[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 162 (Tuesday, October 3, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4903-S4904]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          GENERAL MARK MILLEY

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, on a separate issue, I would like to 
address the announced retirement of U.S. GEN Mark Milley.
  On January 17, 1961, 3 days before he was to leave office, President 
Dwight Eisenhower addressed the American people. His political farewell 
to the Nation surprised a lot of people. They expected him to give the 
``old soldier's speech,'' like Douglas McArthur. Instead, Eisenhower 
surprised many by

[[Page S4904]]

issuing a strong warning about the dangers of the ``military-industrial 
complex.'' He described that complex as a ``conjunction of an immense 
military establishment and a large arms industry'' and ``[w]e must not 
fail to comprehend its grave implications'' of that alliance.
  His words were a warning to his successors of one of the many dangers 
they could face in the coming years. The words are often quoted because 
they were so surprising.
  I thought of President Eisenhower's warning just last Friday when I 
heard the parting words of another military leader who served our 
Nation with wisdom, courage, and unwavering devotion--GEN Mark Milley, 
former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In his farewell address, 
General Milley spoke of those in uniform who have died defending our 
freedoms, of the many who have shed blood and sacrificed limbs in that 
cause, and of brokenhearted Gold Star families who have lost loved 
ones.
  Then he said that the U.S. military exists for one purpose, in his 
words: ``to defend democracy.'' ``Our military,'' he said, ``is unique 
among the world's militaries.'' Why? Because, in General Milley's 
powerful words, ``We don't take an oath to a country. We don't take an 
oath to a tribe . . . to a religion . . . to a king, or queen, or a 
tyrant or a dictator. And we don't take an oath to a wannabe 
dictator.'' We take an oath, he said, to the Constitution, to the 
ideas, ideals, and values of democracy. That, he said, is our ``moral 
North Star.''
  Obviously, General Milley has a sense of history. He realizes that 
despite the strength of our military, the real strength of America is 
written in the Constitution, which we have all sworn to uphold. He rose 
to the occasion time and again, particularly under former President 
Donald Trump.
  I had private conversations with him over the years. The question I 
had to ask him was very carefully scripted. I said to him: If you were 
given a choice between Commander in Chief or the Constitution, which 
one prevails? He said: That is simple--the Constitution. That was the 
North Star he lived by as general of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
  He served our Nation in uniform for 43 years. He was a combat 
infantryman and Green Beret. General Milley served 5 years in combat 
zones, including Iraq and Afghanistan. He knows the meaning of service 
and sacrifice, and he knows the value of offering your life for this 
country and its Constitution.
  He was appointed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff by former 
President Trump and continued in the post under President Biden. His 
four years as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff were some of the 
most tumultuous in recent history. They included many successes. They 
included helping Ukraine to defend against Russia's illegal invasion 
and helping to unite NATO. The NATO alliance has never been stronger. 
And we can thank President Biden, but also General Milley and all those 
in uniform who made that possible on our side of the Atlantic.
  We need to make sure that that security alliance is stronger in the 
years to come to stop war criminals like Vladimir Putin. There were 
also grave dangers, including an armed insurrection against the 
government of the United States right here in this Chamber, under 
General Milley's watch.
  I know he measured carefully exactly what response we could bring to 
the occasion; that insurrection mob was a total surprise to so many. 
But his greatest test may have been containing the impulses of a former 
President who didn't understand the role of the military--and I have to 
offer, I don't think he basically understands the Constitution--a 
President who reportedly wanted to use troops, American soldiers, to 
suppress legitimate demonstrations by the public, exercises of their 
right to speech, and who prized loyalty to himself over loyalty to our 
Constitution. That was the force General Milley was up against.
  In recent days, that former President has told his followers that in 
times past, General Milley's actions would have resulted in execution. 
Can you imagine he said that, former President Trump said that of 
General Milley? Once again, a thinly veiled exhortation to political 
violence from the former President.
  As members of this Senate, we take an oath to protect and defend not 
a party or a President, but the ideals and values of our Constitution. 
May we all honor that oath with the same dignity, courage, and strength 
of character as General Milley. And my parting word is gratitude to his 
family, to his wife Hollyanne, his son Peter, and daughter Mary. I 
thank the family. How many sleepless nights must have been a part of 
that household, wondering if the father and the husband would come home 
safely. Well, he did, and thank God he did, because he brought America 
home with him. He deserves some time off. He said he is going to try to 
get some rest. But I am sure he is going to be in demand. A man of his 
character and reputation deserves it.
  I yield the floor.

                          ____________________