[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 59 (Friday, April 11, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E733-E734]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E733]]


  AN ESSAY ON THE AIR FORCE NATIONAL SECURITY FORUM AND THE AMERICAN 
                              ARMED FORCES

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. IKE SKELTON

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 10, 2003

  Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, recently, Mr. Brian L. Cornelius, a 
resident of Higginsville, MO, submitted an outstanding op-ed for the 
Higginsville Advance newspaper. The words composed by Mr. Cornelius are 
very meaningful and well written, and I wish to share them with all 
Members of the House of Representatives.

            Now More Than Ever Prayers Better Than Protests

                        (By Brian L. Cornelius)

       In May of 2002, I had the distinct privilege of attending 
     the 49th Annual National Security Forum (NSF) at Maxwell Air 
     Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. I attended this event on 
     the nomination and request of Congressman Ike Skelton. The 
     National Security Forum is held in conjunction with the Air 
     War College of the Air Force and includes members of every 
     branch of the U.S. Military.
       As background, the primary purpose of the forum is a frank 
     and candid exchange of views on national security matters 
     among invited civilian guests, Air War College students, and 
     senior military and civilian leaders. Over 130 civilian 
     guests from the fields of business, education, government, 
     law, media and medicine attended the National Security Forum.
       The tragedies surrounding the September 11, 2001 terrorist 
     attacks were still fresh in my mind when the 2002 National 
     Security Forum commenced eight months later. I was in New 
     York City ten days before the terrorist attacks of September 
     11th occurred. I stood and looked with awe at the World Trade 
     Center. Our hotel was less than three blocks from the twin 
     towers, and was later closed due to the damage it sustained 
     when the towers collapsed.
       The format of the NSF places all attendees in seminar 
     groups with Air War College students (those in the military). 
     Each day, all the seminar groups attend a morning and 
     afternoon lecture together and then break out into their 
     respective seminar groups to discuss the issues raised during 
     the lecture. These lectures were presented by several people 
     from both military and civilian life. The presenters list 
     included the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the 
     Secretary of the Air Force, the Middle East editor for a 
     national magazine, a national network news Pentagon 
     correspondent, and other very impressive people from the 
     media, think tanks, and military personnel. I have seen 
     several of the presenters on national news outlets such as 
     NBC, CNN and Fox News in the months since attending the 
     National Security Forum.
       The National Security Forum operates on a ``non-attribute'' 
     method to encourage an honest and robust dialogue on the 
     issues discussed. Therefore, anything said by anyone 
     attending the Forum cannot be directly attributed to that 
     person without the person's consent. The only other request 
     of civilian attendees to the National Security Forum is that 
     we share what we learned with our local communities.
       With the above background, I would like to share with my 
     community a bit of what I learned while attending the 
     National Security Forum last May. It is particularly relevant 
     while the war with Iraq is on going.
       I went into the National Security Forum with a bit of 
     skepticism and a healthy dose of intimidation. While my 
     father was a veteran of World War II, I knew little of 
     military protocol, and I wondered why the military would want 
     the opinion of a common guy from Lafayette County. I was 
     also a little bummed that I had to travel on Memorial Day 
     and be away from my family. I was intimidated by the 
     thought of staying on a military base for several days, 
     especially after the events of the prior September.
       Once the NSF began, and I entered the room where my seminar 
     group met, my skepticism and intimidation turned into 
     complete respect, and the deepest feeling of privilege and 
     honor I have experienced. The military members of my seminar 
     group caused this metamorphosis.
       While the vast majority of Air War College students are 
     officers in the United States Air Force, all other branches 
     of service are also represented. Officers from foreign 
     militaries also attend this year-long advanced training. I 
     was told that it is more difficult for an officer to gain 
     acceptance into the Air War College than it is for a 
     Lieutenant Colonel to be promoted to full Colonel. Each and 
     every military member of my seminar group was of the rank of 
     Lieutenant Colonel or Colonel.
       The military members of my seminar group were the most 
     impressive people I have ever had the privilege to meet. 
     While I wish I could tell you about all of these people 
     serving our great country, I will confine this article to two 
     representative samples.
       Air Force Colonel Tony Hinen sat next to me for most of the 
     week. While he has served in various capacities, I was most 
     interested in his experience as a pilot of the huge tankers 
     that refuel fighter jets and other planes during long 
     missions. Colonel Hinen, a graduate of the Air Force Academy, 
     is a dedicated Christian, husband and father. He has a keen 
     insight into our world today, and was in training in 
     Afghanistan when the September 11 terrorist attacks occurred.
       Army Lieutenant Colonel Eddiy Daly sat across from me in 
     our seminar group. An Airborne Ranger, Lt. Col. Daly made a 
     combat jump in the Panama Canal campaign. Like local hero 
     Stanton Thompson, Lt. Col. Daly received the Army's highest 
     award for action taken in a non-combat or civilian situation. 
     While piloting a plane for a civilian parachute jump club, 
     Lt. Col. Daly climbed in and out of the plane, while flying 
     it, to free the last jumper off the plane whose parachute 
     gear had become hung up on the plane. After several attempts, 
     Lt. Col. Daly finally cut the jumper free of the plane. The 
     jumper safely parachuted to the ground and Lt. Col. Daly 
     safely pulled himself back into the plane, by the pilot's 
     seat belt, and landed the plane. Lt. Col. Daly is also a 
     dedicated husband and father.
       It was a very humbling experience for me to be in a room 
     full of these very impressive men and women serving our 
     country. Their grasp of our security issues was only equaled 
     by their desire to serve their country to the best of their 
     abilities.
       National Security Forum seminars included topics such as 
     ``Lessons Learned or Unlearned--Enduring Freedom and 
     Beyond'', ``Middle East Challenges and the U.S. Security 
     Policy'', and ``The Changing Security Environment and U.S. 
     Military Strategy''.
       Of the daily seminars that all NSF attendees were required 
     to attend, the environment in the Middle East was often a 
     topic. The speakers on Middle East challenges were civilian 
     experts from a national news organization and a research 
     think tank. Many other speakers during the week also talked 
     about the situation in the Middle East.
       While I am not allowed to directly quote anyone, I 
     distinctly remember that each and every presenter at the 
     National Security Forum was certain that Iraq, and Saddam 
     Hussein, possessed weapons of mass destruction. Most, if not 
     all, of these experts also felt that it was not a matter of 
     ``if', but ``when'' these weapons would be used.
       Various positions and arguments were made for what the 
     United States should do, if anything, in regards to Iraq. One 
     speaker eloquently pointed out that the world is in a place 
     that it has not been in since the Roman Empire. One country 
     dominates the world in military and economic might for the 
     first time in centuries. With the end of the cold war and the 
     dismantling of much of the old Soviet Union, our United 
     States of America is the dominant military and economic power 
     in the world.
       The consensus during the NSF seemed to be that the United 
     States would end up having to deal with Iraq, in one way or 
     another. The only debate was whether we, as a nation, should 
     deal with Iraq before a crisis situation arises or in 
     response to a crisis situation. In other words, do we try to 
     prevent a potential crisis by taking a preemptive action, or 
     should we wait to see when and/or if a crisis event occurs to 
     react?
       I went into the National Security Forum as a ``hawk''. That 
     is, I thought it to be the responsibility of the United 
     States to use its economic and military assets to right the 
     wrongs committed across the globe and to work to protect all 
     people from tyrants, terrorists, and corrupt regimes. If not 
     us, I thought, then who? I supported President Clinton's 
     military decisions on Bosnia and Somalia, just as I supported 
     former President Bush's decision on the Gulf War.
       After attending the National Security Forum, I believe I am 
     still a ``hawk''. However, now that I personally know members 
     of our military who very well could come directly into harm's 
     way, I am less hawkish than before. I watch the reports on 
     the war in Iraq with a much deeper anguish and a much greater 
     appreciation for our military personnel. These men and women 
     are regular folks like you and me, who have to perform 
     extraordinary duties, under extreme circumstances, because it 
     is their duty.
       I am certain that it has been that way throughout history. 
     Whether it be my dad, Walter Cornelius, who was a bombardier 
     on a B-29 in the Pacific Theater, or my uncle Bud Bramblett 
     who served in the infantry in the Korean War, or Gary Evans 
     who served in a combat outfit in Vietnam, or Darrell Jeffries 
     who is a veteran of the Gulf War, or Stanton

