[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 155 (Friday, December 15, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11891-S11892]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO SECRETARY OF DEFENSE BILL COHEN

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to Secretary 
of Defense Bill Cohen and Mrs. Janet Langhart Cohen. As Secretary of 
Defense for almost four years, Bill Cohen has led the Defense 
Department and the military services with leadership and a strong 
commitment.
  In contemporary political history, persons of a political party other 
than the party of the Administration, have offered to serve this 
Nation. It takes a special courage; Bill Cohen has that courage. He has 
earned--with distinction--a place in history.
  Bill Cohen and I were first elected to the Senate in 1978. We served 
together on the Armed Services Committee from 1979 until Bill retired 
from the Senate in 1996. Throughout his service with the Senate, he was 
recognized as a leader.
  A prodigious student of history, diplomacy, foreign policy and 
national security, he was recognized as one of the most able and 
productive members of the Armed Services Committee. He worked hard to 
develop and maintain a bipartisan consensus on national security 
policy. For Bill Cohen, partisan politics--in the words of the famous 
Republican senator from Michigan, Senator Arthur Vandenberg--``stopped 
at the water's edge.''
  Fortunately, the President recognized the wealth of knowledge and 
experience Bill had developed during his service in the Congress.
  Bill Cohen also had the good fortune of being the son of parents he 
loved and admired. That gave him inner strength.
  In December 1996, he was nominated to be Secretary of Defense and was 
promptly confirmed by the Senate.
  When Bill Cohen accepted the nomination, he undestood the 
extraordinary challenges that lay ahead. He understood that he would be 
responsible for a department and for military services that had 
undergone, and were undergoing, the most significant reduction in force 
and personnel and equipment in almost thirty years.
  The problems associated with these reductions were compounded by 
increasing operational commitments. Comparing the period between the 
end of the Vietnam War and the beginning of Operation Desert Storm to 
the period between Operation Desert Storm to today, these commitments 
have increased by over 400 percent. And there would be no foreseeable 
end to our extended commitments in many parts of the world.

  It was at such a critical crossroad in the history of the U.S. Armed 
Forces that a leader with a strong sense of purpose and keen intellect 
was needed at the helm of the Department of Defense. That leader was 
Bill Cohen. We, in this chamber, knew very well the profound depth of 
his intellect and leadership through his oratory, his writings, his 
poems and, yes, his occasional ``doodles'' on the notepad. Like Colonel 
Joshua Chamberlain, a Union Army soldier and son of Maine, that Cohen 
revered, he likewise accepted the daunting challenge with which he was 
presented.
  Upon taking the helm at the Department of Defense, Bill Cohen quickly 
identified those key areas that required his immediate attention. 
Shortly after his confirmation hearing, Secretary Cohen stated that he 
would dedicate his time in office to working on the quality of life for 
military personnel and their families and to addressing continuing 
shortfalls in readiness and modernization of the Armed Forces.
  So began his four years of labor to lead the largest agency in the 
Federal Government--one of the largest organizations in the world. But 
this was a labor of love for the new secretary. Bill Cohen recently 
described his tenure as ``the most demanding, exhilarating experience'' 
he has ever had--work he would do ``forever.''

[[Page S11892]]

  Sharing this experience with Bill Cohen is his wife, Janet Langhart 
Cohen. She has been equally enthusiastic in her role supporting him--
and military personnel throughout the world--as a ``First Lady of the 
Pentagon.''
  Janet Langhart Cohen's tireless and selfless work for our men and 
women in uniform, and their families, has been remarkable. She has been 
committed to making sure that the American people's hearts and minds 
are fully joined with those who are wearing the uniform. Thanks to 
Janet Langhart Cohen, soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines have come 
to know how much they are appreciated by their fellow Americans.
  To this end, Janet Langhart Cohen called on the USO--and their 
volunteer entertainers--to bring the message from the homefront to our 
forward deployed military men and women. She recognized that the USO 
helped those in the military who are far from home give in to laughter 
rather than give way to loneliness and despair. With the USO, Janet 
Langhart Cohen reinvigorated the spirit of our warriors.
  Understanding the important relationship between the men and women of 
the Armed Forces and the USO, Janet Langhart Cohen led the effort to 
build a lasting exhibit to the USO in the Pentagon. Thanks to her, the 
tribute was unveiled just a few short weeks ago. To many, she is now 
also recognized as the ``First Lady of the USO.''
  Together, Bill and Janet have been a dynamic team. They have tackled 
many of the problems facing military families today. They have also 
circled the globe together to demonstrate their combined conviction and 
support for our men and women in uniform wherever they are deployed. 
Only recently, Bill and Janet completed their third trip to Kosovo 
since the June 1999 end of the air campaign.
  In our brief years, Secretary Cohen, through tireless work, study, 
and travel, has continued to develop his already formidable 
understanding of global, economic and national security issues. And as 
had been the case during his 24 years of service in the Congress, 
Secretary Cohen's conviction for supporting the troops continued 
without question.
  Anyone who has been privileged to serve in the Department of Defense, 
especially as the ``Top Gun,'' knows there is no more difficult a job 
in the Executive Branch of our government. Bill Cohen earned his place 
in history, alongside the best, and the men and women in uniform render 
a respectful ``hand salute.''

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