[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.

                          ____________________