[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 185 (Monday, December 5, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8180-S8181]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 TRIBUTE TO GENERAL PETER W. CHIARELLI

  Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, on behalf of myself and my Army Caucus 
cochair, the senior Senator from Oklahoma, Mr. Jim Inhofe, I rise to 
congratulate GEN Peter W. Chiarelli, the 32nd Vice Chief of Staff of 
the Army, on his monumental contributions to our national security over 
the course of his distinguished 39-year career.
  Throughout his career, General Chiarelli has been the consummate 
soldier's soldier. His career is distinguished by excellence in command 
of troops from platoon to corps. General Chiarelli is known for his 
having an open mind and for his candor while addressing the issues 
affecting the Army today. He is a tremendous advocate for soldiers both 
within the Pentagon and here on Capitol Hill. His advice, counsel, and 
friendship have been very valuable to us as Army Caucus cochairs, and 
he will be sorely missed. Who he is today though began being shaped 
many years ago.
  After his graduation from Seattle University in 1972, Pete married 
his sweetheart, Beth, went to the Basic Course, and reported to his 
first assignment in the 9th Infantry Division at Fort Lewis, WA. After 
his time there, the Army offered him a job teaching at West Point, 
where he taught cadets in the distinguished Social Science Department.
  In 1985, he graduated from the Naval Command and Staff College and 
returned to leading soldiers, this time in Germany with the 3rd Armored 
Division--the same division in which his father, also Pete Chiarelli, 
earned the Silver Star for heroism and a battlefield commission in 1945 
as a tanker in World War II. It seems that character runs in the 
Chiarelli family. While in Germany, General Chiarelli showed his 
battlefield prowess--under his guidance, the U.S. tank crews won NATO's 
distinguished Canadian Army Trophy for the nation with the best 
tankers.
  After his success in Germany, he moved back to Washington in 1990, 
where took command of the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, in the 
9th Infantry Division. Following his time in command of the 2nd 
Battalion, he was sent to the prestigious National War College here in 
Washington, DC, and then to the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, TX, 
to serve as the operations officer. He continued to impress his peers 
and his superiors and was selected to return to his home State of 
Washington to command the 3rd Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division at 
Fort Lewis.
  In 1998, following his successful brigade command, he was hand-
selected to be the executive officer to the Supreme Allied Commander 
Europe in Belgium, where he served for 2 years before heading back to 
the 1st Cavalry Division to be the assistant division commander in 
2000. When the Nation was attacked on September 11, 2001, then-
Brigadier General Chiarelli was serving in the Pentagon on the Army 
staff, where he played a key role in mobilizing Army forces for the 
wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was promoted to major general in 2003 
and assumed command of the 1st Cavalry Division.
  Over the next several years, General Chiarelli would spend the 
majority of his time deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He 
served in Baghdad from 2003 to 2005 as the commander of Multi-National 
Division--Baghdad. At this time, Baghdad served as the center of 
gravity for Operation Iraqi Freedom. General Chiarelli was given the 
difficult task of maintaining order in this sprawling city of 7 million 
people. During his command, General Chiarelli was instrumental in 
developing several innovations that contributed to our success in Iraq. 
Chief among these were job-creating civil service projects. His 
commitment to using ``money as a weapons system'' brought stability and 
saved the lives of Americans and Iraqis alike.
  In 2006, General Chiarelli was given command of all troops in Iraq, 
totaling 160,000 at that time. As the commander of the Multi-National 
Corps-Iraq, he continued to innovate, pushing his troops to adopt 
practices that protected the populace even as they destroyed the 
insurgent networks. His time as the commander of day-to-day operations 
in Iraq was, perhaps, the most difficult period of our operations 
there, but General Chiarelli's performance garnered the highest praise 
of then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.
  After 5 years in Iraq, General Chiarelli earned his fourth star and 
was selected as the 32nd Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, an honor that 
speaks to the confidence that his superiors and peers had in his 
abilities. As the ``Vice,'' General Chiarelli is responsible for the 
day-to-day operations of the Army staff and its responsibility to man 
and equip the world's greatest Army.
  In this capacity, he has excelled on many fronts. He has been the 
military's principal advocate for caring for our veterans with 
psychological health issues such as post-traumatic stress and traumatic 
brain injury. These ``invisible wounds'' affect thousands of our 
soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines, who have deployed to Iraq and 
Afghanistan. His 2010 report entitled ``Health Promotion, Risk 
Reduction, Suicide Prevention'' was an effective call to action for 
leaders at the tactical level within the Army. This transparent and 
forthright self-evaluation of the Army's small-unit leadership 
contained 45 hard-hitting pages of conclusions and recommendations, and 
we have been pleased with the general's progress at following up with 
those.
  As the Nation focuses on deficit reduction and budget cuts, General 
Chiarelli has been an important voice urging leaders to carefully 
consider the options. In testimony before both Chambers of Congress, he 
has advocated measured, strategy-based decisions that would meet 
budgetary needs, while maintaining a force that balances end-strength 
and capabilities.
  Throughout all this important work, General Chiarelli is widely 
recognized as one of the most genuine and personable senior leaders in 
the military. One widely repeated anecdote is applicable here. While at 
a dinner at the White House in February 2011, General Chiarelli was 
passing behind another distinguished guest who, having seen his uniform 
pants and nothing more, asked him to refill her wine glass. The woman 
almost immediately recognized her error and was understandably 
mortified. Rather than be angry or embarrassed, General Chiarelli, as 
the second-ranking officer in the most powerful Army in the world, 
graciously filled

[[Page S8181]]

the glass. That speaks a lot about the character of the officer about 
whom we are speaking today.
  Mr. President, we both extend our heartfelt thanks to GEN Pete 
Chiarelli, to his wife Beth, and to his children and their families for 
their lifetime of service to the Nation. Words cannot characterize 
properly the extraordinary character of General Chiarelli's 
accomplishments.
  The Nation thanks him and wishes him success and happiness in all his 
future endeavors.

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