[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 83 (Monday, June 14, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S6944]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              RICHARD ALLEN'S TRIBUTE TO ADMIRAL BUD NANCE

  Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, the late Admiral James W. (Bud) Nance was 
eulogized in late May by an eloquent friend who knew Bud well, a friend 
who had worked with Bud on many occasions beginning with their 
respective responsibilities with President Reagan during the eight 
years of the Reagan presidency.
  That eloquent friend is a friend of many of us, a remarkable American 
who understands the miracle of this great country, Richard V. Allen, 
Chairman, The Richard V. Allen Company.
  Mr. President, Dick Allen was speaking at a dinner on behalf of a 
non-profit foundation at Wingate University. He began by paying his 
respects to ``fifteen distinguished directors'' of the foundation, 
among them the Honorable Roger Milliken identified by Mr. Allen as 
``the champion of good causes''.
  At this point, Mr. President, I shall pick up, verbatim, Mr. Allen's 
remarks, and I ask that the remainder of those remarks be printed in 
the Record.
  There being no objection, the remarks were ordered to be printed in 
the Record as follows:

       But another of these distinguished persons is not with us 
     this evening, and it is about him--a very special person--
     that I am honored to speak some heartfelt words.
       I refer of course, to Admiral James W. Nance, an 
     extraordinary patriot who was laid to rest yesterday morning 
     at Arlington National Cemetery, perhaps the Senator's closest 
     confidant after Mrs. Helms, and with whom I was privileged to 
     have a close relationship for nearly two decades.
       It is not possible to convey either the depth of sorrow 
     reigning over Washington in the week since Bud Nance departed 
     this earth, nor is it possible to capture in words the 
     grandeur of the successive honors and tributes so justly 
     showered upon him in recent days as we celebrated his 
     extraordinary career, his lifetime with his loving family and 
     with us.
       Bud Nance and Jesse Helms are two distinct persons, friends 
     since they were little boys and friends for life, men who 
     knew and understood each other as stalwart loyalists to God, 
     Family and Country, and who fought side by side for 
     freedom, democracy and just causes. But to evoke the name 
     of one is to remind us of the other, and this had a 
     special meaning for me.
       In 1980, following the Reagan landslide and during the 
     transition, the Chairman-designate of the Senate Agriculture 
     Committee called to ask if I would meet with a recently 
     retired Admiral. As the Chairman put it, ``this is a good ole 
     boy I've known for a long time, he's worked in the Pentagon 
     and he knows how to fly planes on and off aircraft 
     carriers.'' The Senator told me he might be interested in 
     ``some kind of junior staff job at the NSC,'' and would I 
     just talk with him.
       Bud Nance came aboard the Transition Team steaming at 
     thirty knots, said he liked tough assignments and could 
     execute them well. For starters, I asked him to work with my 
     own long-time friend, Gene Kopp, in ``revamping the Carter 
     National Security Council staff.'' Bud said: ``Oh, I get it, 
     I'm supposed to be just like a vacuum cleaner, just blow `em 
     all out of there?'' And he did just that!
       Yesterday, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who 
     graciously attended the services for Bud and was here 
     tonight, reminded me that Bud had invited her--she was then 
     an assistant to Zbigniew Brzezinski, my predecessor--in for 
     an interview, since he was meeting with all departing staff 
     members, some of whom, incredibly, thought they should be 
     kept on. She recalls saying to him, ``Why are you 
     interviewing me? I don't want to work with you people 
     anyway!!'' As it turned out, she was right!
       Bud Nance was just the best associate and the hardest 
     working man a fellow could ever have. He insisted on doing 
     heavy lifting, and served his President faithfully and well. 
     On one occasion, in the summer of 1981, the Navy was running 
     an operation into the Gulf of Sidra, near Libyan waters, to 
     establish freedom of navigation there. I was in California 
     with President Reagan. Bud insisted on sleeping the night in 
     the Situation Room, in order to supervise the operation. At 
     about midnight on the West Coast, I got the call from Bud, 
     who in a matter of fact tone said, ``Dick, we sent our 
     carrier in there, and two Libyan fellas came flyin' out at us 
     in Russian Migs. We put up our planes, and now the Libyans 
     ain't flying any more because they locked their radars onto 
     our boys, and their planes got all tore up by our missiles, 
     and those Libyan boys are definitely down in the drink. Now, 
     if I was you, I'd be callin' the President, and I'm goin' 
     home to get some sleep.''
       If I were to recite the extraordinary career and 
     accomplishments of this very special man, I'd merely repeat 
     what more than twenty Senators of both parties related so 
     eloquently in their speeches under a Special Order on 
     Tuesday--filling fifteen solid pages of the Congressional 
     Record, and what was said so movingly by his granddaughter 
     Catherine and son Andrew at yesterday's services.
       Leaving the White House in 1982, Bud went to work for 
     Boeing until Senator Helms asked him to come up to the Hill 
     and take charge of the Foreign Relations Committee in 1991. 
     After the Navy, after The White House, after Boeing, he 
     again accepted the call of duty. Everyone knows the basis 
     on which he agreed to go to work again--he declared that 
     he would work for free year, saying that his pension and 
     social security were quite enough, thank you, and 
     ``America has been good to me.'' He was not permitted to 
     do that, and had to accept minimum wage of $2.96 a week, 
     later raised by cost of living increases, he was forced to 
     accept the munificent sum of $4.53 a week.
       Each of us who knew, respected and loved him will miss him 
     very much.
       Yesterday, the motorcade that left the Lewinsville 
     Presbyterian Church in McLean enroute to Arlington Cemetery 
     stretched for nearly two miles. The cannon fired their 
     salute, the rifles cracked, the bugler played Taps, the Honor 
     Guard stood by, and Bud's pastor asked us to stand for the 
     flyover.
       North across the Potomac they came, four magnificent F-18 
     jets, flying in precise formation; as they roared directly 
     over the assembled mourners, three proceeded straight ahead 
     while one ignited his afterburner, peeled off in a long and 
     beautiful arc, flying straight up into the heavens, 
     symbolizing Bud's career and the passage to his Maker. It was 
     a profound moment, reminiscent of how much Bud liked that 
     little placard that used to rest on President Reagan's desk 
     with the inscription,
       ``There's no limit to what a man can do or where he can go 
     if he doesn't mind who gets the credit.''
       Bud never minded at all.

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