[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 209 (Thursday, December 21, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8250-S8251]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REMEMBERING LIEUTENANT GENERAL MICHAEL CHARLES SHORT
Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, as co-chair of the Air Force Caucus, I
rise to pay tribute to Lt. Gen. Michael C. Short, who served this
country faithfully for over 51 years, 35 years as an Air Force fighter
pilot and another 16 years as an Air Force and joint senior mentor to
leaders and future leaders of our military. Lieutenant General Short
passed away on 27 October after a battle with cancer, and for those who
knew him, it is the only battle he ever lost.
Born in Princeton, NJ, on 24 February 1944, Lieutenant General Short
was the only child of Janet MacDonald Short and Charles Francis Short.
He grew up in a military family and lived in New Jersey, North
Carolina, Japan, Kentucky, Mississippi, and France. Lieutenant General
Short's father, Charles, was a paratrooper and a member of the 82nd
Airborne Division. When Lieutenant General Short was born, his father
was stationed in England preparing for the D-Day invasion. On 6 June
1944, Charles Short jumped into occupied France as a member of the
507th Parachute Infantry Regiment. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge
and helped liberate Europe from Nazi Germany.
As most military children, Lieutenant General Short attended several
schools growing up and excelled athletically and academically at every
one. He attended high school in France, participating on his school's
football, basketball and baseball teams, and graduating at the top of
his class. Lieutenant General Short applied for and was accepted into
the U.S. Air Force Academy, entering as a basic cadet on 26 June 1961.
In February 1965, then-Cadet First Class Short met the love of his
life, Virginia Suhonen, a fourth-grade school teacher, in Manitou
Springs, CO. Lieutenant General Short graduated the Air Force Academy
on 6 June 1965 and married Jini on 14 August 1965, and together, they
began an incredible journey of partnership and selfless service to each
other and our Nation that lasted 52 years.
Their first of 23 assignments began at Webb Air Force Base in Texas,
where he attended pilot training. Follow-on assignments included
Arizona, South Vietnam, Florida, Minnesota, Colorado, Washington,
Thailand, Philippines, the Pentagon, North Carolina, Nevada, Texas,
Virginia, Germany, and Italy. Along the way, they grew their family,
with Jini giving birth to a son, Christopher, and daughter, Jennifer.
They lovingly welcomed in their daughter-in-law Brooke and son-in-law
Scott, and celebrated the birth of five grandchildren, Emily, Rachel,
Sara, Jacob, and Katie. Of course, no family is complete without its
pets and those who knew the Shorts will always remember Hobo, Bogie,
and Muppet. Lieutenant General Short understood the importance of
family and was a devoted son, husband, father, and grandfather. He was
also an airmen's airman.
Lieutenant General Short exemplified what the Nation should demand of
its military members and senior leaders. He was a master in the
profession of arms, a master of employing the military tool of national
power, and a master instructor to generations of officers who continue
to follow him and keep his legacy alive in service to our Nation. Upon
earning his silver wings, he began a flying career focused on fighter
aviation. He amassed over 4,600 flying hours and flew the F-4C, F-4D,
F-4E, RF-4C, F-102, F-106, A-7, F-117, A-10, F-15E, and F-16. He flew
276 combat missions over Vietnam in the F-4, flew and commanded combat
missions during Desert Storm in the F-15E, and directed over 35,000
combat missions during Operation Allied Force over Yugoslavia.
In 1969, then-Captain Short, an F-4C pilot, was awarded the Silver
Star for courageous action in Vietnam. General Short was enroute to a
target in North Vietnam when he was diverted to support an F-105 pilot
that was shot down, had ejected, and was in the water off the coast of
North Vietnam. He was tasked to take out the antiaircraft artillery
sites that had shot down the F-105 so they could bring in the rescue
aircraft. Both he and his wingman were hit multiple times by
antiaircraft artillery but were able to make it back to base safety
after delivering all their rockets on target, knocking out the gun
sites, and enabling the rescue of the downed F-105 pilot.
In 1986, then-Colonel Short was hand-picked to be the operations
group commander of the 4450th Tactical Group at Nellis Air Force Base,
which operated the highly classified F-117A stealth fighter. He soloed
in the F-117A on 14 January 1986, Bandit 199, and commanded the group
until 1988.
