[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 177 (Wednesday, December 19, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H10482-H10485]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
GENERAL SHELTON CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL ACT
Mr. KING. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 2751) to authorize the President to award a gold medal on
behalf of the Congress to General Henry H. Shelton and to provide for
the production of bronze duplicates of such medal for sale to the
public, as amended.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 2751
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``General Shelton
Congressional Gold Medal Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) General Henry H. Shelton, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
of Staff, the principal military adviser to the President,
the National Security Council, and the Secretary of Defense,
has displayed strong leadership, competence, and
professionalism in fulfilling his statutory responsibilities
throughout Operation Allied Force.
(2) General Shelton and his subordinates brilliantly
planned and coordinated at the national level the successful
air campaign in support of Operation Allied Force.
(3) General Shelton's leadership, foresight, and
determination were directly responsible for ensuring a
decisive military victory without a single allied combat
casualty in Kosovo in 1999.
(4) As the principal military adviser to the President of
the United States, the National Security Council, and the
Secretary of Defense, General Shelton's assessments,
judgments, recommendations, and determination were invaluable
and instrumental in the unprecedented military victory
against the forces of Slobodan Milosevic.
(5) General Shelton's distinction as a ``soldier's
soldier'', as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and
throughout his military service, including command of the
Special Operations Command, the 18th Airborne Corps at Fort
Bragg, North Carolina, helicopter forces in Operation Desert
Storm, and special forces Green Berets in Vietnam, serves as
an inspiration to the Congress and the people of the United
States, a grateful Nation.
SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL.
(a) Presentation Authorized.--The President is authorized
to present, on behalf of the Congress, to General Henry H.
Shelton a gold medal of appropriate design in recognition of
his performance as a military leader in coordinating the
planning, strategy, and execution of the United States and
NATO combat action and his invaluable contributions to the
United States and to the successful return to peace in the
Balkans as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
(b) Design and Striking.--For purposes of the presentation
referred to in subsection (a), the Secretary of the Treasury
(hereafter referred to in this Act as the ``Secretary'')
shall strike a gold medal with suitable emblems, devices, and
inscriptions to be determined by the Secretary.
SEC. 4. DUPLICATE MEDALS.
The Secretary may strike bronze duplicates of the gold
medal struck pursuant to section 3, under such regulations as
the Secretary may prescribe, and may sell such bronze
duplicates at a price sufficient to cover the cost thereof,
including labor, materials, dies, use of machinery, and
overhead expenses, and the cost of the gold medal.
SEC. 5. NATIONAL MEDALS.
Medals struck pursuant to this Act are national medals for
purposes of chapter 51 of title 31, United States Code.
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS; PROCEEDS OF SALE.
(a) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated not to exceed $30,000 to carry out section
3.
(b) Proceeds of Sales.--Amounts received from sales of
duplicate bronze medals under section 4 shall be credited to
the appropriation made pursuant to the authorization provided
in subsection (a).
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
York (Mr. King) and the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York (Mr. King).
General Leave
Mr. KING. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
on this legislation, and insert extraneous material on the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New York?
There was no objection.
Mr. KING. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise this evening to urge all Members to support
H.R. 2751, the General Shelton Congressional Gold Medal Act which would
grant the Congressional Gold Medal to General Hugh Shelton, former
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in recognition of his long and
distinguished service to the Nation.
Madam Speaker, General Shelton was a soldier's soldier throughout his
military service, which included command of the Special Operations
Command, the 18th Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, North Carolina,
helicopter forces in Operation Desert Storm, and special forces Green
Berets in Vietnam.
I want to especially congratulate the gentleman from North Carolina
(Mr. Etheridge) for his efforts in bringing this bill to the floor this
evening.
Madam Speaker, as chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Shelton was
the principal adviser to the President, the National Security Council,
and the Secretary of Defense. In that role, he displayed an
extraordinary degree of ability and professionalism. His leadership,
foresight and determination were directly responsible for ensuring that
proper military force was applied to bring about decisive military
victory without a single allied combat casualty in the Kosovo campaign
in 1999. General Shelton's career serves as inspiration to the Congress
and the people of the United States, which is indeed a grateful Nation.
Madam Speaker, I urge adoption of the legislation.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as
I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2751, the General
Shelton Congressional Gold Medal Act. This bill honors a truly great
American hero and military leader.
In October of this year, General Hugh Shelton retired as Chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The General wore our Nation's uniform for 38
years, and America owes him a special debt of gratitude for his
unsurpassed leadership as our senior military officer.
