[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 125 (Monday, September 30, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9593-S9594]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             RONALD REAGAN

 Mr. HAGEL. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize one of our 
greatest American Presidents and one of the most important world 
leaders of the 20th century, the 40th President of the United States, 
Ronald Reagan.
  One year ago, Kyung Hee University in Korea awarded President Reagan 
the Great World Peace Award for his commitment to world peace.
  President Reagan was a steadfast and true friend of South Korea. 
Former Secretary of State George Shultz wrote that ``To Ronald Reagan, 
South Korea was a stalwart ally and a valiant symbol of resistance to 
communism.'' The Soviet downing of the Korean Airlines flight 007 in 
September 1983, and the terrorist bombing the next month that killed 16 
South Koreans, including Foreign Minister Lee Bum Suk and 3 Cabinet 
ministers, only reinforced President Reagan's determination to visit 
the Republic of Korea that November. President Reagan addressed the 
Korean National Assembly on November 12, 1983, and said to the people 
of South Korea: ``In these days of turmoil and testing, the American 
people are very thankful for such a constant and devoted ally. Today, 
America is grateful. to you.''
  President Reagan and his administration stood by South Korea during a 
volatile and historic period, including the North Korean terrorist 
bombing of Korean Airlines flight 858 in November 1987, which killed 
115 South Korean citizens; the first peaceful transfer of power from 
President Chun Doo Hwan to President Roh Tae Woo in February 1988; and 
the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.
  As we see both opportunity and risk on the Korean Peninsula, 
including the recent ground breaking visit of Japanese Prime Minister 
Junichiro Koizumi to Pyongyang, the commitment of President Reagan and 
the United States to peace through strength on the Korean peninsula and 
throughout Asia and the world remains strong.
  Mr. President, I ask that the statement of Ambassador Joseph Verner 
Reed, who last year accepted the Great World Peace Award on behalf of 
President Reagan, be printed in the Record.
  The statement follows.

    Remarks by Ambassador Joseph Verner Reed on the Occasion of the 
  Awarding to President Ronald W. Reagan the Great World Peace Award, 
   Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea, September 27, 2001


                                america

     ``One flag,
       one land,
         one heart,
           one hand,
             one Nation,
               evermore.''

                                           --Oliver Wendell Holmes

     Chancellor Young Seek Choue,
       Distinguished Friends: It is a signal honor for me to be in 
     Seoul, the noble nation of the Republic of Korea to represent 
     President Ronald W. Reagan and to accept on the President's 
     behalf the Great World Peace Award from Keyung Hee 
     University.
       I have the highest regard for Chancellor Choue. I stand 
     with great respect for the Chancellor's extraordinary 
     achievements in the world of education and in his untiring 
     quest to seek peace on our troubled planet. As the godfather 
     of the International Day of Peace his legacy is assured by 
     leaders around the globe. As a spirited leader in education 
     in this great country of Korea his fame and presence in 
     modern day Korean history is already set in granite. I salute 
     the Chancellor.
       President Reagan is a most deserving leader to receive this 
     Award. The President's close friend and colleague Charles Z. 
     Wick, who was a senior official in both Reagan 
     Administrations, was to have journeyed to Seoul to accept the 
     Award. The Day of Terror precluded that.
       I stand humbly before you to accept the Award for the 
     President. Having served in President Reagan's two 
     Administrations--first as envoy to the Kingdom of Morocco and 
     then as envoy to the United Nations, I appreciate and applaud 
     what the President did in searching for peace--the 
     President's vision brought stability to the globe. President 
     Reagan defined and symbolized Peace--peace among mankind.
       I stand before you as an American.


