[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 50 (Friday, March 17, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E227-E228]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          HONORING US ARMY CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER JACK GOLDMAN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. PATRICK RYAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 17, 2023

  Mr. RYAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of U.S. Army 
Chief Warrant Officer Jack Goldman and pay tribute to his remarkable 
service to our nation.
  Jack Goldman was one of four brothers whose Jewish grandparents 
emigrated to the United States in the 1890s from Poland and Lithuania. 
Jack's father, Harry Goldman, served in the U.S. Army Expeditionary 
Forces in World War I and, after the war, started a textile and 
tailoring business in the garment district of Manhattan. Jack's mother 
passed away from cancer when Jack was just four years old. Harry 
remarried, but Jack's stepmother was verbally and physically abusive, 
and his childhood during the Great Depression was difficult.
  Jack Goldman enlisted in the United States Army in October 1944, 
right after high school, at the age of 17. Given his young age, 
enlistment required special permission from Jack's father. Having 
personally experienced the horrors of World War I trench warfare and 
with two sons already fighting in World War II, Harry nonetheless 
granted permission for Jack to enlist. Jack excelled in basic combat 
infantryman training at Fort Dix, New Jersey, and after completion was 
selected to serve as a Drill Corporal at Camp Pickett, training other 
new recruits. He deployed to Europe later that year, landing at La 
Havre, France, and participated in the closing actions of the European 
Theater in World War II. Assigned to the 4th Cavalry Regiment, he 
remained in Southern Germany and Austria until November 1946 serving in 
the U.S. Constabulary. His duties there included traffic control, 
countering black-marketing, supervising Displaced Persons Camps, 
denazification operations, enforcing Allied Occupation policy, and 
ensuring general security.
  After returning to New York in December 1946, Jack went to work for 
the family business alongside his three brothers and joined the U.S. 
Army Reserves. Jack thrived in the military and loved the Army's work 
ethic, mission, values, and sense of honorable service. He was 
particularly impressed with Army Officers who had graduated from West 
Point and considered them to be an elite class of warrior-leaders who 
lived by a sacred code. Jack Goldman adapted this code of Duty, Honor, 
Country as his own, and lived his life accordingly. Throughout his 34+ 
year Army Career Jack actively sought out West Pointers to learn from 
them, and later in his career he mentored and supported them.
  In the summer of 1950, Jack Goldman's reserve unit was activated. 
Jack was hoping to be deployed with his unit to Korea. But given his 
potential and demonstrated leadership abilities in the 325th Tank 
Battalion, he was instead promoted to First Sergeant and re-assigned to 
Camp Pickett, Virginia. Jack finally made it to Korea shortly after the 
signing of the cease-fire, serving as the Division Crypto Officer for 
the 24th Infantry Division, then stationed near Munson-Ri, along the 
demilitarized zone.
  Before going to Korea, Jack Goldman applied for and was accepted into 
the U.S. Army Warrant Officer Program for Unit Administrators to 
improve training and combat readiness across the Army. He was promoted 
to Warrant Officer Junior Grade One in June 1951 among the Army's first 
class of Unit Administrators. Jack Goldman relished this support role 
and excelled at it.
  After an initial evaluation phase, the Army cancelled the Warrant 
Officer Unit Administrator program, citing that the additional warrant 
officer in a company-level unit caused unneeded friction between the 
First Sergeant and Executive Officer, and offered Jack a career field 
change. Given his high aptitude scores, Jack was placed into and re-
trained in the Crypto/Secure Communications Field. He served, with 
great success, in this critical field until his first retirement in 
1978.
  As Jack Goldman gained more experience, mastery, and seniority in the 
Crypto field he was assigned to increasingly sensitive locations and 
roles. These roles included the U.S. Embassy in La Paz, Bolivia, during 
that nation's anti-communism fights; the Headquarters of the 101st 
Airborne Division, as they prepared to deploy to Vietnam; and the 
Headquarters, U.S. Army, Europe during the Cold War. Over time Jack 
Goldman became a well-known, household name In the Army's 
Communications Security Community and the entire Signal Branch.
  His culminating active-duty assignment was as the VII Corps 
Communications Security Officer at Kelly Barracks, Germany. The 
assignment was intended to be a two-year role but ended up as a lengthy 
five-year tour. Due to his excellent performance, integrity, 
professionalism, and the role he played in the execution of U.S. and 
NATO war plans for the defense of central Europe, senior leaders sought 
to keep Jack on the team. During that period, Jack ensured that all 
U.S. nuclear capable units could communicate securely and, more 
importantly, authenticate any nuclear weapons operations and nuclear 
strike orders. He served as the VII Corps subject matter expert,

