[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 81 (Monday, June 14, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6691-S6693]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


                    staff sergeant erickson h. petty

  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the memory of a 
courageous Oklahoman who died saving the lives of his men. Staff 
Sergeant Erickson H. Petty grew up in Fort Gibson, where he graduated 
from high school in 1993. Eric, as he was known, aspired to military 
service early, enlisting in the Oklahoma Army National Guard when he 
was 17. Upon graduation, he joined the active duty Army, where he 
served for nearly 10 years.
  Eric has an extremely successful career in the Army, serving as a 
recruiter for a time and as a scout in the 1st Armored Division. On May 
3, Staff Sergeant Petty and his men were guarding a weapons cache in 
Salman Al Habb when they came under small arms fire. Petty ordered his 
soldiers into the protection of their Humvees, taking cover

[[Page S6692]]

last to ensure the safety of his men. That decision, which so clearly 
demonstrated his sacrificial leadership, cost him his life.
  Staff Sergeant Petty had two passions: his family and his country. 
Those who speak of him constantly refer to his devotion to his wife 
Kimberly, and especially to Colton, his 9-year-old son. In the words of 
a longtime friend, his relationship with his son was ``his center.'' 
Still, the call of duty was strong. Staff Sergeant Petty had the option 
to stay a recruiter, to stay with his family. He chose to serve, and 
for our sakes gave up safety, family, and finally his life.
  America needs more committed servants like Staff Sergeant Petty. His 
life and death stand as a clear example of what it means to be a 
patriot, even at great cost. Eric Petty heeded his country's call, and 
for that we are all grateful. We would do well to remember his 
sacrifice as we celebrate his commitment to family, friends, and 
nation. He was Oklahoma's son and America's hero--Staff Sergeant Eric 
Petty.


                      specialist james e. marshall

  Mr. President, I also pay homage to Army Specialist James E. 
Marshall, who last month made the ultimate sacrifice for his country--
his life. Although he was only 19 years old, Specialist Marshall was a 
dedicated defender of America and knew the value of freedom and the 
sacrifices freedom sometimes demands. For his service and his 
sacrifice, I am proud to honor him on the Senate floor today.
  Specialist Marshall was a member of the First Battalion, 21st Field 
Artillery Regiment, of the First Cavalry Division based at Fort Hood, 
TX. A native Oklahoma from my hometown of Tulsa, Marshall was raised by 
his mother, Pamela. Specialist Marshall and his mother were very close; 
indeed, he pursued military service both to protect his country and to 
help provide for her, as she had done for him for so many years. We 
hold her in our prayers.
  During his senior year, when classmates were pursuing scholarships 
and jobs, James Marshall was planning a different route. He had been 
considering military service for some time, and he saw it as an 
opportunity for personal development and a chance to prove himself.
  Specialist Marshall died tragically on May 5 when the vehicle he and 
a fellow soldier were riding in was struck by an improvised explosive 
device in Baghdad, Iraq. On behalf of the U.S. Senate, I ask that we 
now pay tribute to James Marshall, who knew the true meaning of service 
and sacrifice. I am proud of him, and proud of his demonstrated 
commitment to winning the freedom of those he did not know. We will not 
forget this Oklahoma hero, this American patriot--Specialist James 
Marshall.


