[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 16586-16587]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



  GENERAL HENRY H. SHELTON 14TH CHAIRMAN OF JOINT CHIEFS AND A GREAT 
                            NORTH CAROLINIAN

  Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, North Carolina, down through history has 
been blessed with countless remarkable sons and daughters, and in my 
judgment, one of the truly great has been General Hugh H. Shelton, the 
14th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who was confirmed by the 
Senate on October 1, 1997, and reconfirmed by the Senate for a second 
2-year term in 1999.
  In this capacity, this great son of Eastern North Carolina served as 
the principal military advisor to the President of the United States, 
the Secretary of Defense, and the National Security Council.
  Prior to becoming Chairman, General Shelton served as Commander in 
Chief of the U.S. Special Operations Command.
  The General was born in Tarboro, NC, in January 1942. He earned a 
bachelor of science degree from North Carolina State University and a 
master of science from Auburn University. His military education 
includes attendance at the Air Command and Staff College in Montgomery, 
AL, and at the National War College at Fort McNair, Washington, DC.
  He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the infantry in 1963 
through the Reserve Officer Training Corps, and spent the next 24 years 
in a variety of command and staff positions in the continental United 
States, Hawaii, and Vietnam. He served two tours in Vietnam--the first 
with the 5th Special Forces Group, the second with the 173rd Airborne 
Brigade. He also commanded the 3rd Battalion, 60th Infantry in the 9th 
Infantry Division at Fort Lewis, WA; he served as the 9th Infantry 
Division's assistant chief of staff for operation.
  He then returned to North Carolina where he commanded the 1st Brigade 
of the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg; and then served as the 
Chief of Staff of the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, NY.
  Following his selection as brigadier general in 1987, General Shelton 
served 2 years in the Operations Directorate of the Joint Staff. In 
1989, he began a 2-year assignment as Assistant Division Commander for 
Operations of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), a tour that 
included the Division's 7-month deployment to Saudi Arabia for 
Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
  Upon returning from the Gulf War, General Shelton was promoted to 
major general and again assigned to Fort Bragg where this time he 
commanded the 82nd Airborne Division. In 1993, he was again promoted--
to lieutenant general--and assumed command of the XVIII Airborne Corps.
  In 1994, while serving as corps commander, General Shelton commanded 
the Joint Task Force that conducted Operation Uphold Democracy in 
Haiti. In March 1996, he was promoted to general and became Commander 
in Chief of the U.S. Special Operations Command.
  In his 4 years as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General 
Shelton worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life for military 
members and their families. He championed numerous initiatives 
including the largest across-the-board pay raise for the military in 18 
years--helping to narrow the civilian-military ``pay gaps.''
  His push for pay table reform targeted greater increases for mid-
grade noncommissioned officers, and his retirement reform package 
reinstated benefits for those entering service after 1986, and, thanks 
to his dedication and support, an enhanced housing allowance was 
implemented gradually to eliminate out of pocket expenses for service 
members living off post.
  Chairman Shelton was a strong advocate of the effort to reform 
medical health care, to make medical care more responsive--to include 
military retirees over 65. He made great strides to improve the 
readiness of the U.S. military by articulating a regiment for increased 
defense spending. As a result, the Department of Defense realized a

[[Page 16587]]

$112 billion increase in defense spending over the 5-year defense plan 
to arrest declining readiness rates. He additionally implemented new 
processes to carefully manage high demand/low density resources in 
support of the National Security Strategy.
  Chairman Shelton and his staff published Joint Vision 2020 to 
establish goals and the metrics for the future joint force; he 
established the U.S. Joint Forces Command as the proponent for Joint 
Experimentation and Joint Force readiness. He established Joint Task 
Force-Civil Support to increase the military's ability to respond to 
crises in the U.S. homeland and established Joint Task Force-Computer 
Network Operations to enhance protection of U.S. information networks.
  The General directed numerous initiative designed to improve the 
interoperability of the four Services including a Joint Airfighting 
Logistics Initiative, development of a Global Information Grid, 
revision of all Joint Professional Military Education programs and an 
enhancement on the joint warfighting focus of the Joint Requirements 
Oversight Council.
  General Shelton's awards and decorations include the Defense 
Distinguished Service Medal (with two oak leaf clusters), Distinguished 
Service Medal, Legion of Merit (with oak leaf cluster), Bronze Star 
Medal with V device (with three oak leaf clusters), and the Purple 
Heart.
  He has also been awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge, Joint Chiefs 
of Staff Identification Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, Pathfinder 
Badge, Air Assault Badge, Military Freefall Badge, and Special Forces 
and Ranger Tabs and numerous foreign awards and badges.
  Mrs. Shelton is the former Carolyn L. Johnson of Speed, NC, who was 
young Hugh Shelton's high school sweetheart. As Mrs. Hugh H. Shelton, 
she has been actively involved with service issues and support to 
military families throughout General Shelton's career. The General and 
Mrs. Shelton have three sons: Jonathan, a special agent in the U.S. 
Secret Service; Jeffrey, a U.S. Army Special Operations soldier, and 
Mark, their youngest son.
  Mr. President, Dot Helms and I are proud to have General Shelton and 
Carolyn as our very special friends--and to be theirs. The General has 
represented the U.S. military with great distinction for the past four 
years as its senior military officer.
  This splendid North Carolinian has participated in policy-making at 
the highest levels of Government but he never lost the common tough 
with our men and women in uniform. He will be remembered as a soldier's 
soldier and a quiet professional, along with his lovely wife and three 
sons.

                          ____________________