[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 160 (Tuesday, December 7, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2071]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING THE LONG AND DISTINGUISHED CAREER OF CONGRESSMAN IKE SKELTON 
                              OF MISSOURI

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 7, 2010

  Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, on the eve of his retirement, I rise 
today to honor the long legislative career of a true Missouri statesman 
and a close personal friend, Ike Skelton.
  From his first day in Congress in 1977, and from the chambers of the 
Armed Services committee to union halls all over his home state, Ike 
always served the people of Missouri's Fourth District with 
intelligence and conviction. I came to the House 20 years ago, he was 
already an institution in these halls, and in the years since Ike has 
become a mentor and dear friend to me.
  Ike, as many of you know, has always been very fond of his fellow 
Missourian, Harry Truman. At the age of 17, Ike attended Truman's 
inauguration, and the battle flag of the USS Harry Truman hung in his 
office. And I know I do not need to tell many of you, but, boy, Ike 
could give 'em Hell! He was always a true Missouri gentleman, of 
course. But when the chips were down, nobody fought harder for our men 
and women in uniform. As chair of the Armed Services Committee, he 
never forgot the many sacrifices our troops make to protect our 
families and our Nation.
  You can hear this dedication to our soldiers ring out in Ike's 
farewell address. As he well reminded us, ``Men and women in uniform 
are not chess pieces to be moved upon a board. Each and every one is 
irreplaceable. Issues of national security and war and peace are too 
important to lose sight of the real men and women who answer our 
Nation's call and do the bidding of the commander-in-chief.''
  That is Ike--A true statesman, and one who's always cognizant of 
what's really important. Like his hero, he has always been well-
grounded and plain-spoken--qualities too often missing in this 
institution. Ike calls it as he sees it, no more and no less. President 
Truman once said that ``America was built on courage, on imagination 
and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.'' Ike listened 
well, and he brought those qualities to this chamber in earnest for 34 
years.
  Thank you, Ike, for your leadership and your friendship. And thank 
you for all your hard work for the people of Missouri and for our 
Nation. We will miss your wisdom, your good humor, and your tenacity in 
the coming Congress. And I will miss you very much. I wish you, and 
Patty, a long and happy retirement.

                          ____________________