As the principal military adviser to the President and other civilian
officials, General Shelton played a key role in the historic success of
Operation Allied Force in extracting the Serbian forces of Slobodan
Milosevic from Kosovo. His leadership, foresight and determination were
directly responsible for this decisive and historic
[[Page H10483]]
military victory without a single allied combat casualty. Throughout
his near four decades of service to our Nation's military, General
Shelton has displayed an admirable dedication to duty and
professionalism.
The General Shelton Congressional Gold Medal Act will bestow a
fitting tribute to this superior warrior and great American. I urge my
colleagues to support H.R. 2751.
Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman
from North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge), and commend the gentleman on his
hard work in bringing this important bill to the floor this evening.
Mr. ETHERIDGE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me
this time. I thank the chairman and the ranking member of the Committee
on Financial Services for approving this important piece of legislation
and getting it to the floor this evening.
Madam Speaker, the two previous bills really set the stage for this
piece of legislation this evening because we really are talking about
our heroes in this country. I am reminded as we start to talk about
this legislation this evening, I remember when I presented General
Shelton to the Members of Congress right after he was sworn in as
chairman of the Joint Chiefs.
He grew up in what was then my congressional district. North Carolina
changed districts in 1998, and his parents now live in the district of
the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Clayton), but I said that
evening that General Shelton and I came from areas so small that we
would use the adjoining town to determine where we were from, we were
from crossroads communities, but that has nothing to do with a man that
has risen to the heights of General Shelton.
Madam Speaker, as Members have heard, on October 1, U.S. Army General
Henry H. ``Hugh'' Shelton retired as Joint Chiefs of Staff of the
United States. General Shelton's retirement capped an extraordinary
military career that brought him from the farm fields of eastern North
Carolina to the jungles of Vietnam, to Desert Storm and the sands in
the Middle East, to the top command of the most powerful military force
on the face of the earth.
This bipartisan bill will bestow a fitting tribute to this superior
warrior and great American who served our Nation with distinction for
38 years. Henry H. Shelton was born in 1942 in a small, rural
crossroads community of Speed, North Carolina. He earned a Bachelor of
Science degree from North Carolina State University in my congressional
district before going on to earn a Master of Science degree from Auburn
University. Having joined ROTC, the Reserve Officer Training Corps,
while in college, Hugh Shelton was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant
in the infantry in 1963.
General Shelton served two tours of duty in Vietnam, the first with
the Fifth Special Forces Group, the second with the 173rd Airborne
Brigade, before rising to command the 1st Brigade of the 82nd Airborne
Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. After promotion to brigadier
general, he served with the 101st Airborne Division during his 7-month
deployment to Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Shield and Desert
Storm. He returned to Fort Bragg after the Persian Gulf War and
commanded the legendary 82nd Airborne Division. He served as Commander-
in-Chief of United States Special Forces Command prior to his two tours
as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General Shelton's awards,
decorations and medals are too numerous to list now, but I include them
for the RECORD.
The text of the article is as follows:
General Henry H. Shelton
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
General Henry H. Shelton became the fourteenth Chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Oct. 1, 1997, and was
reconfirmed by the Senate for a second two-year term in 1999.
In this capacity, he serves as the principal military advisor
to the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the National
Security Council. Prior to becoming Chairman, he served as
Commander in Chief of the United States Special Operations
Command.
Born in Tarboro, North Carolina in January, 1942, General
Shelton earned a Bachelor of Science degree from North
Carolina State University and a Master of Science degree from
Auburn University. His military education includes completion
of the Air Command and Staff College and the National War
College.
Commissioned a second lieutenant in the Infantry in 1963
through the Reserve Officer Training Corps, General Shelton
spent the next 24 years in a variety of command and staff
positions in the continental United States, Hawaii, and
Vietnam. He served two tours in Vietnam--the first with the
5th Special Forces Group, the second with the 173d Airborne
Brigade. He also commanded the 3d Battalion, 60th Infantry in
the 9th Infantry Division at Fort Lewis, Washington, served
as the 9th Infantry Division's assistant chief of staff for
operations, commanded the 1st Brigade of the 82d Airborne
Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and served as the
Chief of Staff of the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum,
New York.
