[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 127 (Tuesday, September 16, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S11564]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  REAR ADMIRAL HOWARD KIRK UNRUH, JR.

 Mr. LAUTENBERG. Mr. President, I rise today to formally 
acknowledge the great accomplishments and recent retirement from the 
United States Naval Reserve of one of my constituents, Rear Admiral 
Howard Kirk Unruh, Jr.
  Henry Clay said: ``Of all the properties that belong to honorable 
men, not one is so highly prized as that of character.'' RADM Unruh is, 
indeed, a man of character and he has shown outstanding character 
throughout his 33 years of service to the Navy.
  Admiral Unruh's naval career began in the Garden State, where he 
attended Princeton University on a ROTC scholarship. In 1970, upon his 
graduation from Princeton, Ensign Unruh was commissioned as an officer 
in the United States Navy.
  He reported for duty in Hawaii where he served on the USS Elkhorn 
AOG-7. As damage control assistant and engineering officer, he accepted 
a great deal of responsibility for a young man and gained valuable 
leadership experience. He learned what it meant to serve and what it 
meant to lead, and he made the Navy an important part of his life.
  His work did not go unnoticed, and, after completing a tour of the 
Western Pacific aboard the Elkhorn, Unruh was selected to participate 
in Admiral Elmo Zumwalt's Human Resource Management Program in Pearl 
Harbor.
  In 1975, Lieutenant Unruh left active duty, and went on to receive a 
Masters degree in Education from Harvard University. But the Navy was 
in his blood. So, while studying in Massachusetts, he accepted a 
commission in the Naval Reserves and began the second phase of his 
service.
  For the next 28 years, Admiral Unruh served wherever and whenever he 
was needed. He taught naval management and leadership courses; he 
mentored officers and sea cadets; he spearheaded successful 
reorganization efforts in reserve centers; and he participated in joint 
military training exercises in the U.S. and abroad. In short, as he 
moved up the ranks, he gave the Navy his wholehearted commitment on 
land and sea.
  In 1995, he took an assignment as the Department of the Navy's duty 
captain at the Pentagon's Navy Command Center. There, he served under 
Secretary of the Navy and Chief Naval Operations Admiral Mike Borda and 
was in charge of monitoring military activity around the world. On his 
first day on duty, human emigres flying civilian aircraft over Cuba 
were shot down by the Cuban military, which believed that the aircraft 
were intruding in Cuban air space. Captain Unruh acted quickly and 
admirably, putting together data to brief the President on the United 
States on what was happening.
  Now Kirk Unruh retires as an Admiral and he has well earned that 
rank. Over the years, his contributions to the Navy have been duly 
recognized. He is authorized to wear the Legion of Merit, the 
Meritorious Service Medal which he was awarded twice, the Navy 
Commendation Medal which he was awarded four times, the National 
Defense Medal with bronze star, and various other Unit and Service 
ribbons. These decorations attest to the character of the man, the 
service he has rendered, and the honor with which he has provided that 
service.
  Today I ask that my colleagues join with me in thanking Admiral Unruh 
for his years of service, for his commitment to this nation and to the 
United States Navy, and for a job well done. As noted in his Legion of 
Merit Citation: ``By his outstanding leadership, commendable 
innovation, and inspiring dedication to duty, RADM Unruh reflected 
great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the 
United States Naval Service.''
  Lastly, behind the career of most great Naval officers is a loving 
family that is asked to endure the hardships of constant travel and 
periodic separation. Admiral Unruh's family is no exception. His wife 
Diane has made many sacrifices to support her husband. And, as the wife 
of an Admiral--whose children, Meredith, Allison, and Chip were all 
born on naval bases--she has earned her stripes and unofficially 
outranks him. We all know that without her sacrifice his service to our 
Nation would not have been possible.
  Today, I join with Diane, her children, and all Americans in saluting 
Admiral Unruh for an outstanding career and a job well done.




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