[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 123 (Tuesday, September 10, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1553-E1554]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SALUTE TO LT. GEN. EDWARD J. BRONARS
______
HON. ROBERT K. DORNAN
of california
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, September 10, 1996
Mr. DORNAN. Mr. Speaker, in today's Washington Times, my good friend
Lt. Col. Ollie North provides a fitting tribute to Lt. Gen. Edward J.
Bronars, a true American war hero.
[From the Washington Times, Sept. 10, 1996]
Farewell Salute to a Hero for All Seasons
(By Ollie North)
America has lost one of its true heroes and I have lost a
great friend. Last Friday, Lt. Gen. Edward J. Bronars, U.S.
Marine Corps (Ret.), war hero, husband, father, mentor and
steadfast ally in the face of adversity, died at Walter Reed
Army Medical Center.
First and last, Ed Bronars was a patriot. He spent his
entire adult life in selfless service to our country. Born on
April 12, 1927, in Chicago, he was graduated from the U.S.
Naval Academy in 1950 and was commissioned in the United
States Marine Corps. During his 32-year career with the
Corps, Gen. Bronars served in two wars--Korean and Vietnam--
and the chest of his forest green uniform carried the Silver
Star, the Bronze Star, the Distinguished Service Medal, and
the Legion of Merit with Combat ``V'' for valor.
And while he was respected and admired by fellow Marines
for his intelligence, courage and professionalism, few
outside of his family and close friends knew of the risks he
had taken for our country ``behind the lines'' in Eastern
Europe during the now long-forgotten Cold War. But the
selection boards knew--and so in 1979 Ed Bronars was promoted
to lieutenant general--the second highest designation in the
USMC. When he retired from the Marines in 1982 he was the
deputy chief of staff for manpower at Headquarters Marine
Corps.
But retirement for Ed Bronars didn't really mean
``retirement.'' From 1982 to 1985, he served as the president
of the Navy Relief Society, a private, non-profit, volunteer
supported organization dedicated to helping young military
personnel and their families. From 1986 to 1987, Gen. Bronars
served as executive director of the Association of Military
Schools and Colleges and, then in 1987 he volunteered to
become the administrator of the Legal Defense Fund
established by my Naval Academy Classmates.
Why did a retired general jump from a nice, soft job as the
executive director of one of Washington's many Associations--
to heading up the legal defense fund of a fellow who was
having the book thrown at him by the entire Washington
establishment--and the mainstream media to-boot? For Ed
Bronars it was easy--one of his own was in trouble--a whole
lot of trouble! And Ed Bronars knew what the words of the
Marine Corps motto--Semper Fidelis--meant.
When we were both on active duty, Gen. Bronars had been my
division commander, and in 1981, he had selected me to serve
on Ronald Reagan's National Security Council Staff. He knew
of my reservations about the assignment--and he knew how hard
I had tried to get out of it to go back to the Marines. Now--
the guy he'd ordered to the White House needed help--and Ed
Bronars was there.
It was Ed Bronars' careful steady hand, his unquestioned
integrity and his perseverance that made it possible for us
to pay the millions in legal bills we accrued in the great
[[Page E1554]]
Iran-Contra controversy. Without his steadfast help,
unwavering encouragement and good counsel, the long ordeal of
1986-1989 could well have been an unbearable burden for my
family and me.
And later it was Gen. Bronars who encouraged me to start
Freedom Alliance; the 5091(c)(3) non-profit, charitable and
educational organization I founded in 1990. In March 1991,
Gen. Bronors became the chairman of the board of Freedom
Alliance and served in that capacity until his death.
At Freedom Alliance, Gen. Bronars led Operation Homefront,
a campaign which supplied over 125,000 care packages to the
men and women serving in the Persian Gulf War. He also
originated the HEROeS Scholarship Program (Honoring,
Educating, and Remembering Our Survivors) which provided up
to $10,000 in educational grants to the surviving family
members of Gulf war casualties, and the CAST Program
(Casualty Assistance Support Team), a $50,000 grant from
Freedom Alliance, administered by military chaplains to
assist family members in visiting their loved ones in
military hospitals as a result of wounds in the Persian Gulf
War.
Gen. Bronars also became a public advocate for the
readiness and integrity of the U.S. Armed Forces. He
testified before the Bush administration's Presidential
Commission on the Assignment of Women in the Armed Forces,
and with the voice of experience, warned of the dangers in
placing women directly into the horror of combat. He did the
same in opposing the Clinton administration's proposals
regarding homosexuals in our armed forces.
And with all of this, he still devoted time to the Marine
Corps Scholarship Fund and the Young Marines program for at-
risk youth. In all he did, Ed Bronars sought no recognition,
no honor, no praise for countless hours of toil and trouble.
In every event his good humor would prevail over the
naysayers, his perseverance inspired the weary and his
friendship offset the adversaries.
Many knew Ed Bronars as a great leader. A good number knew
he was a steadfast patriot. A handful knew him as a war hero.
The beautiful Dot Bronars knew him as her husband. Bruce and
Bobbi knew him as their Dad. I was blessed to have him as a
faithful friend. Semper Fidelis, we'll miss you, Ed!
____________________