Following selection for brigadier general in 1987, General
Shelton served two years in the Operations Directorate of the
Joint Staff. In 1989, he began a two-year assignment as
Assistant Division Commander for Operations of the 101st
Airborne Division (Air Assault), a tour that included the
Division's seven-month deployment to Saudi Arabia for
Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Upon returning
from the Gulf War, General Shelton was promoted to major
general and assigned to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he
assumed command of the 82d Airborne Division. In 1993, he was
promoted to lieutenant general and assumed command of the
XVIIIth Airborne Corps. In 1994, while serving as corps
commander, General Shelton commanded the Joint Task Force
that conducted Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti. In March
1996, he was promoted to general and became Commander in
Chief of the U.S. Special Operations Command.
General Shelton's awards and decorations include the
Defense Distinguished Service Medal (with 2 oak leaf
clusters), Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit (with
oak leaf cluster), Bronze Star Medal with V device (with 3
oak leaf clusters), and the Purple Heart. He has also been
awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge, Joint Chiefs of Staff
Identification Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, Pathfinder
Badge, Air Assault Badge, Military Freefall Badge, and
Special Forces and Ranger Tabs.
General Shelton is married and has three sons.
Madam Speaker, General Shelton's leadership helped transform our
Nation's military into the versatile power projector the world has
witnessed in Afghanistan. General Shelton is a genuine American hero,
and Congress has the opportunity to act this evening on this
appropriate honor. H.R. 2751 is virtually identical to the legislation
I introduced earlier, and virtually identical to legislation that was
passed almost a decade ago honoring another Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs, General Colin Powell, who is now our Secretary of State, and
later it was awarded to General Norman Schwarzkopf.
Madam Speaker, I want to thank my many colleagues on both sides of
the aisle who have worked with me over the past 2 years to bring this
bill to the floor. I urge this House to pass this piece of legislation
this evening to honor a great American.
Mr. KING. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman), the chairman emeritus of the
Committee on International Relations.
(Mr. GILMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. GILMAN. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise in strong support of
H.R. 2751 which authorizes the President to award the Congressional
Gold Medal on behalf of the Congress to a good friend and an
exceptional soldier, General Henry ``Hugh'' Shelton, the 14th Chairman
of our Joint Chiefs of Staff.
On October 1, 2001, General Shelton concluded his second term as the
principal military adviser to the President, the Secretary of Defense,
and to the National Security Council. Madam Speaker, during his
distinguished career, General Shelton served in a variety of command
and staff positions in the United States and abroad, as 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 where he earned the
Purple Heart.
A testament to General Shelton's exceptional leadership and his
commitment to the Nation, was his meteoric rise through the Army's
general officer ranks from brigadier general through general in 9
years. Madam Speaker, General Shelton sought and received the largest
across-the-board pay increases for the military in nearly 2 decades,
pushed for greater salary increases for mid-grade noncommissioned
officers, and instituted a retirement reform package that reinstated
[[Page H10484]]
benefits for those who entered our Nation's military after 1986. He
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 which made health
care more responsive to the needs of our military and their families,
and included military retirees over the age of 65.
During General Shelton's distinguished career, he was awarded
numerous awards and decorations, including the Defense Distinguished
Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, and Distinguished Service
Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star with V device with three
oak leaf clusters, and a Purple Heart for injuries received during
combat in Vietnam.
During his tenure as the 14th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
General Shelton served our Nation with honor and distinction. And while
he may have served as a senior military officer and operated at the
highest levels of government, he never lost touch with his men and
women in uniform, and no matter how busy or overcommitted he was, he
always made time to assist others.
While H.R. 2751 authorizes the President to confer the Congressional
Gold Medal on General Shelton, it also is conferred on his family for
their support. General Shelton's wife, Carolyn, deserves our
recognition and thanks for her hard work, tireless efforts, her
dedication 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.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join in expressing our
gratitude to General Henry ``Hugh'' Shelton, the 14th chairman of our
Joint Chiefs of Staff by supporting this measure and authorizing the
President to award the Congressional Gold Medal to a superb leader, a
quiet, diplomat warrior, a gentleman in the truest sense of the word,
and a true friend of our great Nation.
{time} 1900
Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. KING. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones).
Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for
yielding me this time. I want to say to my friend, the gentleman from
North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge), one of my colleagues, that I fully
support his H.R. 2751.
