, the Department of Defense is thanking Senator Nunn, 
     through his Distinguished Public Service Award. And to this 
     award, I want to add my personal thanks. Three-and-a-half 
     years ago, as I was considering whether or not to return to 
     public service and to Washington, I consulted Senator Nunn. 
     He urged me to accept the job as

[[Page S9290]]

     Deputy Secretary of Defense, and he talked about the exciting 
     opportunities to improve the security of our country. And as 
     I weighed my decision, one of the big pluses in my thinking 
     was the opportunity to work with a public servant as 
     intelligent, thoughtful, and courageous as Sam Nunn.
       Well, this is Sam Nunn's last year in the U.S. Senate, but 
     his influence will last for decades to come. He influenced 
     the Senate and the Department of Defense. He's influenced the 
     Nation. He leaves a magnificent legacy; a legacy of wisdom, 
     tenacity, vision, and patriotism; a legacy which will make 
     our world a better and safer world for our children and our 
     grandchildren. Thank you, Senator Nunn.
       [Applause]
       General Shalikashvili: Senator Nunn, Mrs. Nunn, 
     distinguished guests, let me begin by congratulating these 
     magnificent soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and coast 
     guardsmen standing in front of you.
       [Applause]
       My thanks to you. You've really made this day very, very 
     special.
       Now, in ancient times, the purpose of parades was for 
     soldiers to come together in a very formal way to honor a man 
     of very great status. And that very much is the purpose of 
     this ceremony today--to honor a most remarkable man and to 
     thank him for 24 years of service in the U.S. Senate.
       President Theodore Roosevelt had a favorite admonishment--a 
     warning really--a warning that you cannot spread patriotism 
     too thin. Surely, as much as any American alive today, Sam 
     Nunn has painted a picture--a vibrant canvas of patriotism--a 
     canvas unstained by partisanship or personal gain, or even 
     personal pride. But painted, instead, with broad brush 
     strokes of wisdom, of conscience, of love for his country and 
     of heartfelt love for the men and women in uniform. He has 
     sat through year after year, for over two decades, of endless 
     hearings and briefings, of going on trip after trip, 
     listening to the needs and requests from our country's senior 
     military and defense officials--always patiently, always with 
     the courtliness for which he's so well known. And always it 
     has been with the dedication to ensure that our policies are 
     correct, that are plans are well-conceived, and that our 
     military has the resources to remain the finest and most 
     capable military in the world.
       It has been said of him, that on issues of national 
     security, Sam Nunn is the E.F. Hutton of the Hill. Well, 
     actually, he's bigger than that. People not only eavesdropped 
     to hear his views, they sought his views. [Applause]
       There is an old saying that if you want peace, then you 
     must understand war. It is a dictum that Sam Nunn has spent 
     his career heeding--to the great benefit of his fellow 
     Americans and of every American that's worn the uniform 
     during his 24 years in the Senate.
       I, for one, will greatly miss his counsel, his support, and 
     his friendship and his unyielding efforts to maintain the 
     Armed Services Committee as a serious body where issues of 
     national security receive a fair and open hearing, and where 
     wisdom and conscience, rather than partisanship, rule.
       Senator Nunn, on behalf of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and on 
     behalf of every man and woman in uniform, I thank you and I 
     salute you. And I also suspect, indeed, I sincerely hope, 
     that your voice and your counsel and your service will remain 
     a national asset for a long, long time to come. My thanks to 
     you. [Applause]
       Senator Nunn: Secretary Perry, General Shalikashvili, 
     members of the Joint Chiefs, Department of Defense personnel, 
     Chairman Thurmond, my colleagues in the Senate and House and 
     staffs--we should never forget them--distinguished 
     ambassadors, men and women of our military service, members 
     of my family and many friends.
       From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for this great 
     honor, for this medal and for this ceremony. Colleen and I 
     will cherish this day, this parade, this ceremony, and we 
     will remember it forever. Chairman Carl Vinson, my great-
     uncle, upon the christening of the nuclear aircraft carrier 
     named in his honor, stated, ``My star has reached its 
     zenith.'' I feel that way today, Secretary Perry, General 
     Shali and all of you gathered here.
       Secretary Perry and General Shali, your remarks were so 
     laudatory that I may change my mind and follow in the 
     footsteps of Senator Strom Thurmond by becoming a write-in 
     candidate for the U.S. Senate. [Applause]
       Congress has no higher responsibility than its duty under 
     our Constitution to provide for the common defense. That is 
     our constitutional charge. During my quarter century in the 
     Senate, my greatest sense of satisfaction has been working 
     with our outstanding men and women in uniform that serve our 
     Nation all over the world, as well as the personnel in the 
     Department of Defense. To those who proudly marched in 
     today's parade and to your comrades in arms who are on duty 
     around the world--those of us in the Congress of the United 
     States, and I think I can speak for everyone on both sides of 
     the aisle, we are very proud of you and we are very proud of 
     your families and we are proud of the job you do for the 
     American people.
       When I look around this audience, I feel like a pupil 
