[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 125 (Monday, September 24, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1708-E1709]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING GEN. HENRY H. ``HUGH'' SHELTON, USA, FOR HIS EXCEPTIONAL 
            SERVICE AS CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                                   of

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 24, 2001

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise to recognize and 
commend the exceptional work of a distinguished American, a great 
friend and an exceptional soldier, General Henry H. ``Hugh'' Shelton, 
USA, the 14th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. On October 1, 
2001, General Shelton, concludes his second term as the principal 
military adviser to the President, the Secretary of Defense, and to the 
National Security Council.
  General Shelton, known to his friends as ``Hugh'', was born in 
Tarboro, North Carolina, and grew up on his family's 1,000 acre farm in 
the tiny town of Speed, N.C., with its population of 100. He is the 
oldest of four children whose father was a farmer and sold farm 
equipment, and his mother was a local school teacher. General Shelton 
attended the Speed Baptist Church every Sunday where his mother served 
as its pianist. General Shelton's father achieved his goal of sending 
his children to college so they could broaden their horizons and not be 
limited to a life of growing cotton and tobacco.
  As a freshman of North Carolina State University Hugh Shelton joined 
the U.S. Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC), where he was 
drawn to the discipline, the values, and the esprit d' corps of the 
U.S. Army and the precision of his unit's drills. After completing this 
two-year ROTC requirement after college, General Shelton went to work 
at Regal Textiles, a local business.
  Mr. Speaker, it is almost hard to imagine General Shelton not serving 
our Nation as an Army officer. After a year in the private sector, he 
returned to the Army with a regular commission, and through rigorous 
training, determination and discipline became a member of the Army's 
Special Forces. During his distinguished career General Shelton has 
served in a variety of command and staff positions in the United States 
and abroad. He is a combat veteran of Vietnam and the Gulf War. During 
his two tours in Vietnam, he served with the 5th Special Forces Group, 
and with the 173rd Airborne Brigade. It was during his service in 
Vietnam he earned the Purple Heart.
  General Shelton also commanded the 3rd Battalion, 60th Infantry 
Division at Ft. Lewis, Washington; serving as the assistant chief of 
staff for operations for the 9th Infantry Division; commanded the 1st 
Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina; 
served in Ft. Drum, NY as the 10th Mountain Division's Chief of Staff; 
as the assistant division commander of the 101st Airborne; and 
commanded the Special Operations Command.
  A testament to General Shelton's exceptional leadership and of his 
commitment to our Nation is his meteoric rise through the Army's 
general officer ranks from brigadier general through general in 9 
years! In 1987, as a brigadier general, General Shelton served for 2 
years in the Joint Chiefs of Staffs' Operations Directorate, followed 
by another 2-year assignment as the 101st Airborne Division's Assistant 
Division Commander, which included a 7-month deployment to the Gulf
  True to his roots as a ``soldier's soldier'' and a leader who is ``at 
home'' being out in the field, I was not surprised to learn that 
General Shelton was in Namibia reviewing special operations forces when 
he was contacted by the Pentagon regarding his interest in being 
considered for the Chairman's position. Following his nomination by 
then President Bill Clinton, and confirmation by the Senate, General 
Shelton worked tirelessly during his tenure as the Chairman of the 
Joint Chiefs of Staff to improve the quality of life for our men and 
women serving in our armed forces.
  General Shelton sought and received the largest across the board pay 
increases for the military in nearly two decades; pushed for greater 
salary increases for our mid-grade noncommissioned officers; and 
instituted a retirement reform package that reinstated benefits for 
those who entered our Nation's military service after 1986; implemented 
an enhanced housing allowance that gradually eliminated out of pocket 
expenses for service members living off their post or base; and 
advocated for medical health care reform that made health care more 
responsive to the needs of our military and their families, and 
included military retirees over the age of 65.
  As part of Chairman Shelton's dynamic leadership, he established a 
U.S. Joint Forces Command to serve as the nucleus for Joint 
Experimentation and Joint Force Readiness; established a Joint Task 
Force-Civil Support to increase the military's ability and readiness to 
respond to U.S. homeland defense crises, and established a Joint Task 
Force-Computer Network Operations to develop and enhance measures and 
protocols to further safeguard our information networks. In his Joint 
Vision 2020, General Shelton set forth the goals and metrics for the 
future joint force. General Shelton promulgated numerous initiatives 
designed to improve the interoperability of our services including: a 
Joint Warfighting Logistics initiative, a revision of Joint 
Professional Military Education Programs, development of a Global 
Information Grid, and an enhancement of the Joint Requirements 
Oversight Council's focus on joint warfighting. Additionally, General 
Shelton through his hard work, preparation, and personal presence, the 
Department of Defense realized an increase of 112 billion dollars for 
defense spending over the 5-year defense plan, as well as implemented 
new processes to carefully manage and account for resources in support 
of the overall National Security Strategy.
  During General Shelton's distinguished career he was awarded numerous 
awards and

[[Page E1709]]

decorations, including: the Defense Distinguished Service Medal (with 2 
oak leaf clusters), the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of 
Merit (with oak leaf cluster), the Bronze Star Medal with V device I 
(with three oak leaf clusters), and
  General Shelton's leadership, drive and initiatives have proven time 
and time again that he was a superb choice to serve as our Nation's top 
military adviser as we entered into the 21st Century. On September 11, 
2001, our Nation suffered from the horrors of terrorist attacks in New 
York and in Washington, and I am confident that if it were not for the 
Joint Chiefs of Staffs' instantaneous and swift response to the attacks 
under the leadership of General Shelton working under our President, 
the Secretaries of Defense and State, and our top-notch national 
security team, the damage and casualties we suffered may have been far 
greater.
  General Shelton meritoriously served as our 14th Chairman of the 
Joint Chiefs of Staff with honor and distinction during the past four 
years. While he may have served as the senior military officer and 
operated at the highest levels of government, General Shelton never 
lost touch with our men and women in uniform, and no matter how busy or 
over committed he is, he always makes the time to assist others. In 
August 2001, a member of my staff underwent two surgeries and General 
Shelton and his staff called Matt to see if there was anything that 
they could do--that is but one example of the true, caring professional 
that epitomizes General Shelton as a ``soldier's soldier.``
  I also want to recognize and offer my sincere gratitude to General 
Shelton's wife Carolyn for her dedicated work, tireless efforts, and 
support of our military families during her service to our Nation. 
General and Mrs. Shelton's three sons Jonathan, Jeffrey and Mark 
deserve our thanks for supporting their father during his distinguished 
service.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in expressing our 
gratitude to General Henry H. ``Hugh'' Shelton, the 14th Chairman of 
the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a superb leader, a quiet diplomat-warrior, a 
gentleman of the truest sense of the word, and a true friend of mine 
and of our great Nation!

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