[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 14 (Monday, January 25, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S120-S121]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                      Tribute to Ryan D. McCarthy

  Mr. MORAN. Madam President, I want to visit this evening on the 
Senate floor and take this opportunity to recognize a public servant, a 
leader, our former Secretary of the Army, the Honorable Ryan D. 
McCarthy. Secretary McCarthy led our Nation's Army from September 30, 
2019, to January 20, 2021, and during that time, he made it a more 
modern, agile, and lethal fighting force.
  We have worked together on a number of projects for Kansans and those 
who serve or have served our Nation during his tenure as Secretary, 
Acting Secretary, and Under Secretary of the Army, and I have grown to 
consider him a good, solid friend.
  One of my most memorable experiences in the Senate was visiting the 
1st Infantry Division soldiers in Germany and Poland--soldiers who come 
from Fort Riley, KS--with the Secretary, followed by our trip to 
Afghanistan to meet with troops on the frontlines in the global War on 
Terror. Those visits marked the beginning of our friendship, and since 
then, I have appreciated his guidance and his support during his

[[Page S121]]

visits to Kansas and our many discussions here in our Nation's Capital.
  In 2019, Secretary McCarthy joined me in Kansas to visit Seitz 
Elementary School, which serves the families of the Big Red One 
soldiers on Fort Riley. Secretary McCarthy was instrumental in helping 
to find funding for this school in 2011 when he was the Special 
Assistant to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, a Kansan. I was pleased he 
joined me in Kansas to visit the school--and its students--that he 
helped create in 2019. We also met with Fort Riley leadership and then 
traveled to Wichita to visit defense manufacturing and academic leaders 
to discuss the future of Army procurement.
  These personal touch points with soldiers and with the Army community 
were some of the reasons why Secretary McCarthy was universally 
respected within the Army family.
  While I will always appreciate our personal engagements with 
soldiers, I will also remember our efforts to support soldiers and 
veterans when they step off the battlefield or separate from military 
service.
  This past Veterans Day, we coauthored an editorial that discussed our 
parallel efforts to support the mental health and well-being of 
soldiers and veterans. Reports show Americans across the country are 
feeling isolated and alone in today's socially distanced environment, 
including our Nation's service men and women and veteran populations. 
Between my efforts as chairman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs 
Committee to implement the Commander John Scott Hannon Veterans Mental 
Health Care Improvement Act and Secretary McCarthy's effort to build 
interpersonal connections between soldiers, we are working to give 
soldiers and veterans the tools they need to overcome mental health 
challenges they face.
  As Secretary McCarthy transitions out of the watchful eye of public 
life, I rise this evening to express my appreciation for his 
leadership, his character, and his moral compass. He never let politics 
or convenience influence his decisions, and that has significantly 
benefited soldiers, Army civilians, veterans, and Kansans across the 
Nation.
  As the chairman and now ranking member of the Senate Veterans' 
Affairs Committee, I will always strive to help veterans find success 
after service.
  Secretary McCarthy, I have no doubts that you will find success and 
happiness after your dedicated service to our country. I thank your 
family for their support of your public service. I know that you and 
your family will find a quality life with purpose and meaning as you 
enter the next phase.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Louisiana.
  Mr. CASSIDY. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to complete my 
remarks before the scheduled rollcall vote.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered