[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 22 (Wednesday, February 26, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1655-S1656]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       SENATOR GLENN'S RETIREMENT

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, last Thursday our colleague, Senator John 
Glenn, announced he will be retiring from the Senate at the end of his 
current term in 1998. While I am saddened by his decision, I certainly 
understand it, and I want to take a few moments to pay tribute to a man 
who has given a lifetime of service to his country.
  Soldier, astronaut, hero, businessman, statesman, nuts-and-bolts 
reformer. All of these words accurately describe the long, 
distinguished career of John Glenn. Courage, tenacity, modesty, 
authenticity, the ``Right Stuff.'' These words describe the character 
of John Glenn, the ingredients that have made this great career so 
memorable.
  When he retires on the cusp of the 21st century, John Glenn will 
likely be remembered as one of the great American heroes of the 20th 
century, both for his heroism in battle and for conquering the peaceful 
but uncharted frontiers of space. But he should also be remembered as a 
Senator who helped prepare his government to enter the 21st century as 
a modern, efficient force for good in people's lives.
  John Glenn first answered his country's call when he joined the Naval 
Aviation Cadet Program shortly after Pearl Harbor. He was commissioned 
in the Marines in 1943. First Lieutenant Glenn flew nearly 60 combat 
missions in the Pacific theater. His great courage and skill earned him 
2 Distinguished Flying Crosses and 10 Air Medals.
  After the war, John Glenn remained in the Marines, was promoted to 
the rank of major, then distinguished himself once again in the Korean 
conflict. He flew 90 combat missions in just 8 months, won 2 more 
Distinguished Flying Crosses, 8 more Air Medals, and numerous accolades 
from his fellow Marines, including the titles Mig-mad Marine.''
  John Glenn could have retired from the military after Korea and 
entered civilian life a decorated hero. He chose instead to stay in the 
service and take on more challenges, including new frontiers that, at 
that time, existed only in the imaginations of most men.
  As a military test pilot in 1957, John Glenn established a new flight 
speed record, earning credit for the first-ever transcontinental 
supersonic flight. This record flight also earned him his fifth 
Distinguished Flying Cross and caught the eye of NASA's Project Mercury 
program, dedicated to launch the first human into space. As a Mercury 
astronaut, John Glenn put in many months of intense training, and in 
1961 he was chosen to make America's first attempt to orbit the Earth.
  Numerous technical and weather problems delayed his attempt for 2 
months. One can only imagine the pressure of an on-again, off-again 
wait for a risky, dangerous feat that no man had ever accomplished. But 
John Glenn's moment finally came when an Atlas-D rocket launched his 
tiny capsule, Friendship 7, into Earth's orbit on February 20, 1962.

[[Page S1656]]

  After the first of three planned orbits at up to 162 miles away from 
Earth, he lost the use of the automatic control mechanism that 
stabilized his craft. He then had to complete the final two orbits of 
the 81,000-mile flight under manual control, an incredibly dangerous 
challenge. In an interview some years later, John Glenn said of this 
moment: ``I was fully aware of the danger. And certainly there was 
apprehension. No matter what preparation you make, there comes the 
moment of truth. You're playing with big stakes--your life. But the 
important thing to me wasn't fear, but what you can do to control it.''
  John Glenn left the Marine Corps in 1965 after 23 years of remarkable 
service. These two heroic decades are emblazoned on the American 
conscience. They are the material of which books are written and movies 
made.
  But John Glenn's Senate career of more than two decades will be the 
material serious students of government, cost-conscious taxpayers, and 
anyone concerned with the spread of dangerous nuclear weapons will 
remember. It is a career full of quiet, serious dedication to serve the 
people of Ohio, to make our Government work better, and to make our 
world safe from the spread of weapons of mass destruction.

  We will remember John Glenn's Senate career for many things. Among 
his accomplishments, Senator Glenn used his Governmental Affairs 
Committee post to root out Government waste, modernize Government, and 
save taxpayer dollars. Senator Glenn shepherded the Clinton 
administration's reinventing Government'' initiatives through the 
Senate. His efforts helped streamline Federal purchasing procedures and 
trim the federal workforce by 250,000 employees to the lowest level 
since John Kennedy was President.
  He fought to create Chief Financial Officers for most major federal 
agencies, making those agencies more accountable and efficient. He 
helped to install independent inspectors general in nearly 40 
Government agencies and offices to ferret out wasteful spending, saving 
taxpayers hundreds of millions per year.
  In the last few years, Senator Glenn extended his hand across the 
aisle to help pass legislation that brought Congress into compliance 
with Federal workplace laws. He fought for the bill that made it harder 
for Congress to pass on unfunded mandates to the States and localities. 
And he worked to pass legislation aimed at reducing the Government's 
paperwork volume.
  Senator Glenn has never disparaged Government service nor bashed 
Government workers. He knows and recognizes the honor of public 
service. But he also knows that waste and lack of accountability 
undermine public confidence in Government, and he has dedicated a 
Senate career to combatting them.
  Senator Glenn also made a career of fighting for a strong defense 
that balances the demands of national security and common sense. He 
authored the 1978 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Act, the only law on the 
books to control and stop the spread of nuclear weapons around the 
world.
  A tenacious advocate for veterans, he led the effort to elevate the 
Veterans Administration to cabinet-level status and helped pass a 
package of benefits for troops serving in the Persian Gulf war. At the 
same time, Senator Glenn fought against weapons systems he considered 
wasteful, like the B-2, the MX missile, and the Star Wars program. He 
brought rare experience as a veteran and military hero to these 
efforts. He was rarely wrong, and he rarely lost a legislative battle.
  Mr. President, the Senate community can be a contentious place. But 
because of people like John Glenn and his wife, Annie, it can also be a 
friendly, decent, and inspiring place, where someone can serve with a 
real American hero who is also a true gentleman. Our Senate family, 
like the people of Ohio, will miss Senator Glenn when he retires in 
1999. For your lifetime of service, we are deeply indebted, and we 
thank you, Senator, gentleman, and American hero, John Glenn.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. GLENN addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair is honored to recognize the Senator 
from Ohio.
  Mr. GLENN. Mr. President, I just wanted to thank my good friend for 
those overly generous and very kind remarks.
  It was not without a lot of feeling and emotion that I made the 
decision not to run again in 1998. But, as I said, we have never 
invented a cure for the common birthday. And at the end of my next term 
I would be 83, if I assumed that I won. It was for that reason and that 
reason only that I chose not to run.
  My good friend, the minority leader, is absolutely right. I think one 
of the biggest things we have to face is some of the disparaging 
remarks about Government when some people talk down Government. And we 
are going to be working on those things over the next 2 years.
  I happened to be in the cloakroom. I had been in another meeting, and 
just happened to come out here on the floor. I had not realized that 
this was going to be a time when the minority leader was going to be 
making the remarks. And I just wanted to say how much I appreciate it.
  Mr. COATS addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Indiana.

                          ____________________