[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 87 (Friday, June 18, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7278-S7279]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO GENERAL CHARLES C. KRULAK

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I know a number of Senators are going to 
want to join me in paying tribute to a great Marine, the Commandant, 
General Krulak. I hope that others will come to the floor this 
afternoon, or on Monday, and join me in expressing our appreciation for 
the work he has done.
  Mr. President, Marines do it all--in the air, on the land, and on the 
sea. With a service like the Marine Corps, sometimes people come in and 
say: Well, can't they go ahead and just be in charge of it all? I 
certainly understand that when you get to know an outstanding man like 
General Krulak. It is especially true when you consider that the 
Nation's Marines have a tremendous record of pride and history and 
going out and doing the job when it is the toughest. Their attitude has 
been exemplified by this feisty, pull-no-punches Commandant. I have 
really appreciated the fact that when I met with him privately and 
asked him direct questions, he gave me direct answers. I have 
appreciated the fact that when he has been before committees of 
Congress--particularly the Armed Services Committee--he responded in a 
way he thought was best for our country, as to what the marines really 
needed, and not necessarily what he was expected to say or even told to 
say. That is typical of the Marines and typical of this General and his 
family.
  So I want to pay special tribute to General Charles C. Krulak, the 
31st Commandant of the Marine Corps, soon to relinquish command of our 
Nation's Corps of Marines after almost 40 years in uniform. General 
Krulak's retirement will mark the first time in 70 years that a Krulak 
will be absent from the rolls of the United States Marine Corps. His 
father, Lieutenant General Brute Krulak, served as a Commanding 
General, Fleet Marine Forces Pacific.
  General Krulak's illustrious career is replete with achievements from 
the blood-stained rice fields of Vietnam, where he commanded Marines 
during two tours of duty, to the wind-swept sands of Kuwait, where he 
commanded Marines during the Gulf War.
  For his devoted service to our country and for the brave Marines he 
led, General Krulak was awarded the Silver Star Medal; Bronze Star 
Medal with Combat ``V'' and two gold stars; Purple Heart with gold 
star; Combat Action Ribbon; and the Republic of Vietnam Cross of 
Gallantry.
  During his tenure as the 31st Commandant of the Marine Corps, the 
Senate has come to know of many of the virtues of this modern-day 
warrior. His accomplishments will resonate long into the next 
millennium, ensuring that the Marine Corps remains the world's premier 
crisis response force.
  I remember that during a 1996 Senate Armed Services Committee hearing 
on the posture of our military, the service chiefs were asked what they 
needed most. The other service chiefs rattled off some new weapons 
systems. Not Chuck Krulak. The Senate always relied on his frank and 
honest opinion, no matter the issue. He wanted Gore-Tex cold weather 
gear and boots for his troops. General Krulak has always placed his 
Marines first. That is why he is loved as Commandant. The people came 
first; the men and women of the Marine Corps came first.
  General Krulak is a visionary, a person who clearly understands the 
situation at hand. He understood the importance of developing new 
concepts and techniques that would ensure decisive victory in the 
``savage wars of peace.'' He forged his Corps of Marines through 
unrelenting sacrifice, initiative, and courage.
  His foresight resulted in the creation of the Marine Corps 
Warfighting Lab, taking the DOD lead in nonlethal weapons technology 
and the creation of the Chemical Biological Incident Response Force. He 
created and implemented the ``Transformation Process'' of making 
Marines--a holistic approach to recruiting and developing young men and 
women to ensure they have the skills and basic character needed to 
effectively meet the Asymmetric 21st century threat. He labored to 
institutionalize the Marine Corps core values of honor, courage and 
commitment, while maintaining, and in many cases elevating, performance 
standards in every aspect of the Marine Corps recruiting and 
development processes, be they mental, physical, or moral.

  Today, the Corps has met its recruiting requirements forty-eight 
months consecutively and has achieved its retention goals--a testimony 
to the wisdom and foresight of General Krulak.
  General Krulak not only pursued better Marines and asked for Marines 
to be capable of winning our Nation's future battles, but he also made 
better Americans. He promoted a focus on character development and high 
ethical and moral standards. He stressed the core values of honor, 
courage, and commitment, which exemplify the Corps. They are attributes 
that will serve the Marines well long after they have hung up their 
uniforms. In a way, I don't think Marines ever hang up their uniforms; 
they wear them the rest of their lives.
  I remember, years ago, I had on my staff a man that worked on the 
Mississippi Gulf Coast, Cecil Dubuisson, a Sergeant Major. A Sergeant 
Major in the Marine Corps is really super-special. As we traveled 
around South Mississippi into Louisiana, I would run into people--young 
men and older men--and they always recognized him as ``Sergeant 
Major.'' There was a special bond between these men that the rest of us 
could only hope to achieve.
  In closing, I want to recognize General Krulak for his uncompromising 
integrity to always do the right thing for the Nation and his beloved 
Corps, and for his unwavering conviction that exemplifies a way of 
life, not just a motto. It speaks powerfully to the citizens he serves. 
It has been my good fortune, and the Senate's good fortune, to witness 
the resolve of a person who believes so strongly about the institution 
in which he serves. General Krulak, the Marine Corps is a better 
institution today than it was 4 years ago.
  Your sacrifice and devotion to duty have made it so. You have 
provided a significant and lasting contribution to your Corps and to 
the Nation's security. Through your leadership, there is a renewed 
sense of esprit de corps. Those who follow your example will be a 
testament to the legacy you leave behind.
  I wish General Krulak, your wonderful wife Zandi, and your two sons, 
David and Todd, ``fair winds and following seas'' as you step down as 
the 31st Commandant of the Marine Corps on June 30, 1999. Your 
distinguished and faithful service to our country is greatly 
appreciated. You will be sorely missed but surely not forgotten.
  Thank God for the Marines Corps, thank God for General Krulak.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Acting in my capacity as an individual Senator 
from Kansas and a former marine, let me thank the majority leader and 
indicate what all marines would indicate were they present--``oo-yah.''
  The distinguished Senator from Montana is recognized.
  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I am pleased and honored to stand with 
Senator Lott today, our majority leader, in honor of the coming change 
of command of the U.S. Marine Corps and the Commandant and the 
retirement of Gen. Charles C. Krulak.
  We all share one thing, and I think the leader missed one thing the 
General stands for. It is written out there on the Iwo Jima Memorial. 
Uncommon valor was a common virtue. Every marine carries that and 
semper fi. As a former enlisted marine, there is no other comparable 
military fraternity. In fact, I credit the Marines Corps for saving my 
life. I remember as a young man I was sort of adrift. The Marine Corps 
has the habit of setting a person straight.
  I share the kindred spirit that is fundamentally the heart and the 
soul of the Corps. It has been my pleasure to work with General Krulak 
in my duties as chairman of the Senate Military Construction 
Appropriations Committee since he assumed his duties as the 31st 
Commandant in 1995.
  His military career extended back almost 40 years to his entry in the 
U.S. Naval Academy. He graduated in 1964 and went on to The Basic 
School in Quantico, VA. He continued to distinguish himself in command 
positions

