[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 122 (Thursday, August 6, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S8967]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO FRANK NORTON

  Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. President, I rise, along with my colleague from 
Georgia, to commemorate the life of a good man and a great American, 
Frank Norton.
  Frank's years of service to this country ended recently with his 
untimely death. But it is fitting we remember Frank on the Senate 
floor, a place where he served this body, as well as service to our 
country in years prior to that.
  Frank died a resident of St. Simons Island, GA, a place he called 
home, even though he was a native of nearby Waycross, GA.
  Frank graduated from Emory University in 1966, and it was his 
intention to go to law school. Unfortunately, the Army intervened. He 
was drafted, wound up going to Officer Candidate School, and not long 
after that became an Army Ranger instructor. He then headed to Vietnam. 
While he was in Vietnam, he served in one of the most dangerous jobs in 
the Army, which was a Ranger reconnaissance platoon leader. For his 
service and bravery, Frank earned some nine medals, including the 
Purple Heart and three Bronze Stars for Valor in combat.
  Frank went on to serve in assignments at Fort Benning and Fort 
Stewart, GA, as well as in Korea and Germany. But it is his 
congressional assignments that some of my colleagues will remember him 
for. He came to head the Army liaison office in both the House and the 
Senate.
  At the time of his retirement in 1993 as a colonel, Frank was the 
principal Deputy to the Secretary of the Army for U.S. Senate Liaison. 
He was the only Army officer to serve in that position in both the 
House and the Senate.
  But Frank's service to country did not end there. In 1993, my 
predecessor, Senator Sam Nunn, appointed Frank to serve as a staffer on 
the Senate Armed Services Committee. This was a point in time when this 
Nation had to go through its first major base closure and realignment 
process. Frank headed up that process from an Armed Services Committee 
standpoint and did an outstanding job.
  After a later career in government relations, Frank devoted his time 
to his family farm, to charities, and to community service in Waycross, 
Brunswick, and St. Simons. Frank loved art, the symphony, and classical 
music, which is hard to believe for a guy who was as robust and 
personal and such a great retired Army colonel as Frank was.
  His lovely wife Carol and his young son Lee are going to miss him. 
Certainly, I am going to miss him. We honor him tonight.
  I yield for my colleague from Georgia, Senator Isakson.
  Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I am honored to rise with Senator 
Chambliss to pay tribute to a great Georgian and a great friend to the 
United States of America and a great veteran of the U.S. Army.
  COL Frank Norton was quite an extraordinary man. As Senator Chambliss 
mentioned, upon graduation he went to Vietnam, and in Vietnam he took 
one of the most dangerous missions of all and did it superbly. He was 
decorated nine times. He returned here and throughout his career served 
in the Congress, the Senate, and served the people of the United States 
in many ways.
  Frank Norton is a very unique individual. When he left military 
service and left service to the House and Senate liaison committees, he 
formed a partnership with his old friend Bob Hurt from Georgia. They 
formed a firm called Hurt and Norton, and they were quite a team; 
always jovial, always hard working, always on target, always delivering 
for their clients, and their clients were always the State of Georgia.
  Our biggest economic asset in Georgia is our port of Savannah, and 
they represented the port. Our coastline is one of the most valuable 
areas of Georgia, and they represented our coastline. And most 
importantly of all, in the critical days of Fort Stewart, they 
represented Fort Stewart and the Hinesville community to see to it that 
the needs of our soldiers were met and the needs of the city of 
Hinesville, which hosted the soldiers, were met as well.
  Frank died on the tennis court with his young son Lee. Tonight I send 
my regrets to his wife Carol, to Lee, and to all his family. But I also 
send my praise, my praise for a great Georgian, a great American, who 
sacrificed in so many ways for this country. May he now rest in peace 
looking down on all of us from heaven.
  I yield back my time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Delaware.

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