In 1995, Lieutenant General Short was the chief of staff to the
commander of NATO's Allied Air Forces Southern Europe in Naples, Italy,
during Operation Deliberate Force, NATO's first air campaign, that
brought the war in Bosnian-Herzegovina to an end. The following year,
as the director of operations for U.S. Air Forces in Europe, he was
responsible for the deployment and sustainment of NATO forces and their
equipment in Bosnia-Herzegovina during and after Operation Joint
Endeavour. Gen George Joulwan, the then-Supreme Commander Europe, said,
``He did the planning for the bombing of Bosnia in 1995 and then, when
we put the force into Bosnia, he was critical coordinating the air
transport. He was impressive because he was not only professional but
innovative--this was all new stuff''
In 1998, Lieutenant General Short returned to Naples, Italy, now as
the commander NATO's Allied Air Forces Southern Europe, leading the 19-
member NATO alliance and directing all air operations in southern
Europe. It was during this time our Nation called on General Short's
expertise in the employment of military power to try and achieve peace.
Lieutenant General Short, who always left political discussions to
others, was directed to travel with Richard Holbrooke to Belgrade,
Serbia, to be part of negotiations with Federal Republic of Yugoslavian
President Slobadan Milosevic. During the meeting, President Milosevic
leaned forward and said to Lieutenant General Short, ``So, you are the
man who is going to bomb me.'' Lieutenant General Short replied,
``Well, I hope that won't be the case. I have a plan to propose to your
generals that will prevent your country from being bombed, but in
essence, you're right. I have U-2s in one hand and B-52s in the other,
and the choice is up to you.'' His statement broke the tension, and the
discussions went on from there. The negotiations successfully postponed
the war, but on 24 March 1999, Lieutenant General Short was directed to
begin air operations against Yugoslavia. He successfully executed
Operation Allied Force, a 78-day NATO bombing effort to stop the
Serbian ethnic cleansing of Muslims in Kosovo.
Lieutenant General Short received a bachelor of science degree from
the Air Force Academy, a master's degree in systems management from the
University of Southern California, was a distinguished graduate of Air
Command and Staff College and attended the Industrial College of the
Armed Forces in Washington, DC. His decorations include the Defense
Distinguished Service Medal with one oakleaf cluster, the AF
Distinguished Service Medal with one oakleaf cluster, the Silver Star,
the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross with one oakleaf
cluster, and the Air Medal with fourteen oakleaf clusters. In 1999, he
was presented the Air Force Association's highest honor to a military
member in the field of national security, the H.H. Arnold Award for
commanding the air campaign during Operation Allied Force.
Lieutenant General Short retired on 1 July 2000 and began 16 years of
work as an Air Force and joint senior mentor focusing on the command
and control of airpower. Lieutenant General Short was known and
respected by servicemembers from all services in the United States, as
well as our allies. He always gave clear, hard-hitting advice, passing
on his knowledge of things he did right and things he did wrong. He
traveled to the Republic of Korea, Qatar, and many other locations to
advise, teach and train airmen
[[Page S8251]]
of all ranks in the art of ``operational'' level warfare. Long after
the senior mentor ranks thinned, due to intense scrutiny and
significant pay cuts, Lieutenant General Short stuck with the program
because it was his passion.
Lieutenant General Short touched many lives as evidenced by comments
written about him by those who knew and served with him:
``He was a father, a husband, a grandfather and what made it all work
was his complete devotion to those he loved and commanded. It was an
honor to serve alongside him ``
``High standards, demanding, but fair. You knew where the bar was and
he challenged you to exceed it. He pushed me to limits I did not know I
could reach.''
``He was a no-nonsense leader who let his Commanders command. He was
also a hands-on mentor who touched thousands; admired by all and will
be greatly missed.''
``A superb officer, great warrior and outstanding teacher.''
``A great leader . . . as the Air Boss for Operation Allied Force he
provided clear guidance and support for me and the men and women in my
deployed Wing . . . I consider it a high honor to have served under him
in combat!''
``He really was the kind of leader that made you want to work for the
organization and its goals. His name always comes up when we talk about
the good men in those days.''
``General Mike Short was a great leader and Patriot. He was a mentor
and more importantly a friend. Mike loved his Family and his Country .
. . he will be missed.''
``He did a superb job in a very tough situation. With leadership and
top cover like that, the U.S. Air Force is unstoppable.''
``I will miss your words as they were always on target and well
understood. Rolling a nickel on the grass in your remembrance, sir.''
I extend my heartfelt thanks to Lt. Gen. Mike Short for his selfless
service to this Nation, to his wife, Jini, and to his children, Chris
and Jenn, and their families, for a lifetime of service to this Nation.
Words cannot describe the extraordinary character of Lieutenant General
Short, his accomplishments, or the lasting impact he will have on
generations of service members. His personal accomplishments live on
through the examples set by his son and daughter, two highly capable
and highly respected Air Force senior officers. My prayers are with his
family, and I pray the ``Lord Guard and Guide the Men Who Fly.''
____________________