[[Page E734]]

     Thompson who has served through several conflicts and crises, 
     or a host of others I do not know or have the room to 
     remember here, the members of the United States Armed Forces 
     are just regular people who in normal everyday life are 
     mothers, fathers, neighbors, friends, businessmen, teachers, 
     or just plain old folks like me.
       These ordinary folks are called upon to do extraordinary 
     duties during a time of war or crisis. They are not allowed 
     the luxury of protesting a war. In fact, they are called upon 
     to put their very life on the line in order to protect the 
     right of the protester or to bring that right to the 
     oppressed.
       Attending the National Security Forum was a very humbling 
     and very rewarding experience. If I learned anything while 
     there, I learned that those serving in our military are an 
     extremely impressive group of people. They do not take their 
     duty lightly and they are very aware of all the costs of war 
     and conflict. I also learned that our elected and military 
     leaders know a lot more about our world and the perils we 
     face than I do.
       Wars have probably always been debated. While I believe the 
     United States has a responsibility to the global community, I 
     am not absolutely sure of what that responsibility should be. 
     However, I trust our leaders to make the correct decisions 
     based upon the evidence they face. I realize that I know 
     little about world affairs or the evidence that brings our 
     leaders to a decision to take military action. Only as our 
     present circumstance with Iraq becomes history will we know 
     the outcome. While I hope that history will show that the 
     outcome was very positive, I cannot know that to be the case 
     today.
       This, however, I do know: I am certain that once a military 
     action ensues, our leaders and the men and women of our 
     military deserve our prayers, not our protests. There will 
     always be time to debate the war. Now, however, more than 
     ever, our leaders and especially those serving in the 
     military deserve our prayers. But for the extraordinary 
     circumstance they have been put into, these great Americans 
     who are serving our country in the combat zone are just 
     regular folks like us. They need us to lift them up in our 
     thoughts and our prayers. In my opinion, through their 
     personal sacrifice and service, these servants have earned it 
     and they deserve it.

                          ____________________