[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 181 (Thursday, October 22, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S6397]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            MORNING BUSINESS

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                        TRIBUTE TO PAUL IGNATIUS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, next month, our country will salute the 
life and achievements of former Secretary of the Navy Paul Ignatius as 
he celebrates his 100th birthday. I would like to join Paul's family 
and friends in recognizing his years of leadership and service to our 
country.
  The son of Armenian immigrants, Paul completed his undergraduate 
studies at the University of Southern California. There, he entered the 
Phi Kappa Tau brotherhood, the same college fraternity I would later 
join at the University of Louisville. Paul's achievements on campus 
were just the beginning of his remarkable life.
  Like so many other members of the Greatest Generation, Paul put his 
life on hold to serve in uniform during World War II. He interrupted 
his studies at Harvard Business School to enlist in the U.S. Navy and 
was commissioned as a lieutenant. As an aviation ordnance officer, Paul 
served aboard the escort aircraft carrier USS Manila Bay in the 
Pacific.
  Returning home after 4 years in the Navy, Paul completed his MBA at 
Harvard and began a successful career in the private sector. However, 
our country would call on him once again. When it did, Paul was ready 
to answer.
  In 1961, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara asked Paul to serve as 
Assistant Secretary of the Army. He agreed and began 8 years of 
prominent leadership in the Pentagon under both President John F. 
Kennedy and President Lyndon B. Johnson. Paul served in several 
capacities, including Assistant Secretary of Defense for Installations 
and Logistics. Finally, in 1967, Paul was chosen to lead the same Navy 
he joined as a lieutenant more than two decades before.
  Paul left the Pentagon and began new ventures in journalism, 
philanthropy, and scholarship. He has earned several honors and awards 
for the lasting impacts of his leadership. Last year, Paul received a 
premier recognition for a Navy veteran and leader. He joined his 
successor, Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer, at a commissioning 
ceremony of the USS Paul Ignatius, an Arleigh-Burke class guided-
missile destroyer.
  So it is a privilege to join those paying tribute to Paul Ignatius' 
lifetime of accomplishments for our Armed Forces and our Nation. As he 
celebrates his 100th birthday, appropriately on Veterans Day, I wish 
him the very best. On behalf of the Senate, I extend my sincere 
gratitude for his service.

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