[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 155 (Friday, November 7, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12040-S12041]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              TRIBUTE TO COMMANDER CARLISLE WILLIS BUZZELL

 Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, 100 years ago, Mark Twain wrote, 
``Let us endeavor so to live that when we come to die even the 
undertaker will be sorry.'' Although I cannot speak for the undertaker, 
I believe I accurately represent all of Carlisle Willis Buzzell's 
friends, family members, and fellow aviators in saying that this 
country, and the Navy which serves it proudly, lost an invaluable asset 
when Carl peacefully passed away last July. Mr. President, I rise today 
to humbly commemorate a man whom I am proud to have known, in a time 
and place far removed from the Senate floor from which I speak today.
  After a 3-month stint in the Army, Carl wisely joined the U.S. Navy 
in 1946, first as a petty officer, then as a midshipman at that boat 
school on the Severn River, better known as the Naval Academy to all 
who have not had the privilege of climbing Herndon at the end of plebe 
summer and celebrating June Week before graduation. Carl proceeded on 
to a distinguished career as a naval aviator, with tours of duty both 
stateside and in the Mediterranean, Pacific, and Atlantic theaters.
  I had the honor of flying with Carl when we were stationed together 
on the U.S.S. Forrestal (CVA-59), a carrier better known for the 
vicious fire which consumed its flight deck than for the raw heroism of 
the thousands on board who labored to save the vessel, and themselves, 
from the flames. As head of the Forrestal's Combat Information Center, 
Carl was likely better positioned to evaluate and respond to the crisis 
than I, who held the dubious distinction of being the lucky pilot whose 
A-4E was hit by a Zuni rocket on the flight deck, thereby igniting the 
inferno.
  Carl went on to serve on the staff of the Naval War College, where he 
helped pioneer the latest in interactive computer technologies at the 
Center for War Gaming. This capped the Commander's 28-year naval 
career, following which he managed General Electric's turbojet engine 
programs and was responsible for maintaining the operational readiness 
of its engines in support of Navy aircraft.
  As indicated by his private-sector work on turbojet engines for F/A-
18 and F-14B/D fleet fighter aircraft, Carl's loyalties to the Navy 
were not diminished by his retirement from the service. Indeed, he 
reaffirmed his commitment to his aviation roots through

[[Page S12041]]

active membership on the boards of the Boston chapters of the Naval 
Academy Alumni Association, the New England Advisory Committee of 
Business Executives for National Security, and the Patriots Squadron of 
the Association of Naval Aviation.
  Mr. President, as a Naval Academy graduate and former naval aviator 
myself, I must concede that my respect for the service and 
professionalism of my friend Carl may be partially accountable to the 
parallels between his naval career and my own, although his subsequent 
decision to enter the private sector perhaps demonstrated more 
foresight than my own choice to enter politics and make my living at 
public expense.
  But do not take my word as evidence of Carl's exemplary service to 
his country. The World War II Victory Medal, the National Defense 
Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the Navy Occupation 
Service Medal, the Korean Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit 
Citation, and the Vietnam Service Medal, all of which were awarded to 
Commander Buzzell during his naval career, stand as proof positive of 
his dedication to the core values that distinguish our servicemembers 
to the same degree today as when Carl enlisted in 1946, 1 year after 
victory in a most terrible war had confirmed the resilience of our 
ideals and the promise of the American Century.
  Mr. President, Carl Buzzell lived a life whose end deeply saddens all 
of us who know of his loyal service to this Nation. May his legacy long 
stand in testament to the virtues of a life dedicated to honor, 
country, and family. 

                          ____________________