[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 122 (Wednesday, October 4, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S9851]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             TRIBUTE TO GENERAL ANTHONY ZINNI, USMC (RET.)

 Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to 
General Anthony Zinni, United States Marine Corps, on the occasion of 
his completion of a successful tour of duty as Commander in Chief, 
United States Central Command, and his retirement from active duty 
after 36 years of loyal service. I offer these remarks with great 
respect for General Zinni, a true American patriot and a Marine's 
Marine.
  General Zinni is a remarkable individual, a distinguished combat 
soldier, and an inspiring, uncompromising leader. During his 36 year 
military career, General Zinni's intellect, candor, and unshakeable 
optimism have had a profound, positive influence on the U.S. Armed 
Forces from the Quang Nam province of Vietnam to the sheikdoms of the 
Middle East, and a hundred points in between. A life long adventure 
that began in a small Pennsylvania town on the banks of the Schuykill 
River has taken him around the world and to the top echelons of 
military leadership.
  A first generation American, General Zinni began his service to the 
nation in 1961. His father, Antonio Zinni, who immigrated from Italy 
and fought for his adopted country in the trenches of France in World 
War I, and his mother, Lilla, instilled in General Zinni an 
unconditional devotion to the principles of American freedom and 
liberty and a profound respect for military service. On his first day 
of classes at Villanova University, with the lessons of his parents in 
mind, General Zinni joined the Marine Corps. From the Augustinians and 
the Marine Corps Drill Instructors, General Zinni developed an 
intellectual prowess and professional military acumen that would 
distinguish him as a ``cut above'' throughout his career.
  Beginning with two combat tours in Vietnam, General Zinni embarked on 
a series of assignments that reflect the myriad missions to which the 
military has been deployed in the latter part of the 20th Century--
combat operations, humanitarian operations, peacekeeping and peace 
enforcement. Following Vietnam, General Zinni participated in 
humanitarian relief operations in the Philippines and in Northern Iraq. 
He commanded U.S. military forces in Somalia and also commanded the 
task force responsible for safeguarding the withdrawal of U.N. 
peacekeeping forces from Somalia in 1995.
  In August 1997, General Zinni, recognized as one of the most 
operationally competent, most experienced and most versatile military 
leaders in uniform, was selected by the President to be the Commander 
in Chief of United States Central Command. Following a unanimous 
confirmation vote by this chamber, General Zinni spent the next three 
years representing the United States and ensuring the security of U.S. 
interests in one of the most challenging areas of the world.
  As many of my colleagues are aware, United States Central Command 
encompasses a region that includes 25 nations, extending from Egypt and 
the Horn of Africa through the Arabian Peninsula and Gulf States, to 
the newly independent central Asian nations and Pakistan. While 
abundant in cultural, ethnic and religious diversity, these same 
enriching features are also the source of deep-rooted, historic 
animosities--animosities within the region and toward the United 
States. Guided by his imperative to genuinely understand the unique 
perspective of a society and his desire to work with the people of the 
region, General Zinni earned the respect and administration of the 
area's national leaders. There is no question that he was the right man 
in the right place at the right time.
  While we acknowledge the long list of General Zinni's accolades, we 
recognize that the challenges of military life are most successfully 
accomplished as a team effort. General Zinni's wife, Debbie, and their 
children Lisa, Tony, and Maria have shared the challenges and rewards 
of General Zinni's military life. The journey which brought General 
Zinni to Central Command, the hallmark of his distinguished military 
career, would not have been possible without the unconditional and 
loving support of his family.
  On behalf of a grateful nation, I congratulate you and your family 
for your service to the Nation, the Armed Forces and to the Marine 
Corps. Semper Fi! General, as a former Maine, I salute you on the floor 
of the U.S. Senate.

                          ____________________