                     corporal scott michael vincent

  Mr. President, I rise today to honor the memory of a remarkable man. 
Corporal Scott Michael Vincent was a classic Oklahoman: a hard worker 
and a leader who was dedicated to his family, his faith, and his 
country.
  Corporal Vincent hailed from one of Oklahoma's great small 
communities, Bokoshe, where he graduated from Bokoshe High in 2000. He 
had longtime aspirations to join the Marine Corps. When choosing a 
quote for his high school yearbook, he selected ``semper fidelis,'' the 
Marine Corps slogan he exemplified through his life--and his death. He 
achieved his goal of serving with the Corps when he joined last year, 
completing a tour in Afghanistan before volunteering for an extra tour 
in Iraq.
  On Friday, April 30, Corporal Vincent was serving as a scout near 
Fallujah, in Iraq's Al Anbar province. While his unit was halted, a 
suicide bomber approached his vehicle from the rear and detonated his 
explosive device. Corporal Vincent and one other marine were killed, 
and six of their comrades were wounded.
  Scott Vincent's remarkable life was confirmed by the way people in 
his hometown reacted to his death. Over 400 people in a town of 405 
came to funeral services on May 6. Our small towns are like families, 
and they are the fertile ground from which outstanding, selfless 
leaders like Corporal Vincent emerge to take on the mantle of service 
to their nation.
  In this time of trouble, we remember Corporal Vincent. We remember 
his family, and we grieve with them for their fallen son. In his life 
and his death, he set a high standard for all of us to follow. We will 
never forget him--Corporal Scott Michael Vincent.


              chief warrant officer two lawrence s. colton

  Mr. President, I rise today to honor the memory of a courageous 
Oklahoman who gave his life in defense of his Nation and his fellow 
soldiers. Chief Warrant Officer Two Lawrence Shane Colton hailed from 
Guthrie, OK. Shane was serving as an attack helicopter pilot in Iraq 
with the 1st Armored Cavalry division's Company C, 1st Battalion, 227th 
Aviation Regiment.
  Shane joined the military as a clerk in 1992, eventually working his 
way up to Staff Sergeant and then through Warrant Officer Candidate 
School. He was highly decorated and regarded as a skilled and capable 
pilot by his fellow soldiers. On Easter Sunday, April 11, CW2 Colton 
and CW3 Chuck Fortenberry answered a call for help: a Coalition convoy 
had been ambushed after being halted by an improvised explosive device. 
The soldiers were pinned down under heavy fire and significantly 
outnumbered, and in desperation they called for relief. Shane and Chuck 
headed right for the scene of the battle and opened fire on the 
insurgent positions with 30-millimeter chain guns, killing many of the 
terrorists and destroying a building they were using. The convoy was 
able to escape, but the Apache was shot down by a small surface-to-air 
missile, and their rescuers were lost with it.
  Shane was a man beloved by his friends and fellow soldiers because of 
his selflessness and optimism. To quote one of his comrades,

       Shane would help you whenever you needed it too. If you had 
     a problem with your car all you had to do was call him up and 
     he would be there. He was also a whiz on computers and 
     electronics. If it was broke he could fix it. The best thing 
     about Shane was his attitude. No matter how crappy things 
     were he always had a smile on his face and would say 
     something to make you feel better.

  Chief Warrant Officer 2 Colton was 32 years old when he lost his 
life. He left a young family to defend his country, knowing full well 
the risk he was taking. Ultimately, his commitment to his fellow 
Americans in Baghdad and at home would require his life. I know his 
friends and family realize that he died a true hero, worthy of the 
respect and gratitude of every American. They will miss him dearly, and 
our thoughts and prayers are with them today, particularly with his 
wife Inge and their children Jennifer and Lance, and with his parents 
Loren and Kathy Colton. And though we are all grieved by the loss of 
this man, we shall never cease to be proud of him--Oklahoma's son and 
America's hero--Chief Warrant Officer 2 Lawrence ``Shane'' Colton.
  Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President, I request 10 minutes in morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator is recognized.
  Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a 
distinguished American. Lieutenant General Ronald T. Kadish, United 
States Air Force, will soon be retiring from the U.S. military after 34 
years of exceptional service to our Nation.
  Many of my colleagues have come to know and respect General Kadish. 
Over the past 5 years, he has served as the Pentagon's Director of the 
Missile Defense Agency and the Program Manager for the Ballistic 
Missile Defense System. General Kadish's performance as Director has 
been nothing short of superb.
  Throughout his unprecedented 5-year tour of duty, General Kadish 
applied his unparalleled experience and knowledge of public and private 
industry in the pursuit of effective defenses against enemy ballistic 
missiles.
  He succeeded in motivating and aligning our political, scientific, 
and engineering communities to tackle the challenges of evolving a 
layered, mulitnational missile defense capability. And, he succeeded in 
transforming and focusing a large defense bureaucracy into a true joint 
planning, joint operating system acquisition and business activity.
  Today, because of his singular and tireless efforts, we stand on the 
threshold of eliminating our Nation's long-standing vulnerability to 
the very real threat of ballistic missile attack.
  General Kadish was commissioned into the Air Force in 1970 after 
completing the Reserve Officers Training