                     the war against THE TERRORIST

       September 11.--I was on my way to the United Nations to 
     participate in the opening of the General Assembly on the 
     very day when we should have been celebrating the 
     International Day of Peace at the Parliament of Man.
       8:48 a.m.--And the world as we knew it changed forever in a 
     millisecond. The Day of Terror and the aftermath was, is and 
     continues to be a shock for the world. Americans and friends 
     around the globe are reeling from the attack on America's 
     sovereignty.
       As a diplomat working for you at your United Nations I have 
     a perspective on the catastrophe. I am going to place my 
     citizen of the United States hat on with these few 
     observations--observations that I sincerely regret to make on 
     an occasion when we should all be in celebration of Peace.
       This war will be won or lost by the American citizens, not 
     diplomats, politicians or soldiers.
       In spite of what the media is telling us, this act was not 
     committed by a group of mentally deranged fanatics. To 
     dismiss them as such would be among the gravest of mistakes. 
     This attack was committed by a ferocious, intelligent and 
     dedicated adversary. Don't take this the wrong way. I don't 
     admire these men and I deplore their tactics, but I respect 
     their capabilities. The many parallels that have been made 
     with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor are apropos. It was 
     a brilliant sneak attack against a complacent America.
       These men hate the United States with all of their being, 
     and we must not underestimate the power of their moral 
     commitment. Napoleon, perhaps the world's greatest 
     combination of soldier and statesman, stated ``the moral is 
     the physical as three is to one.'' Our enemies are willing--
     better said, anxious--to give their lives for their cause.
       In addition to the demonstration of great moral conviction, 
     the recent attack demonstrated a mastery of some of the basic 
     fundamentals of warfare namely: simplicity, security and 
     surprise.
       This was not a random act of violence, and we can expect 
     the same sort of military competence to be displayed in the 
     battle to come.
       This war will escalate, and a good portion of it may happen 
     right in the United States.
       These men will not go easily into the night. They do not 
     fear us. We must not fear them. In spite of our overwhelming 
     conventional strength as the world's only ``superpower'', we 
     are the underdog in this fight. As you listen to the 
     carefully scripted rhetoric designed to prepare us for the 
     march for war, please realize that America is not equipped or 
     seriously trained for the battle ahead. To be certain, our 
     soldiers are much better than the enemy, and we have some 
     excellent ``counter-terrorist'' organizations, but they are 
     mostly trained for hostage rescues, airfield seizures, or the 
     occasional ``body snatch,'' (Which may come in handy). We 
     will be fighting a war of annihilation, because if their 
     early efforts are any indication, our enemies are ready and 
     willing to die to the last man. Eradicating the enemy will be 
     costly and time consuming. They have already deployed their 
     forces in as many as 20 countries. They are likely living the 
     lives of everyday citizens as ``next door.'' Simply put, our 
     soldiers will be tasked with a search and destroy mission on 
     multiple foreign landscapes, and the public must be patient 
     and supportive until the strategy and tactics can be worked 
     out.
       For the most part, our military is still in the process of 
     redefining itself and presided over by men and women who grew 
     up with, and were promoted because they excelled in--``The 
     Cold War--doctrine, strategy and tactics. This will not be 
     linear warfare, there will be no clear ``centers of gravity'' 
     to strike with high technology weapons.
       America's vast technological edge will certainly be 
     helpful, but it will not be decisive. Perhaps the perfect 
     metaphor for the coming battle was introduced by the 
     terrorists themselves aboard the hijacked aircraft--this will 
     be ``a knife fight'', it will be won or

[[Page S9594]]

     lost by the ingenuity and will of citizens and soldiers, not 
     by software or ``smart bombs'''.
       Unlike Americans, who are eager to put this messy time 
     behind us, our adversaries have time on their side, and they 
     will use it. They plan to flight a battle of attrition, 
     hoping to drag the battle out until the American public loses 
     its will to fight.
       It is clear to me that the will of the American citizenry 
     is the center of gravity the enemy has targeted. It will be 
     the fulcrum upon which victory or defeat will turn.
       The Prussian General Carl von Clausewitz, says that there 
     is a ``remarkable trinity of war'' that is composed of (1) 
     the will of the people, (2) the political leadership of the 
     government, and (3) the chance and probability that plays out 
     on the field of battle--in that order. Every American 
     citizen, not just those who were unfortunate enough to be in 
     the World Trade Center or Pentagon, was in the crosshairs of 
     last Tuesday's attack. The will of the American people will 
     decide this war.
       If America is to win, it will be because we have what it 
     takes to persevere through a few more hits, learn from our 
     mistakes, improvise and adapt. If we can do that, we will 
     eventually prevail.
       New York's remarkable response to the catastrophic attack 
     at the World Trade Center has been well documented. Above the 
     tragic din, at the very highest level of government, have 
     come the essential voices of sanity. In closing, may I say 
     that after all that has just passed, all the lives taken and 
     all the possibilities and hopes that died with them, it is 
     natural to wonder if America's future is one of fear. Some 
     speak of an age of terror. With the obscene toll of those 
     lost climbing above 6,000, it is hard to speak without rage.
       In Korea and on this Peninsula you have known all too well 
     the ravages of war and occupation. It is therefore why I have 
     taken you time today to share my observations on the world we 
     live in and what we may have to expect. I know there are 
     struggles ahead and dangers to face. As an American and a 
     friend of the Republic of Korea I can say frankly that I 
     believe America will define our times, not be defined by 
     them. As long as the United States of America is determined 
     and strong, this will not be the age of terror. This will be 
     the age of liberty in America and across the world.
       I know you will join me in extending our deepest sympathies 
     to the thousands affected by the tragic events of September 
     11. It was a Day of Terror and the aftermath has been of 
     unspeakable pain. Our hearts and prayers extend to all--the 
     victims, their families and all those who hold America so 
     dear.
       Chancellor Choue--on behalf of President Ronald W. Reagan I 
     extend great thanks to you for offering the President this 
     Award. With humbleness, with honor and with great pride, I 
     accept on behalf of President Ronald Reagan, this most 
     distinguished Award--The Great World Peace Award.
       Chancellor Choue, ladies and gentleman, keep faith in 
     America--the outcome of the battle is certain.
       God Bless America!
       Thank you!
       Happy Chusok.

                          ____________________