[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 14427]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                  TRIBUTE TO GENERAL ERIC K. SHINSEKI

  Mr. CLELAND. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize a distinguished 
soldier, General Eric K. Shinseki, whose inspiring personal journey is 
a story that could happen only in America.
  My good friend and distinguished colleague, the senior senator from 
Hawaii, presented a moving tribute to General Shinseki when he formally 
introduced his fellow Hawaiian to the Armed Services Committee on June 
8th. Senator Inouye reminded us that when the general was born on the 
island of Kauai in the midst of the Second World War, his Japanese 
heritage made him, according to the regrettable laws that existed at 
that time, an enemy alien. Due in large part to the heroism of noble 
Hawaiians like our colleague, who fought so bravely and honorably and 
at such great personal sacrifice with the 442d Regimental Combat Team 
in Europe, Japanese-Americans no longer bear the indignity that the 
government of their country visited upon them during that time of war. 
As Senator Inouye reminded us, President Roosevelt declared that 
Americanism is a matter of mind and heart and that it is not, and never 
has been, a matter of racial color. The birthright that Senator 
Inouye's blood purchased for these Americans enabled young Ric Shinseki 
to rise to the top of the military profession in this great country. 
And for that we owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to our brave and 
distinguished colleague.
  General Shinseki began to show promise at a tender age. An 
outstanding student, he left the Territory of Hawaii for the first time 
and came east to become a high school exchange student in New Jersey.
  Having broadened his horizons, he sought and secured an appointment 
to the United States Military Academy. While a cadet at West Point he 
heard a young president challenge the Nation to ``ask not what your 
country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country.'' He 
listened in the Cadet Mess as General of the Army Douglas MacArthur 
eloquently defined the words of the Academy motto, ``Duty, Honor, 
Country.'' Cadet Shinseki has never stopped answering those ringing 
calls to duty. He answers them still.
  He graduated from the Military Academy in 1965 with a commission in 
the field artillery. He soon found himself en route to Vietnam and a 
tour of duty with the 25th Infantry Division, the ``Tropic Lightning'' 
Division. Onboard a ship crossing the Pacific a veteran non-
commissioned officer taught the young lieutenant his craft. For days 
and days the two men drilled on the techniques of calling for and 
observing artillery fire. Second Lieutenant Shinseki never forgot the 
value of skilled and dedicated non-commissioned officers. He has been a 
soldier's soldier ever since.
  Combat wounds cut short his tenure in Vietnam. After a long 
convalescence, he volunteered to return to the war, to answer the 
summons of the trumpet once again. While commanding a cavalry troop 
with the 5th Infantry Division, he received another wound, this one far 
more serious. For a while, his life was in jeopardy. And even after the 
healing had begun, there were serious questions about whether he could 
continue his career.
  True to his nature, honoring his birthright and still answering the 
call to duty, Ric Shinseki fought to stay in the Army. Fortunately for 
us, the Army saw more than a little potential in this twice-wounded 
warrior, and granted his request to stay. They sent him to Duke 
University to get a degree in English literature so that he could 
return to teach at his alma mater on the banks of the Hudson. There, as 
a member of the West Point faculty, he could teach and mentor a new 
generation of officers, inspiring them with his stoic example of duty 
and sacrifice.
  Since that time, General Shinseki has built two great legacies in the 
Army. First, he is a leader and trainer of soldiers. He has been a 
commander and operations officer in armored and mechanized formations 
from the 3rd of the 7th Cavalry in Europe, to my own beloved First 
Team, the First Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, Texas, where he served 
as commanding general.
  General Shinseki has also built a reputation as a brilliant staff 
officer who has helped the army to shape its force and modernize its 
training during tours of duty in five different positions in the Office 
of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans. There he came to 
know the army as an institution, to learn the folkways of the Pentagon, 
and to understand the byzantine nature of this great city.
  In 1997 the President and the Senate recognized the enormous 
potential of this soldier by promoting him to a fourth star and 
appointing him Commanding General of United States Army, Europe. This 
critical assignment was all the more important because General Shinseki 
was also soon to become Commanding General of the Stabilization Force 
(SFOR) in Bosnia-Herzegovina. There he undertook the difficult and 
delicate mission of implementing the Dayton Peace Accords among the 
Bosnians, Croats, and Serbs, a task whose complexity has been 
underscored by our more recent trials in the Balkans.
  Last year, General Shinseki returned home to become Vice Chief of 
Staff of the Army, to run the staff in the building he knows so well. 
He has brought a mature, steady hand to his administration of the Army 
Staff.
  A combat veteran, a soldier's soldier, an accomplished trainer, a 
consummate staff officer, a respected commander, this son of Japanese 
immigrants who was born an enemy alien has now risen to the pinnacle of 
the American military profession. Wow, what a story. In a ceremony on 
June 22, 1999 at Fort Myer, Virginia, General Eric K. Shinseki assumed 
duty as the 34th Chief of Staff of the Army.
  He is a visionary leader and there is no one better qualified to lead 
the United States Army into the next millennium. I salute his service, 
his sacrifice, his devotion to duty. I applaud his perseverance, his 
intelligence, his humility. I feel honored that the members of the 
Armed Services Committee and I will have many opportunities to work 
with General Shinseki over the next several years as we labor to 
guarantee the readiness of the Armed Forces and to maintain our 
covenant with the men and women of the United States Army, who 
guarantee our own freedoms and guard our interests at home and abroad.
  Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Roberts). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. THOMAS. I ask unanimous consent to speak in morning business for 
10 minutes.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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