[[Page E228]]

manager, and officer-in-charge for the Nuclear Release and 
Authentication System, reporting directly to the 3-star Corps 
Commander. The most senior general officer leadership recognized and 
greatly valued Jack Goldman's contributions to U.S. Security in Germany 
and the NATO alliance. For those reasons, they extended his tour of 
duty three times, a year each time.
  After 34 years of active duty, five years at VII Corps, and at the 
urging of his superiors, Jack Goldman applied for an exception to 
policy to stay in the Army beyond his mandatory retirement date in 
order to continue to serve at VII Corps and manage the entire 
communications security operations. The Army, however, assessed that it 
had finally developed a sufficient bench of qualified Communications 
Security Warrant Officers to allow Jack Goldman to move on into 
retirement. Jack Goldman then elected to stay in Germany and continue 
to serve the Army and his Nation in a different role: that of an 
Instructor in U.S. Army Cadet Command's (USACC) Junior Army Reserve 
Officer's Training Program (AJROTC).
  This was an ideal role for an `old Soldier' who had so many 
experiences and so much to give back. Jack was first temporarily 
assigned to the Mannheim High School AJROTC program to fill in for the 
permanent instructor who suddenly had to step down due to an illness. 
The hiring progress was already ongoing for a permanent fill in the 
Mannheim program, and Jack Goldman added his application, as well.
  There was, however, another opportunity at the European Command 
Headquarters at Patch Barracks, Germany. The Department of Defense 
Education Agency-Europe (DODEA) had received Congressional funding to 
build a new high school at Patch Barracks. That school was slated to 
open in the 1979-1980 school year. Jack Goldman selflessly offered to 
conduct a trial AJROTC satellite program at Patch Barracks, fully 
knowing that his chances for a permanent position at Mannheim would be 
forfeited with that decision.
  Due to Jack Goldman's efforts, charisma, tenacity, innovative 
leadership, and firm belief in the value of the AJROTC program, the 
first year of Junior ROTC at Patch Barracks was a smashing success 
above and beyond any expectations at U.S. Army Cadet Command or the 
DODEA. In the following 1980-81 school year, Patch American High School 
was granted its own AJROTC unit, and Army Cadet Command activated the 
8th JROTC Battalion, U.S. Army-Europe (known as ``The Panther 
Battalion'').
  Jack Goldman proceeded to grow, improve, lead and foster that program 
for 31 consecutive years until his second retirement in 2010, at the 
age of 84. At the time of his retirement from DODEA and ROTC, Jack 
Goldman was on record as the oldest serving Senior Army Instructor in 
U.S. Army Cadet Command.
  Under Jack Goldman's effective leadership, and his innovative and 
successful application of West Point ideals, principles, and the Cadet 
Honor Code, the Panther Battalion became the gold standard of JROTC 
programs in Europe. The Panther Battalion developed a reputation for 
academic, physical, military, and character excellence, mirroring the 
domains and pillars of West Point. The unit won scores of accolades and 
achievements from 1979 to 2010.
  After retiring for the second time, Jack decided to continue to serve 
his country, the Army, and Soldiers by becoming a stock clerk and 
cashier at the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES, also known 
as the PX) in Panzer Kaserne, Germany. Jack performed this role for 10 
years from 2010 to 2020, with his career totaling 75 years of federal 
service.
  Over the years, Jack received countless awards for service, 
citizenship, volunteerism, achievement, and performance. He was also a 
humanitarian conducting fundraisers for various charities and natural 
disasters, sponsoring an orphanage in Romania, sponsoring an elementary 
school in Kosovo, visiting German senior citizen homes, hospitals, and 
more. He also inspired thousands of students to be better citizens.
  Many were inspired to serve in the Armed Forces or Civil Service, 
attend service academies, and win ROTC Scholarships. In 2006, Jack was 
a competitive nominee for West Point's prestigious Thayer Award, 
ultimately won that year by Tom Brokaw. A disappointed general officer, 
who strongly supported Jack's nomination, later wrote: ``Tom Brokaw won 
the Thayer Award for writing about and reporting on guys like Jack 
Goldman.''
  Jack Goldman was a low key, humble, and selfless patriot. It is my 
privilege to rise in recognition of his life of service and to honor 
his memory.

                          ____________________