[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 89 (Tuesday, June 10, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E945-E946]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING SECRETARY JACK MARSH

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 10, 2014

  Mr WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize former Secretary of 
the Army John O. ``Jack'' Marsh, Jr., of Winchester, for being awarded 
the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation's Medal for Distinguished 
Public Service. I am proud to call Jack my good friend and pleased to 
join the Ford Foundation in honoring him for his long and distinguished 
service to our country.
  After attending Washington and Lee University and practicing law in 
the Shenandoah Valley, Jack began his career in public service when he 
was elected as a Democrat to represent Virginia's 7th Congressional 
District in 1963. He later went on to serve as Assistant Secretary of 
Defense in 1973.
  While serving in Congress, Jack met Congressman Gerald Ford, who was 
representing Michigan's 5th District as a Republican at the time. When 
Ford became Vice President to Richard Nixon, Jack was asked to serve as 
National Security Advisor and when Ford assumed the presidency in 1974, 
Jack became Counselor to the President--a cabinet-level post.
  Later, under President Reagan, Jack was appointed Secretary of the 
Army, an office he held from 1981 until 1989. He is the longest serving 
Secretary of the Army in history.
  The Medal for Distinguished Public Service is awarded annually to 
public servants who successfully demonstrate President Ford's 
leadership qualities over their career, and is reserved for a precious 
few. In receiving the Medal for Distinguished Public Service, Jack 
joins a special group of alumni, which includes prominent figures like 
Tip O'Neill, Henry Kissinger, John Paul Stevens and Brent Scowcroft.
  I am pleased to submit the following article from the Winchester Star 
on Jack's achievements and thank my friend for his years of selfless 
service to our country.

                [From The Winchester Star, June 3, 2014]

                     Former Army Secretary Honored

                       (By Cynthia Cather Burton)

       Winchester.--Former Secretary of the Army John O. ``Jack'' 
     Marsh Jr. of Winchester was awarded the 2014 Gerald R. Ford 
     Medal for Distinguished Public Service on Monday.
       The presentation took place during the annual dinner of the 
     Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation at the Willard 
     InterContinental Hotel in Washington, D.C.
       Marsh, 87, joins a group of political, judicial and 
     military luminaries who have received the award, which was 
     established in 2003 by the foundation's board of trustees to 
     recognize individuals ``who reflect the qualities 
     demonstrated by President Ford during his public service 
     career,'' according to the foundation's website at 
     geraldrford
     foundation.org. These include strength of character, 
     integrity, trustworthiness, sound judgment, decisiveness 
     (particularly during periods of crisis), determination in the 
     face of adversity, diligence, self-confidence balanced with 
     respect for the views of others, and self-discipline in 
     personal life.
       Past recipients are Lt. Gen. Brent Scowcroft, 2013; Thomas 
     P. ``Tip'' O'Neill, 2012; William T. Coleman, 2011; Henry 
     Kissinger, 2010; Justice John Paul Stevens, 2009; Carla A. 
     Hill, 2008; James A. Baker and Lee H. Hamilton, 2007; and the 
     U.S. armed forces branches, 2006.
       Marsh, a Winchester native, served as secretary of the Army 
     under President Ronald Reagan from 1981 to 1989. Previously, 
     in 1973, he was appointed assistant secretary of defense. In 
     1974, he became national security adviser for then-Vice 
     President Ford.
       During Ford's presidency, Marsh was counselor to the 
     president and held cabinet rank.
       ``I handled a lot of issues that he directed me to do,'' 
     Marsh said from his Winchester office on Monday afternoon. 
     ``I did whatever he wanted me to. My duties related in large 
     measure to the Congress.''
       Marsh said he first met Ford when both were serving in the 
     U.S. House of Representatives--Marsh represented Virginia's 
     7th District from 1963 to 1971 as a Democrat and Ford 
     Michigan's 5th District from 1949 to 1973 as a Republican. 
     They were introduced by Donald Rumsfeld, who would go on to 
     serve as secretary of defense under Ford from 1975 to 1977 
     and President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2006.
       ``We were on different sides of the aisle, but we came to 
     know one another,'' Marsh said of Ford. ``When he became vice 
     president, he asked me to be on his staff.''
       Following the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon in 
     the wake of the Watergate scandal, Ford became the nation's 
     38th president, serving from 1974 to 1977.
       Marsh said the presidency did not change Ford. ``He was the 
     same person.''
       With Watergate, the OPEC oil embargo against the United 
     States, high unemployment and an unpopular war in Vietnam, 
     Ford

[[Page E946]]

     inherited ``a government that was in deep trouble,'' Marsh 
     recalled. ``These were issues that were very difficult to 
     handle, and he handled them well. Part of that was because he 
     was so close to the Congress. They respected him, and he 
     respected them. . . He knew how the House worked.''
       Marsh noted that Ford ``had more time in Congress than any 
     president, before or since. He was very popular on both sides 
     of the aisle. He was an example of cooperation.''
       Congress, Marsh added wryly, ``was more bipartisan in those 
     days.''
       He added that Ford was an ``unflappable'' leader. 
     ``Criticism didn't bother him. . . He never carried a 
     grudge.''
       Marsh said he was honored to receive the Gerald R. Ford 
     Medal for Distinguished Public Service ``because it reflects 
     a time in my life when I was party to and took part in a very 
     critical time in our government.''
       Before his political career, Marsh practiced law in the 
     Shenandoah Valley. He also was a World War II veteran and 
     later served in the Army Reserve and Army National Guard. He 
     was a graduate of Harrisonburg High School and Washington and 
     Lee University.

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