[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 60 (Friday, April 11, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2404-S2405]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO GENERAL RICHARD CODY
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, last month, I spoke on the Senate floor
about a friend from my hometown of Montpelier, VT, GEN Richard Cody.
General Cody left Montpelier--one of our Nation's smallest State
capital--to serve his country, beginning as a student at West Point. He
had an outstanding military career serving all over the world and
culminating with his service as Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army.
General Cody recently returned to Vermont, where he was honored by
his alma mater, Montpelier High School. Prior to the testimonial dinner
saluting him, General Cody went back to the high school, where he
inspired students with his patriotism and commitment to making a
positive difference in the world. In fact, his student audience was so
inspired with this tremendous leader that he received a standing
ovation at the end of his remarks.
I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the article by
Amy Nixon published in the April 5, 2014, edition of the Barre-
Montpelier Times Argus in honor of General Cody's return to Vermont.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
[From the Barre-Montpelier Times Argus, Apr. 5, 2014]
General Welcomed Back to Capital
(By Amy Nixon)
Montpelier.--Gen. Richard Cody, a retired four-star general
who came up through the ranks at Montpelier High School,
returned to his alma mater Friday afternoon to share with
students, staff and faculty his story, as well as inspiration
for how the coming generation of young Americans can serve
their nation as leaders, whether or not they choose to wear a
uniform.
Cody is a graduate of the Class of 1968, and the message
board in front of the high school was changed to welcome him
back for the day's events. After high school he went on to
West Point and ascended through the ranks to become a four-
star general and the 31st vice chief of staff of the Army. He
retired in 2008, and serves today as the chairman of the
board for ``Homes for our Troops,'' a national nonprofit
organization which builds handicapped-accessible homes for
disabled veterans and their families.
Cody served in the Army for 36 years, and was one of fewer
than 40 four star generals in all of the armed forces
combined at the time of his retirement.
His visit was sponsored by the Montpelier High School
Boosters, who are also hosting a dinner tonight in Cody's
honor at the Capitol Plaza Hotel as part of their Celebration
of Excellence program. A short film presented to Cody at his
retirement, about eight minutes in length, was shown, with
photos of him as a young boy growing up here to his high
school sports accomplishments in newspaper headlines of the
day, his high school photo, shots of him during his career in
the Army and during his time at West Point, at his wedding,
with his children, and with the troops with whom and for whom
he served for nearly four decades--including several
returning soldiers whose bodies had been tangled by war, and
were in military hospitals with the General visiting their
bedsides.
Cody was known as the ``G.I.'s General,'' and at one time
former President George H.W. Bush introduced Cody, quipping,
``Take a good look at him. I'm glad he's on my side!''
The film ended with Cody stating, ``You can't ever leave
the Army, you just take the uniform off.''
After the film, Cody shared stories of what it was like to
be the second in command of the U.S. Army, with more than 1.1
million American men and women in active duty, the reserves
and National Guard being his responsibility.
``It's great to be back at Montpelier High School with the
Solons,'' he said, offering a walk-back through his life
before and after the Army by way of providing some life
lessons to the hundreds of young people sitting before him in
the same seats he once sat in.
[[Page S2405]]
``I think back on all the things I learned in the schools
here,'' began Cody, saying as he came of age and entered West
Point, the United States was in troubled times, with riots
playing out in Detroit and elsewhere and an unpopular war in
Vietnam being waged. He said he enrolled at West Point with a
desire to learn to fly helicopters, thinking he'd be back
home in Montpelier in five or six years working at his
family's car dealership washing cars and changing oil.
Instead, he rose through the ranks and ended up in the halls
of the Pentagon.
``I had no idea that I would spend four decades in uniform
and travel all over this world,'' he told students, coming
down off the stage with a microphone in hand to answer
questions after he spoke for some time.
Cody credited his upbringing and family, and his teachers
and coaches here with helping him to succeed, saying many of
the people who supported him through the years in the city's
schools ``saw potential in me,'' and encouraged him, as he
encouraged the students before him in the assembly to
``choose the harder right over the easier wrong.'' He told
the group that really everything they need to know in life
they learned as little kids, from saying please and thank you
to not cutting line, to holding hands with a friend going out
to recess, to sharing toys, and cleaning up your toys when
you're done. He urged the high schoolers to be kinder to one
another, to support one another, to honor and respect the
people in their company now--and always.
``My hope is you will reach the highest potential you have,
no matter what it is,'' said Cody. ``Do what's right when
everybody else wants you to do something different,'' he
urged. He told the students to ``seek the whole truth versus
the half truth'' in life.
Having traveled the world, including war zones in
Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere, Cody said ``People want what
you have,'' from clean water to plentiful food, sewers that
work, books, schooling--including for females--and peace and
safety. ``This is a great country. We need to make it
better.''
``What type of American citizen do you want to be?'' Cody
asked. He urged them to be the type that ``goes into this
world to make a difference.'' He told them to be the people
who can look themselves in the mirror ``and say, I `did
good.' ''
Shelby Copans, 18, a junior, asked the general about the
lessons he learned, and he responded, ``As a leader, you have
to believe every day that everyone in your unit will do well.
Everybody has great potential. . . . It's your job to help
them reach that potential.'' He also said he learned to not
play favorites, ``because that really erodes team work.''
``Respect for each other,'' was another critical component,
he said.
Students asked him about the Middle East, about the recent
shooting at Fort Hood by a military man, and conflicts around
the world.
Of Aghanistan, he said, ``It's not any better today than it
was on 9/11, and I could make the case it's worse.'' Some of
the hopes to really change conflicts in other parts of the
world are so deep culturally they are things that will take a
century to try to change, but the U.S. over and over works to
reduce violence, to ``stop things from boiling over,'' he
said.
A major problem worldwide, he said, is the lack of job
opportunity for young people, leading to unrest and
recruitment by terrorists.
Samantha Flanagan, 15, a freshman, asked Cody about the
recent shooting at Fort Hood, where Cody was twice stationed.
That shooting left four dead, including the shooter, all
members of the military.
Cody said the man was likely suffering from post traumatic
stress, saying, ``When you mix guns and you have medical
issues and mental health issues, it's tragic. We need to
figure out why can't we get medical and mental help they need
to them faster?''
In closing, Cody told students, ``You don't have to join
the military to serve this country. You can serve this
country in many ways, but if you go into the military, you'll
grow faster.''
``Treat each other well, take care of each other,'' he
said, thanking those in the auditorium as they rose to their
feet, applauding their hometown hero.
As the event closed, it was announced that Cody is donating
a new custom-made, illuminated scoring table to his alma
mater.
After the auditorium event, Cody was given a tour of the
high school, and there was a reception for him in the
library. Later Friday afternoon, Cody was celebrated during a
meet and greet at VFW Post 792, an event sponsored by the
Montpelier High School Boosters and the American Legion Post
3.
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