     standing with gratitude before his mentors, his teachers and 
     his heroes.
       Secretary of Defense Bill Perry is all three. He has 
     matched his technological genius with his dedicated 
     commitment to the well-being of our men and women that serve 
     our Nation in uniform. His personal integrity and his ability 
     to explain complex issues in understandable terms is 
     particularly valued by those of us whose VCRs are always 
     blinking at 12 o'clock. [Laughter]
       Secretary Perry's ability to judge character and leadership 
     is exemplified in his choice of General Shalikashvili to head 
     our Nation's armed forces. General Shali, we are grateful for 
     your outstanding career and most of all we are grateful for 
     your leadership of our military and for your example to the 
     young people in the military and all young Americans.
       When I see here today the Under Secretary for Acquisition 
     and the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, I am reminded of 
     1977 when then Air Force Colonel Paul Kaminski and his 
     assistant, then Major Joe Ralston, were driving Arnold Punaro 
     and me on a cloak-and-dagger route to see the then highly-
     classified Stealth fighter at a clandestine location which 
     could not be mentioned to anyone. The reason the F-117 stayed 
     secret so long is that these guys couldn't find the base. 
     [Laughter]
       We ended up calling for help at a McDonalds' pay phone. 
     There was, however, no doubt about their ability to keep a 
     secret. Perhaps, that is why they are such good leaders 
     today.
       When I see retired General James Hollingsworth, my dear 
     friend, in the audience, it brings back memories of his 
     outstanding leadership in Korea and his leadership in 
     the fundamental strengthening of our NATO posture at a 
     very crucial time in our history. Thank you, Holly.
       When I see one of my great friends and teachers, Jim 
     Schlesinger, former ``Secretary of Everything,'' I am 
     reminded of his enormous contributions to our national 
     security for the last four decades. Jim continues to be 
     America's intellectual ``pillar of iron'' on matters of 
     national security and foreign policy.
       I also think back today to the courageous leadership of 
     General David Jones, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs; 
     General Shy Meyer, the head of the U.S. Army; as well as 
     Admiral Bill Crowe, now Ambassador, in leading the way toward 
     fundamental Department of Defense reorganization which has 
     paid off big-time as Secretary Perry has already mentioned. I 
     also recall my good friend, the late General Dick Ellis, who 
     as commander of the Strategic Air Command, prepared the 
     foundation for much of the work I have done in risk reduction 
     and non-proliferation. John Warner remembers that well 
     because he was my partner in that endeavor.
       I am reminded of industry giants like David Packard who 
     recently passed away and others like him in industry today--
     many of whom are in this audience--who have led the way in 
     making America the technological superpower of the world.
       I think today of our excellent Committee staff who have 
     assisted me and the Senate for the last 24 years, indeed, 
     assisted all of us in the Congress, led by Staff Directors 
     like Ed Braswell, Frank Sullivan, Rhett Dawson, Jim Roche, 
     Jim McGovern, Carl Smith, Pat Tucker, Dick Reynard, Les 
     Brownlee and, of course, Arnold Punaro, who likes to be 
     called general. These staff directors and those who serve 
     with them are the unsung heroes of America's military 
     strength. They work day and night. They are assisted every 
     day by outstanding people on our personal staffs. Many of 
     those are here today. I will not try to call all of their 
     names, but I am indebted to them and they know it.
       There are two important footnotes to every national 
     security improvement in which I have been involved. First, I 
     take full responsibility for my mistakes and my bad ideas. No 
     one else is responsible for those. But all of my good ideas 
     were inspired by our men and women in uniform like those who 
     stand so proudly here today. I have been the beneficiary of 
     the leadership, guidance, advice and support of Senators like 
     Senator John Stennis, Senator Scoop Jackson, and Senator 
     Robert Byrd, as well as my other colleagues on the Armed 
     Services and Appropriations Committees and my many friends in 
     the House of Representatives. That's the first footnote.
       My second footnote, I believe, is of some relevance in this 
     era of unfortunate but increasing political party warfare. 
     And that's what it is. Each time I have been involved in a 
     major national security initiative, it has been with a 
     Republican partner.
       From Barry Goldwater and Strom Thurmond on defense 
     reorganization; to John Warner on risk reduction and pay and 
     benefits for our troops; to Bill Cohen on special operations 
     and low intensity conflict and de-mirving our missiles; and 
     to Dick Lugar and Pete Domenici on preventing the spread of 
     weapons of mass destruction.
       Every major improvement in defense during my time in the 
     Senate has been the result of a few Senators and House 
     Members of both parties putting our Nation's security before 
     partisan politics. [Applause.]
       I submit, ladies and gentlemen, that there is no serious 
     problem facing America today that can be solved by one 
     political party. The American people recognize that and it is 
     time for those of us in Washington to recognize that. 
     [Applause.]
       I could go on and on, but most of the parades I have 
     attended were as an enlisted man standing at parade rest so 
     the time has come for self-imposed cloture. [Laughter.]

