[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Pages 19184-19185]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            JAMES NOMINATION

  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, the process for running these nominees 
through the Senate is unnecessary and contrived simply to ignore a 
number of Republican concerns.
  I do not oppose all the nominees, however. I wish to strongly support 
the confirmation of Deborah James for Secretary of the U.S. Air Force. 
With three Air Force installations in Oklahoma--Tinker Air Force Base 
in Oklahoma City, Altus Air Force Base, and Vance Air Force Base in 
Enid--the Air Force has long been a part of the fabric of the State of 
Oklahoma. Oklahoma is home to five major military installations between 
the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army. They employee thousands of Oklahomans 
and contract work throughout the State being responsible for a 
tremendous role in Oklahoma's economy. These installations enjoy the 
strong support of the communities in which they are located and the 
entire State of Oklahoma.
  The Senate Armed Services Committee held a nomination hearing on Ms. 
James back in September. In addition, I have met with Ms. James, and I 
have had an opportunity to discuss with her my concerns about this 
unprecedented period in which the readiness and capabilities of the Air 
Force are at significant risk because of budget cuts and sequestration.
  For example, the Air Force was forced to ground one-third of its 
combat coded active squadrons for a time during fiscal year 2013 and 
according to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force it will now cost a 
minimum of 10 percent more flying hours to fully retrain the grounded 
squadrons than it would have to simply keep them trained all along. 
Further, General Welsh stated that sequestration in fiscal year 2014 
could force flying hours to be cut by 15 percent and within 3 to 4 
months, many units would be unable to fly at rates required to maintain 
mission readiness.
  Ms. James has over 30 years of senior homeland and national security 
management, policy, and program experience in government and the 
private sector. She served with SAIC in McLean, VA from 2002 as the 
president of SAIC Technical and Engineering Sector, executive vice 
president for communications and government affairs, and senior vice 
president for Homeland Security. Prior to those positions, she served 
as vice president for International Operations and Marketing at United 
Technologies from 1998 to 2000.
  She served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs from 
1993 to 1998, overseeing all matters pertaining to the National Guard 
and Reserve Forces. She has significant experience working with 
Congress, as a former professional staff member on the House Armed 
Services Committee from 1983 to 1993. She has a bachelor's degree in 
comparative studies from Duke University and a master's degree in 
international affairs from Columbia University.
  I believe she is very qualified and ready to start her new role. I 
look forward to working with Secretary James

[[Page 19185]]

in her new role and strongly congratulate her.
  However, I would like to point out that these nominations are not 
without controversy which may be why the Democratic majority would 
rather ignore the minority and change the Senate for the first time in 
over 200 years.
  For example, Ms. Patricia Wald who the Administration nominated to 
serve on the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board has written 
that those accused of terrorism should be given access to the civilian 
trial court system and be afforded the protections of simple criminal 
defendants. These views ignore the devastating effects of terrorism and 
ignore our actual war against terrorism around the world. These acts 
are not simply criminal acts, they threaten our entire country. This 
should be the subject of debate in the Senate, not simply brushed aside 
for quick confirmations.
  Earlier the Senate voted on the nominations of two district court 
judges for Montana. These are lifetime appointments. The Senate 
confirmed these judges by a wide margin, but the Senate should not 
simply group a number of nominations together to pass for lifetime 
appointments for circuit and district judicial vacancies simply because 
the majority does not even want to work with the minority. This session 
will end with continued confirmation votes. It is to the detriment of 
both parties if the prerogatives, priorities, and concerns of the 
minority are not considered in the Senate, but it will not be easily 
overlooked.
  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, it is with great pleasure that I join my 
friend Senator Manchin from West Virginia in introducing legislation 
authorizing a Congressional Gold Medal for United States Air Force 
Fighter Aces.
  This bill specifically honors those American pilots who have shot 
down five or more enemy aircraft in aerial combat during a war or 
conflict in which American armed forces have participated.
  Since the First World War, there have been 60,000 American fighter 
pilots who have taken to the air in harm's way, but only 1,444 have 
become fighter aces. Our bill authorizes the U.S Mint to strike--at no 
cost to the taxpayer--a medal of appropriate design to American fighter 
aces in recognition of their heroic military service and defense of our 
country's freedom, which as spanned the history of aviation warfare.
  American Fighter Aces hail from every State in the Union are one of 
the most decorated military groups in American history. Twenty-two 
fighter aces have achieved the rank of admiral, and 79 have achieved 
the rank of general in the Army, Air Force, and Marines. And there are 
19 Medal of Honor recipients.
  One of those aces hailed from my home State of Oklahoma.
  BG Robinson ``Robbie'' Risner was from Tulsa, OK, my hometown, and a 
fellow graduate of Tulsa Central High School in 1942. Risner then 
enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force as an aviation cadet and began his 
career as one of America's most celebrated Fighter Aces.
  After being stationed in Panama during World War II, he returned home 
to serve in the Oklahoma Air National Guard until he was called to 
fight in the Korean war. There, he flew 108 missions in his sweptwing 
F-86 Sabre and became an ace by shooting down eight enemy MiG-15s. He 
also received one of two Silver Stars in his valiant attempt to save a 
fellow pilot.
  During the Vietnam war, General Risner flew 55 missions and led the 
first flight of air strikes over North Vietnam in Operation Rolling 
Thunder, earning him the Air Force Cross.
  While flying in another raid in his F-105 Thunderchief on September 
16, 1965, he took fire and was forced to bail out. He was captured and 
was a prisoner of war for 7 years 4 months and 27 days, serving most of 
his time in the infamous Hanoi Hilton. He was kept shackled for weeks 
at a time and spent more than 3 years in a darkened, solitary cell. In 
his 1973 memoir, ``The Passing of the Night: Seven Years as a Prisoner 
of the North Vietnamese,'' he wrote, ``I did not ask God to take me out 
of it. I prayed he would give me strength to endure it.''
  After his release in 1973, General Risner returned to the air in the 
F-4 Phantom II in the 1st Tactical Fighter Wing at MacDill Air Force 
Base, FL. He was later transferred to Cannon Air Force Base, NM, in 
February 1974 to command the 832d Air Division, in which he flew the F-
111 Aardvark. He was promoted to brigadier general in May 1974, became 
vice commander of the USAF Tactical Fighter Weapons Center at Nellis 
Air Force Base, NV, in 1975 and retired in 1976. He spent his 
retirement years involved in community service projects and spoke often 
before gatherings of veterans and other pilots.
  He was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1974 and passed 
away in his sleep on October 22, 2013, at the age of 88.
  I salute Gen Robbie Risner and all other American fighter aces who 
have served our country so courageously and selflessly. It is my honor 
to be associated with the introduction of this legislation today which 
authorizes a Congressional Gold Medal for U.S. Air Force fighter aces.

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