[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 72 (Thursday, May 26, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6008-S6009]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     COLONELONEL DAVID H. HACKWORTH

  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to a true 
American hero, COL. David H. Hackworth, who spent his last years in 
Connecticut. Colonel Hackworth was one the most legendary and highly 
decorated soldiers of the U.S. Army. As Memorial Day approaches, there 
is no better time to remember the sacrifices, courage and tactical 
genius of this legendary soldier who spent more than half a century 
fighting on the world's most dangerous battlefields. As World War II 
was coming to a close, a 14-year-old David Hackworth lied about his age 
to join the Merchant Marine and a year later joined the U.S. Army--
spending the next 26 years fighting our nation's battles. A true 
leader, ``Hack'' as he was known, received a battlefield commission in 
Korea to become the Army's youngest captain and was promoted in Vietnam 
to the Army's youngest full colonel. Three times he was nominated for 
the Medal of Honor. His decorations are numerous and include the Army 
Medal of Valor, the Distinguished Service Cross, ten Silver Stars, 
eight Bronze Stars and the United Nations Peace Medal. But the awards 
of which he was proudest are his eight purple hearts and the Combat 
Infantryman's Badge. Mr. President, As you know, there is only one way 
to get this badge: serve 90 days in a front-line infantry unit under 
fire and survive.
  In just one example of his bravery, Colonel Hackworth got out on the 
strut of a helicopter to drag to safety his men who were pinned down 
and facing certain death. It is no wonder, Colonel Hackworth has so 
many supporters.
  But these statistics do not capture the Colonel Hackworth, the 
iconoclastic straight talker, who lead from the front and spoke from 
his heart. One of the most telling stories about Colonel Hackworth's 
leadership was his transformation of the 4/39 Infantry Battalion from a 
demoralized outfit into an effective counter-insurgency fighting force 
that routed enemy units in the jungles of Vietnam. Colonel Hackworth's 
training methods and tactics were so successful, he wrote them down in 
a book ``The Vietnam Primer'' that is still read by commanders today.
  GEN. Hal Moore, the coauthor of ``We Were Soldiers Once and Young,'' 
called him ``the Patton of Vietnam,'' while General Creighton Abrams, 
the last American commander in that disastrous war, described him as 
``the best battalion commander I ever saw in the United States Army.''
  Gruff and full of purple prose, Colonel Hackworth ran afoul of the 
Army's top leadership and retired following a confrontation in which he 
said in 1971 that the Vietnam War was hopeless. Often called the 
champion of the common soldier, ``Hack'' spoke truth to power. After 
leaving the service, Colonel Hackworth launched himself into new 
careers as a journalist, businessman, restaurateur and best-selling 
author as

[[Page S6009]]

he cast his sharp and experienced eye on the military-industrial 
complex. He always cast a glaring spotlight on concerns when the 
``grunts'' were not getting the equipment they needed to do their jobs.
  I extend my deepest condolences to Colonel Hackworth's wife, Eilhys 
England, and his many children, step-children, grandchildren and step-
grandchildren. But of all the tributes I know will come Colonel 
Hackworth's way, I think the tribute he would appreciate most will be 
from the average soldier whose loyalty he earned in combat and whose 
welfare became his life's cause in his retirement, for he knew they are 
the men and women who are out on point securing our Nation's freedom.

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