[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 71 (Monday, May 11, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S5327]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                   TRIBUTE TO HERBERT BRUCE CLEVELAND

 Mr. JOHNSON. Madam President, I wish today to recognize 
Herbert Bruce Cleveland of Rapid City, SD, on the occasion of his 50th 
anniversary of ordination in the Lutheran ministry. Herb has developed 
a distinguished career in the ministry, both as a local pastor 
ministering to the needs of South Dakotans dating back to the 1950s and 
on a national level, having been appointed to numerous capacities in 
the Department of Veterans Affairs by three Presidents.
  Born in North Dakota and a graduate of the University of North Dakota 
and University of Michigan, Herb joined the U.S. Army in October 1952 
and completed various stateside and international duty assignments. 
Shortly after becoming ordained as a Lutheran pastor, Herb came to 
western South Dakota in 1959 and immediately developed a close working 
relationship with the families in the Homestake Gold Mine in Lead. 
After ministering to the needs of hospitalized parishioners at the 
nearby veterans hospital at Fort Meade, he served veterans at the VA 
Hospital in a full-time capacity in the early 1960s, a relationship 
with veterans that continues today. Herb has witnessed the impacts of 
war on soldiers and their families, and he has met these challenges 
with professionalism, commitment, and dedication.
  He led local and national efforts to develop a system to address post 
traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, and psycho-social issues. 
He established the first substance abuse treatment center at the Fort 
Meade VA Chapel. He developed a strong bond with Native American 
veterans, working to add a Lakota chaplain to the VA staff and the 
initiation of Lakota worship services and events such as pow-wows and 
sweat lodge experiences.
  He worked tirelessly to address the evolving needs of veterans and 
their families while continuing a strong presence in Black Hills 
communities, assisting in youth and community events and fundraisers. 
In 1983, the Veterans' Administration established new leadership in the 
chaplains service in Washington, DC, and summoned Herb, who had been 
working with South Dakota veterans for 20 years, to become the new 
Deputy Chief of Chaplains. In this position, he served as Human 
Resource Director and Educational Development Director and became 
increasingly involved in the ecumenical relations with all the faiths 
that were held by members of the Armed Forces. He recruited minority 
chaplains to serve the increasing number of minorities serving in the 
Armed Forces and veterans in the VA system.
  He developed numerous institutes of training to address the needs of 
disabled veterans and worked to educate and identify the unique issues 
impacting young veterans, older veterans, and women veterans. Until his 
term in Washington, the chaplaincy had been exclusively male, and Herb 
recruited a number of women chaplains to serve the growing numbers of 
women veterans. He helped create the Chaplains School, which among its 
many missions was providing professional training to women chaplains.
  President Reagan appointed Herb as Chief of Chaplains in 1988, 
becoming the first Lutheran and first clergy member from South Dakota 
named to such a capacity. He served in this position during President 
George Herbert Walker Bush's Presidential term.
  As national VA chaplain, Herb and his wife Connie participated in the 
international exchange of choral and symphonic music, which helped 
foster better cultural and artistic understanding among numerous 
nations. Herb would oversee the largest single trip of a choir of 150 
voices that accompanied the national VA symphony that performed with 
the Russian Army Chorus in Moscow and St. Petersburg on the first 
anniversary of freedom.
  Chaplain Cleveland was then appointed by President Bill Clinton as 
Director of Ethics for Health Care Management, where he would continue 
to address the health and faith challenge and issues affecting our 
Nation's veterans.
  After a decade of valued service in Washington, DC, Chaplain 
Cleveland and his wife returned to South Dakota in retirement. As a 
volunteer, Herb continues to service funerals, memorial services, 
weddings, and reunions. During 3 years of peak deployment to Iraq and 
Afghanistan, Herb served as chaplain to the National Guard and Army 
Reserve cadets at the Fort Meade officers training facility.
  Also in retirement, he has established mission tours to Southeast 
Asia with trips to China, Korea, Japan, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and 
Myanmar. These people-to-people visits emphasize and foster 
understanding of different cultures. He was recognized by the president 
of Payap University in Thailand with the Distinguished Alumni Award for 
his missionary work. This award is among numerous important 
recognitions for Chaplain Cleveland. These honors include the Point of 
Light Award from President George H. W. Bush for his work with homeless 
veterans; the Exceptional Service Award from the VA Secretary for 
service to the Nation's veterans; the National Black Chaplains of 
America Award for Exceptional Service to America's Veterans, and he was 
nominated by Coretta Scott King to serve on the National Steering 
Committee for Chaplains at the Martin Luther King, Jr., Center in 
Atlanta in 1986. He also received the ELCA Award for Exceptional 
Service while serving the Lutheran Church and the Chaplaincy in 
America. His most recent honor was notification of induction into the 
South Dakota Hall of Fame with ceremonies this September.
  Over the years, Chaplain Cleveland has maintained a steadfast 
commitment to his faith and God and has continued to fulfill a lifelong 
mission to address the emotional and spiritual needs of veterans and 
their families. He remains firmly rooted in his family and his 
community and understands the importance of service. I consider myself 
very fortunate and blessed to have known and worked with him in various 
endeavors during my years in Congress.
  I want to wish Chaplain Cleveland a heartfelt congratulations on the 
occasion of his 50 years of service in the Lutheran ministry and for 
his many years of great service to veterans, their families, and to 
this Nation. I also wish him many more years of continued service in 
his many endeavors in the Black Hills region.

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