[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 65 (Wednesday, May 20, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E923-E924]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                RETIREMENT OF REAR ADMIRAL KENDELL PEASE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. IKE SKELTON

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 20, 1998

  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the distinguished 
service of Rear Admiral Kendell Pease, who recently retired from the 
United States Navy as Chief of Information after 34 years of exemplary 
service.
  After a brief period as an enlisted man and four years at the Naval 
Academy, Admiral Pease joined the fleet as a public affairs officer in 
1968. He served his country in Vietnam, with subsequent assignments in 
Naples, Italy; Charleston, South Carolina; Washington, DC; and Norfolk, 
Virginia. He was public affairs officer at the Naval Academy, served on 
the staff of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs at 
the Pentagon, and was also public affairs officer at the Bureau of 
Naval Personnel.
  It was at the Navy Office of Information in the Pentagon where Rear 
Admiral Pease really made his mark as a spokesman for Navy-wide 
operations and policy. He served in the Office of Information three 
different times, the final time in his position as Chief of 
Information, where he was the principal public affairs advisor to and 
spokesman for both the Secretary of the Navy and the Chief of Naval 
Operations for nearly six years, the longest term ever held by a Chief 
of Information. Admiral Pease's tenure spanned some of the most 
dramatic changes the sea service has experienced in more than 200 
years. He saw the aftermath of Tailhook and the integration of women 
into combat roles in the Navy; he saw the challenges of personnel 
drawdowns following the collapse of the Iron Curtain; he helped the 
Navy mold and then iterate a drastic change in mission philosophy, from 
a blue water fighting force designed to counter the Soviet threat to a 
brown water force capable of fighting in the littorals and projecting 
power from the sea. He was always engaged with the media, discussing 
necessary new acquisition programs like the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet; the 
Seawolf and the New Attack Submarines; the next generation aircraft 
carrier CVX and CVN-77, the transition ship to CVX; and DD21, the 
Navy's land attack destroyer for the 21st century. Over and over and 
over again, Rear Admiral Pease communicated the Navy's role of Forward 
Presence--operating ships, submarines and aircraft anywhere in the 
world, unencumbered by host country sensitivities.
  Admiral Pease was the Navy's chief spokesman during numerous naval 
deployments to protect American interests in global hotspots

[[Page E924]]

like the Persian Gulf, Taiwan Straits, Somalia, and the Adriatic Sea 
off Bosnia. And on occasion, when force was the final resort as we have 
seen several times in the past few years in Iraq and Bosnia, Rear 
Admiral Pease was there, telling the story of the heroic American 
Sailor and his or her efforts in the face of adversity. Admiral Pease 
placed particular emphasis on the Sailor, because he realized that they 
were the backbone of the fleet--the ingenuity of the individual 
American Sailor is what make our Navy the greatest one in the world.
  Rear Admiral Pease was a master of presenting the Navy's role in 
world events to the American public. He personally mentored hundreds of 
junior officers who were members of the Navy public affairs community; 
he was demanding, but mostly of himself, often arriving at the Pentagon 
before six a.m. and routinely working until nine or ten at night. His 
untiring commitment led to a remarkable increase in America's 
understanding of the Navy and its people. He clearly played a 
significant role in the shaping of public opinion and the future of the 
sea service.
  Admiral Pease was an innovative communicator. He was at the forefront 
of promoting digital photography to tell a story half a world away; he 
also used video teleconferencing at sea and the internet to carry the 
Navy's message. And his tenure as the Chief of Information saw 
incredible evolution not only in the way the Navy communicates with the 
public, but also with Sailors. He refined the Navy's internal 
publications, reorganized and enhanced the Navy's weekly news program 
``Navy and Marine Corps News'', and pioneered Direct to Sailor 
television aboard ships at sea--satellite technology destined to bring 
live television programming to all Navy ships in the next decade.
  Perhaps most of all, Rear Admiral Pease was valued not only for his 
ability as a communicator, but more importantly as a strategic, big 
picture thinker, advisor and the voice of reason. He served three 
Secretaries of the Navy and three Chiefs of Naval Operations during his 
six years as the Chief of Information. A man of unparalleled vision, 
his opinion weighed significantly more than the two stars he wore on 
his collar would indicate. He is a man who served his country loyally 
and truly epitomizes the Navy core values of honor, courage and 
commitment.
  I know the Members join me in this tribute to Rear Admiral Kendell 
Pease, who has truly given his all to the United States Navy for the 
last 34 years.

                          ____________________