[[Page S9291]]

       Thomas Jefferson once said, ``The blood of martyrs is the 
     seed of freedom's tree.'' America's independence and our 
     continued freedom have rested for 220 years on this premise. 
     Freedom is in greater supply around the world today thanks to 
     the United States and our allies--our allies played a big 
     role and we should never forget that--but it comes at no 
     small price in terms of required courage and commitment.
       To the men and women in uniform and to all those who serve 
     our Nation, I will leave the Senate keenly aware of what 
     every American should remember. Our sense of security depends 
     on your vigilance and your discipline. Our prosperity depends 
     on your sacrifice. Our dreams and our children's dreams 
     depend on your sleepless nights. And our freedom to live our 
     lives in freedom depends on your willingness to risk yours.
       May God bless each of you and all of those who serve 
     America in the cause of freedom.

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the dedication, 
public service, and patriotism that personified the life of Capt. John 
William Kennedy, U.S. Air Force. Lieutenant Kennedy, or Jack as he was 
better known, was reported as missing in action on August 16, 1971, in 
South Vietnam. He was presumed killed in action on July 16, 1978, and 
finally confirmed as having been killed in action in May of this year.
  Jack was born here in Washington, DC, but grew up in nearby 
Arlington, VA. He graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 
1969. While at VMI, he was the 1969 Southern Conference 160-pound 
wrestling champion, a member of the VMI honor court, and was inducted 
into the VMI sports hall of fame in 1980.
  In October 1970, a year after entering the Air Force, Jack graduated 
from pilot training at Craig FBI in Selma, AL, and was awarded the 
Undergraduate Pilot Training Office Training Award for being tops in 
his class. He then attended O-2A pilot training at Hurlburt Field, 
Eglin AFB, FL, and was thereafter assigned to the 20th Tactical Air 
Support Squadron [PACAF] in South Vietnam.
  Unfortunately, Jack's promising young career was tragically ended 
while Captain Kennedy was flying on a visual reconnaissance mission 
over the Quangtin Province in South Vietnam. On August 16, 1971, radio 
contact with Jack's O-2A aircraft was lost. A search effort was 
initiated, but no crash site or radio contacts or witnesses were 
uncovered. U.S. Army intelligence reports indicated that the 31st North 
Vietnamese Regiment was in the area at this time.
  In 1993, over 20 years later, remains were found at a crash site in 
Quangtin Province. The DNA from these bone fragments were positively 
identified as a match with Jack's mother in 1995, and Captain Kennedy's 
remains were returned to the United States in late June 1996. On 
Friday, August 2, a funeral is scheduled for Captain Kennedy in the Old 
Post Chapel on Fort Myer, and internment with full military honors will 
follow at Arlington National Cemetery.
  For his remarkable, yet short career, Lieutenant Kennedy was awarded 
the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Purple Heart, the Air Medal with 
two oak leaf clusters, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam 
Service Medal, and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.
  Capt. John Kennedy was the embodiment of an American hero. A true 
patriot and a superb Air Force officer who served with courage and 
integrity, he lost his life during one of the most intense and 
demanding periods in our Nation's history. His mother, who lives in 
Lake Ridge, VA, and his brother, Dan, who many of us know from his 
efforts on the Hill as Bechtel's representative, should be proud of 
Jack and what he accomplished during his short life. I am thankful that 
Jack's fate has been determined, and that he has now been returned home 
for a proper burial.

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