[[Page S6693]]

Corps program at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, PA. He went 
on to earn his master's of business administration at the University of 
Utah, and continued his professional military education at the Air 
University, the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, and the Defense 
Systems Management College.
  In the early 1970s and 1980s, he was a pilot and instructor for the 
C-130 aircraft and served in tactical airlift squadrons in the United 
States and Germany. Over his career, he flew more than 2,500 hours in 
aircraft that form the airlift and fighter backbone of our Air Force--
the C-130s and C-17s, and the F-15s and F-16s, respectively.
  As a young acquisition professional, he participated in the 
Education-with-Industry program in Dallas with the Vought Corporation, 
and then got 3 years of hands-on management experience in the F-16 
development program. A few years later, he was appointed the director 
of manufacturing and quality assurance for the B-1B bomber, one of the 
most technologically complex production efforts ever undertaken by our 
Nation up to that time.
  The Air Force later called upon his managerial talents to serve in 
three successive high visibility, high pressure, and high impact 
positions as program director for the F-15 fighter, the F-16 fighter, 
and the C-17 military transport acquisition programs.
  Some of my colleagues will remember the developmental difficulties 
the C-17 program faced. It was General Kadish's expertise that 
straightened out this troubled program. Our troops in Iraq and 
Afghanistan, and indeed in all points of the globe, remain the 
beneficiaries of his managerial accomplishment.
  As the current Bush administration came into office, Secretary 
Rumsfeld looked to General Kadish to lead a major transformation of the 
Ballistic Missile Defense program. The daunting task of realigning a 
multi-billion-dollar, cutting-edge defense technology program into a 
streamlined, capability-focused effort did not deter General Kadish. 
His charge was to produce reliable defenses that will protect our 
citizens and friends across the globe from the growing threat posed by 
ballistic missiles. We are on the threshold of providing that 
capability as I speak.
  Armed with his 20-plus years of military acquisition experience, it 
was clear to General Kadish that enhanced authorities and improved 
techniques were needed to accomplish the mission. General Kadish was 
never satisfied with business as usual when a better way could be 
found. Bureaucratic change is tough enough to execute under any 
circumstance. It is doubly so in a culture reinforced by longstanding 
legal requirements and administrative procedures. Add to that a measure 
of healthy and vocal skepticism from critics, and his missile defense 
transformation achievements stand out in stark relief.
  Defense acquisition has historically been an activity carried out by 
the individual military services. General Kadish has broadened that 
vision by pioneering a joint acquisition strategy for the Department of 
Defense. This approach has been more responsive to the needs of our 
troops, more effective for the funds under his charge, and more attuned 
to the complexities of missile defense, than traditionally could have 
been possible. He leaves an important legacy of example and 
accomplishment for those who follow, inspiring a new generation of 
program managers for the joint arena.
  In so doing, General Kadish earned the trust and respect of his 
associates in the Pentagon and my colleagues here in the Senate. We 
could always count on him to be clear in his goals, demanding in his 
standards, and forthright in acknowledging issues. He never promised 
more than he could deliver.
  Indeed, one of my distinguished colleagues in this body, a declared 
skeptic of the missile defense program, has called him ``a class act.'' 
I, personally, am privileged to be able to call him a friend, and to 
have him as a thoughtful and experienced advisor.
  We will miss his leadership and his counsel as he moves on to a most 
well-earned retirement from the Air Force. We owe him a profound debt 
of gratitude and deep thanks for his extraordinary contributions to our 
Nation and our Nation's security over a lifetime of selfless service. I 
am sure I speak for all of us in this body in saying we wish him and 
his family health and happiness in the years ahead.
  I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. WARNER. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum 
call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________