[[Page S7279]]

too numerous to count, including two tours in Vietnam. During the gulf 
war, General Krulak commanded the 2nd Force Service Support Group for 
the Atlantic Fleet Marine Forces. If you read through his commendation 
list, it seems he earned almost every award and decoration possible, 
including the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, a Silver Star, 
Bronze Star, two Gold Stars, and a Purple Heart, just to make a few.
  I think it goes to show every American how appropriate it was for 
General Krulak to be nominated for the Commandant's office. He told me 
the other day that when he leaves the Marines Corps this will be the 
first time a Krulak has not been in a marine uniform for over 80 years. 
What a great tradition. He knows the marines. He was raised in the 
society. He stood up for them and their fundamental beliefs.
  In his farewell to the Corps in the June edition of Leatherneck 
Magazine, General Krulak reminds us of two simple qualities that define 
all marines. First is the Touchstone of Valor. When marines are called 
to battle, they suit up and go, and they fight. Winning is mandatory; 
losing is not an option. This has been true from the earliest days of 
the Revolutionary War through modern-day battles. The battle list is 
long and distinguished: Iwo Jima, Inchon, Danang, Kuwait, and now 
Kosovo. The Commandant reminds us that ``the memory of the marines who 
fought in these battles lives in us and in the core values of our 
precious Corps.''
  The second quality is the Touchstone of Values. Marines have always 
held themselves to the highest standards. Words like ``honor,'' 
``courage,'' and ``commitment'' are convictions that are embedded 
within the recruitment and training of all marines. Semper Fidelis is 
not just a Marine Corps motto; it is a heartfelt passion.
  When you hear General Krulak's statement, you understand why the name 
U.S. Marine brings confidence to America's allies and general respect 
from all of our potential enemies. He was a leader by example and he 
will continue to be a leader by example. He stood as an anchor on the 
Joint Chiefs, paving the way for Congress to make some progress in 
military readiness. He is widely known for his openness, his honesty, 
and his cruel truth.
  The general has the toughness of the Corps, but he has a sensitive 
side also, which is the quality of a leader.
  I have a shirttail cousin who served in the Marine Corps and was 
wounded in Vietnam. Last summer, Cpl. Dan Critten and his wife visited 
this town and attended a dinner and we were honored to have General 
Krulak attend. Danny is confined to a wheelchair because of his injury 
sustained in Vietnam. He was at Danang. As it turned out, General 
Krulak was just a hill away that very day. Dan came home back to 
Missouri in a wheelchair, and he went right back to farming. He fixed 
up his tractor. He had all the hydraulic lifts and he could chase his 
cattle and do his farming. He never whimpered once. He, too earned the 
Bronze Star and has lived a life that is truly the model of an American 
and a marine that we all know and notice.
  I remember that meeting when we went to that dinner, when the general 
met the corporal that evening. It was a special moment in the human 
experience. There was no rank, just a special feeling of two warriors 
who faced and survived the horrors of war. I will never forget that 
moment. It reminded me why this Nation, this United States, will lead 
the world and why the Corps is respected wherever it is assigned. It 
has dedicated men and women who have a sense of duty, the willingness 
to win but also a quality of heart.
  Every change of command brings happiness and sadness. There is 
satisfaction and appreciation for a job well done, and there is 
mourning for departing the fellowship of the Corps. The good news is 
there is no such thing as an ex-marine. I am convinced that General 
Krulak will be as effective in his future position as he was a marine.
  On behalf of United States, I say thank you, General, for your 
incredible service and your dedication to your country. We owe you and 
all marines a debt that can never be repaid. You have lived honorably 
in extraordinary circumstances and have left the Corps stronger and 
more capable in your wake. We say, Semper Fi.
  Now we welcome a new Commandant, another marine who has stood the 
test on the field of battle and among his peers. I have no doubt about 
the future of this Nation's U.S. Marine Corps. The tradition continues.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The distinguished Senator from Washington is 
recognized.

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