[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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