Madam Speaker, I am from eastern North Carolina. I am from a small
area in rural America. My county of Pitt County actually connects with
the county where General Shelton was from, Edgecombe County, a little
town called Speed. I think if I wanted to make my comment for the
record tonight, which we all have talked about his outstanding military
record, and it is outstanding, there is no question about it, but the
fact is that Hugh Shelton came from rural America where they fully
understand the values of family, church and patriotism and dedication
to this great Nation known as the United States of America. General
Shelton, quite frankly, takes great pride in the fact, and I am sure
that the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge) mentioned this,
that he is a graduate of NC State University, and he distinguished
himself there as a student and also as he was in the ROTC program.
As Chairman Gilman said, I have been on the Committee on Armed
Services for 7 years, going on my eighth year now. Most of us on the
Committee on Armed Services, both parties, we fully work together in a
very bipartisan way for the good of our military. When you look at the
leadership that General Shelton brought to the Armed Forces, in
particular the Army, and then when he became Chairman of the Joint
Chiefs, that he could be the leader to remind the Congress, quite
frankly, that our men and women in uniform deserve the very best. He
was a strong advocate for the men and women in uniform.
As has been mentioned by the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr.
Etheridge) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman), General
Shelton fully understood the quality-of-life issues that many in this
Nation take for granted when we talk about our military. We must do
more. That is what General Shelton fought for, to make sure that the
men and women in uniform had the very best housing and adequate housing
possible. He also was one who led the fight here in the Congress when
he appeared before the committees on pay increases, that our men and
women in uniform need to have the very best pay possible, because these
are the men and women when called upon that will give their life for
this Nation, like they are doing now in Afghanistan and other parts of
the world.
I really cannot add a whole lot to what has been said already.
General Shelton is very deserving of this award, should the Congress,
which I am sure we will 100 percent, decide that he should be
recognized in this way. I want to say to General Shelton and his family
that he has been a great soldier for the United States of America, he
has been a great leader of our military for the United States of
America, and his service to this Nation will be long remembered.
I would just like to say to General Shelton, thank you for your
leadership in wartime; thank you for your leadership in peace. God
bless General Shelton and his family and God bless America.
Mr. KING. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hayes).
Mr. HAYES. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this
time.
Today we are honoring a great American. I am proud to support this
legislation that will award General Shelton the Congressional Gold
Medal.
General Henry H. Shelton was born and raised in Edgecombe County,
North Carolina. As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Henry
H. Shelton advised President Clinton and was his principal military
strategist. He also played a great role in the air war in Kosovo in
1999. As a North Carolinian, I am most proud to say that General
Shelton commanded both the 18th Airborne Corps and Special Operations
Command in my district at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. General Shelton
is distinguished as a ``soldier's soldier'' and time and time again has
displayed an extraordinary degree of leadership, competence, and
professionalism.
While it is right and appropriate that we recognize the service to
our Nation that the General has performed today in Congress, I have
also been working on commemorating him down home in my district in
North Carolina right at Fort Bragg. Folks at Fort Bragg think of him as
one of their own. In order to properly keep his legacy alive, it is
proper to recognize him at Fort Bragg. That is why I worked to include
language in the defense authorization bill for the fiscal year 2002
that was passed just this past Thursday to name a soldier support
center currently being renovated on post in General Shelton's honor. So
today while we honor General Hugh Shelton with the Congressional Gold
Medal, we can be certain that the troops he led and commanded at Fort
Bragg will also remember this great American.
I am proud that today we are recognizing the accomplishments and
service of General Hugh Shelton and commemorate General Shelton for his
dedication and selfless contribution to our great Nation.
I thank the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Etheridge) for
bringing this forward.
Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may
consume to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. McIntyre).
Mr. McINTYRE. Madam Speaker, General Shelton is a man of concern,
commitment, and courage. His concern for freedom and family and faith
led him in his desire to join the ROTC when he was a young man at North
Carolina State University. His commitment to God and to his country and
to his fellow man led to his staying in the U.S. Army not only after
college but, as we all know, for quite a long and distinguished career.
His courage to withstand the assaults upon liberty and freedom as a
general throughout serving all the ranks in the Army as well as
ultimately serving as Chairman
[[Page H10485]]
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff led him to serve the United States of
America with character and integrity, a testimony both to his Christian
faith and to his unselfish sense of public service.
We in the United States Congress should be pleased to have this
opportunity to stand with a man who has stood for what America is all
about through his concern, his commitment, and his courage.
May God bless us with more leaders like Hugh Shelton, and may we
honor General Shelton here tonight with this legislation that is
pending before us.
Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests
for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. KING. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Biggert). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from New York (Mr. King) that the House
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2751, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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