[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 12] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages 17814-17815] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]HONORING GEN. HENRY H. ``HUGH'' SHELTON, USA, FOR HIS EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE AS CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF ______ HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN of in the house of representatives Monday, September 24, 2001 Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise to recognize and commend the exceptional work of a distinguished American, a great friend and an exceptional soldier, General Henry H. ``Hugh'' Shelton, USA, the 14th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. On October 1, 2001, General Shelton, concludes his second term as the principal military adviser to the President, the Secretary of Defense, and to the National Security Council. General Shelton, known to his friends as ``Hugh'', was born in Tarboro, North Carolina, and grew up on his family's 1,000 acre farm in the tiny town of Speed, N.C., with its population of 100. He is the oldest of four children whose father was a farmer and sold farm equipment, and his mother was a local school teacher. General Shelton attended the Speed Baptist Church every Sunday where his mother served as its pianist. General Shelton's father achieved his goal of sending his children to college so they could broaden their horizons and not be limited to a life of growing cotton and tobacco. As a freshman of North Carolina State University Hugh Shelton joined the U.S. Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC), where he was drawn to the discipline, the values, and the esprit d' corps of the U.S. Army and the precision of his unit's drills. After completing this two-year ROTC requirement after college, General Shelton went to work at Regal Textiles, a local business. Mr. Speaker, it is almost hard to imagine General Shelton not serving our Nation as an Army officer. After a year in the private sector, he returned to the Army with a regular commission, and through rigorous training, determination and discipline became a member of the Army's Special Forces. During his distinguished career General Shelton has served in a variety of command and staff positions in the United States and abroad. He is a combat veteran of Vietnam and the Gulf War. During his two tours in Vietnam, he served with the 5th Special Forces Group, and with the 173rd Airborne Brigade. It was during his service in Vietnam he earned the Purple Heart. General Shelton also commanded the 3rd Battalion, 60th Infantry Division at Ft. Lewis, Washington; serving as the assistant chief of staff for operations for the 9th Infantry Division; commanded the 1st Brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina; served in Ft. Drum, NY as the 10th Mountain Division's Chief of Staff; as the assistant division commander of the 101st Airborne; and commanded the Special Operations Command. A testament to General Shelton's exceptional leadership and of his commitment to our Nation is his meteoric rise through the Army's general officer ranks from brigadier general through general in 9 years! In 1987, as a brigadier general, General Shelton served for 2 years in the Joint Chiefs of Staffs' Operations Directorate, followed by another 2-year assignment as the 101st Airborne Division's Assistant Division Commander, which included a 7-month deployment to the Gulf for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Following the Gulf War, General Shelton was promoted to the rank of major general and was assigned to command the 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, N.C., and in 1993, was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general and assumed the command of the XVIII Airborne Corps. While serving as Corps Commander, General Shelton commanded the Joint Task Force that conducted Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti. In February 1996, General Shelton served as the Chief of the Special Operations Command in Tampa, Florida. As the Command's Chief, General Shelton became the overall commander of our Nation's elite fighting forces participation in joint operations. True to his roots as a ``soldier's soldier'' and a leader who is ``at home'' being out in the field, I was not surprised to learn that General Shelton was in Namibia reviewing special operations forces when he was contacted by the Pentagon regarding his interest in being considered for the Chairman's position. Following his nomination by then President Bill Clinton, and confirmation by the Senate, General Shelton worked tirelessly during his tenure as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to improve the quality of life for our men and women serving in our armed forces. General Shelton sought and received the largest across the board pay increases for the military in nearly two decades; pushed for greater salary increases for our mid-grade noncommissioned officers; and instituted a retirement reform package that reinstated benefits for those who entered our Nation's military service after 1986; implemented an enhanced housing allowance that gradually eliminated out of pocket expenses for service members living off their post or base; and advocated for medical health care reform that made health care more responsive to the needs of our military and their families, and included military retirees over the age of 65. As part of Chairman Shelton's dynamic leadership, he established a U.S. Joint Forces Command to serve as the nucleus for Joint Experimentation and Joint Force Readiness; established a Joint Task Force-Civil Support to increase the military's ability and readiness to respond to U.S. homeland defense crises, and established a Joint Task Force-Computer Network Operations to develop and enhance [[Page 17815]] measures and protocols to further safeguard our information networks. In his Joint Vision 2020, General Shelton set forth the goals and metrics for the future joint force. General Shelton promulgated numerous initiatives designed to improve the interoperability of our services including: a Joint Warfighting Logistics initiative, a revision of Joint Professional Military Education Programs, development of a Global Information Grid, and an enhancement of the Joint Requirements Oversight Council's focus on joint warfighting. Additionally, General Shelton through his hard work, preparation, and personal presence, the Department of Defense realized an increase of 112 billion dollars for defense spending over the 5-year defense plan, as well as implemented new processes to carefully manage and account for resources in support of the overall National Security Strategy. During General Shelton's distinguished career he was awarded numerous awards and decorations, including: the Defense Distinguished Service Medal (with 2 oak leaf clusters), the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit (with oak leaf cluster), the Bronze Star Medal with V device I (with three oak leaf clusters), and the Purple Heart, for injuries received during combat in Vietnam. General Shelton has also been awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge, Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge, Air Assault Badge, Military Freefall Badge, Master Parachutist Badge, Pathfinder Badge, and the coveted Special Forces and Ranger Tabs, as well as numerous foreign awards and badges. General Shelton's leadership, drive and initiatives have proven time and time again that he was a superb choice to serve as our Nation's top military adviser as we entered into the 21st Century. On September 11, 2001, our Nation suffered from the horrors of terrorist attacks in New York and in Washington, and I am confident that if it were not for the Joint Chiefs of Staffs' instantaneous and swift response to the attacks under the leadership of General Shelton working under our President, the Secretaries of Defense and State, and our top-notch national security team, the damage and casualties we suffered may have been far greater. General Shelton meritoriously served as our 14th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff with honor and distinction during the past four years. While he may have served as the senior military officer and operated at the highest levels of government, General Shelton never lost touch with our men and women in uniform, and no matter how busy or over committed he is, he always makes the time to assist others. In August 2001, a member of my staff underwent two surgeries and General Shelton and his staff called Matt to see if there was anything that they could do--that is but one example of the true, caring professional that epitomizes General Shelton as a ``soldier's soldier.`` I also want to recognize and offer my sincere gratitude to General Shelton's wife Carolyn for her dedicated work, tireless efforts, and support of our military families during her service to our Nation. General and Mrs. Shelton's three sons Jonathan, Jeffrey and Mark deserve our thanks for supporting their father during his distinguished service. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in expressing our gratitude to General Henry H. ``Hugh'' Shelton, the 14th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a superb leader, a quiet diplomat-warrior, a gentleman of the truest sense of the word, and a true friend of mine and of our great Nation! ____________________