[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 7 (Wednesday, January 28, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S293-S294]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES
National Guardsman Kenneth Hendrickson
Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, over the weekend, east of Fallujah, Iraq,
a roadside bomb exploded, taking the life of SSG Kenneth Hendrickson, a
member of the National Guard 957th Multi-Role Bridge Company.
SSG Hendrickson is from Bismarck, ND, where he lived with his wife
and son and near his mother Adeline. His father, Lyle Hendrickson, is
now a Pendleton County commissioner in South Dakota.
Staff Sergeant Hendrickson was only 4 weeks away from returning home.
Shortly before the attack that would take his life, his parents were
told not to send anymore letters or care packages because he would be
heading home before any other mail could reach him in Iraq.
Staff Sergeant Hendrickson served his country with courage. Every
American owes him and the entire Hendrickson family a debt of thanks
for his service, as well as his sacrifice. His death reminds us that
nearly 150,000 of our sons and daughters still face danger in Iraq and
Afghanistan, and that fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, and children
still wait anxiously for their loved ones' safe return.
It reminds us, too, that more than 500 American soldiers have been
lost since the Iraqi war began and about 3,000 have been wounded.
The families of South Dakota have borne a particularly heavy toll
during this war. South Dakota has a higher proportion of its citizens
serving the Guard in Iraq than any other State in the country right
now.
There is nothing we can do to fully repay the men and women for their
service. But in thanks for their commitment to our protection, we must
commit ourselves to their protection as well. Our first responsibility
is to give them every tool and technological advantage available to
help them do their jobs and return home safely.
Regrettably, we have received numerous reports that the Defense
Department is not doing all it can with regard to protecting our
troops. From the very first deployments, we were
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told members of the South Dakota Guard and Army Reserve were not
equipped with the most effective body armor that should be standard
issue. Soldiers from other States have suffered similar supply
shortcomings.
We attempted to address this issue in the supplemental appropriations
and the regular 2004 Defense appropriations bill with an extra $420
million specifically to ensure that every soldier facing fire had the
best body armor money can buy.
The DOD promised us the problem would be solved by the beginning of
December. As it became clear they would miss this deadline, we were
then told it would be solved this January. However, today, 10 months
after the start of the conflict in Iraq, we continue to hear reports
that Guard and Reserve personnel, as well as others, lack top-of-the-
line body armor and other vital equipment.
In a few days, another 800 South Dakota Guard soldiers will be sent
to Iraq to begin a year-long deployment. They have volunteered to face
danger on our behalf. We owe them and the families they leave behind
every effort to protect them from harm. Our obligation to stand by
Guard members and Reservists cannot and should not end once they return
home.
Increasingly, Guard members are facing the same bullets as full-time
soldiers. We owe them the same commitment to their health and well-
being. That means giving them access to the same health care that full-
time soldiers currently enjoy.
Recent studies indicate now one-fifth of National Guard and Reserve
members lack health care when they come home. Last year, thanks in part
to a bipartisan coalition of Senators, we established a 1-year program
to provide a significant number of our Reservists and their families
access to TRICARE, the military health care system, when they are not
on duty. Today, that same bipartisan coalition will introduce
legislation to make that coverage permanent.
Our bill would improve the readiness of our force and enhance the
ability of the military to recruit and retain a new generation of
soldiers. This legislation is important because these troops are
performing a greater share of the fighting than at any other time in
decades.
By May, 40 percent of the more than 100,000 U.S. troops in Iraq will
be Guard members or Reservists. Yet as we depend more heavily on their
service, we are receiving troubling signs of discontent and
instability.
A recent internal survey showed the rate of those Reservists who
decide not to reenlist could double in just a few years. Just last
week, LTG James R. Helmly, head of the Army Reserves, said:
This is the first extended-duration war our Nation has
fought with an all-volunteer force. We must be sensitive to
that, and we must apply proactive, preventive measures to
prevent a recruiting-retention crisis.
Unless this recruiting/retention crisis is addressed, those losses
could severely undermine unit readiness and erode America's national
security.
Over the weekend, America lost another hero in Iraq with the death of
SGT Kenneth Hendrickson. His death serves to remind us of the service
and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform and what they do for
their country. Their commitment to us is beyond question. It is time we
demonstrated real commitment to them and their families as well.
Our Guard and Reserve members have not failed us. We must not fail
them. We must support our troops, not really with words but with
action.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, will the Senator yield for a question?
Mr. DASCHLE. I will be happy to yield for a question.
Judicial Nominations
Mr. REID. I see on the announcement of the schedule for this
afternoon that there is an agreement that we will vote on another
Federal judge. It is my understanding this will be the 170th judge we
have approved in the Senate, and with President Bush having given an
interim appointment for 1 year to Judge Pickering, the numbers are now
170 approved by the Senate during the term of President Bush and only 4
who have not gotten approval.
Does the Senator agree that those are the numbers?
Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, the Senator from Nevada, the distinguish
assistant Democratic leader, is right. That record exceeds the record
of any predecessor in this period of time. Obviously, the Bush
administration has 1 year left before the end of its term. So there is
little doubt that they will probably continue to set records with
regard to the confirmation of judges.
I might add, this is a time when the Democrats were, at least for a
period of time, actually in the majority. They have had good
cooperation. The four who have not been confirmed have not been
confirmed for good reason. Again, we will address the issue of greater
numbers and more cooperation this afternoon, as the Senator suggests,
with the confirmation of yet another judge.
Mr. REID. If the Senator will yield for one final question, for those
out there who are saying we are turning down President Bush's judicial
nominations, the facts are that we have approved 170 who are now or
shortly will be sitting as judges in the Federal system--they have been
approved by the Senate--and we have turned down 4. The number then is
170 approved, 4 turned down. Those are pretty good numbers; does the
Senator agree?
Mr. DASCHLE. The Senator is correct. That would be a pretty
remarkable record if this were the sports world, the business world, or
the academic world. I was just reminded that 100 of the 170 who were
confirmed were confirmed under a Democratic-controlled Senate. So I
think we can look back with great satisfaction.
I know there are some who argue we have not been tough enough, we
have not been aggressive enough. But I think, as we have said on many
occasions, where we agree with the President, we will support him.
Where we disagree, we have no recourse but to continue to raise these
reservations and objections, especially with regard to lifetime
appointments to the Federal bench. I thank the Senator from Nevada for
raising the issue.
Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Graham of South Carolina). The clerk will
call the roll.
The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order
for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
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