    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book I)]
    [January 14, 1997]
    [Pages 34-35]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Secretary of
    Defense William J. Perry at Fort Myer, Virginia
    January 14, 1997

        Thank you very much. General Shalikashvili, Mrs. Shalikashvili,
    distinguished leaders of the United States Armed Forces, Members of
    Congress, service members in our Armed Forces assembled here today,
    friends of Secretary and Mrs. Perry, and to Bill and Lee and your
    children and your grandchildren, your other family members who are here
    today. Let me say that for Hillary and me this is a bittersweet day, a
    great privilege for us to be here to honor Bill and Lee, a great regret
    that our Nation will be losing--as all nations must and we, too, must
    from time to time--one of the ablest people who ever served the United
    States in any position. We come to honor Bill Perry, the leader, the
    statesman, and the friend of America's Armed Forces.
        Once he was asked if he had ever aspired to a career in Government
    service, and he replied, ``No. I was a math major.'' Fortunately for the
    rest of us, he set aside his love of mathematics and engineering to
    serve in demanding levels of Government where the clarity and precision
    of his training and insight and ability were highly valued and sorely
    needed. He did so with remarkable distinction, accomplishment, and
    integrity. And I agree with Shali: When the history of our time is
    written, Bill Perry may well be recorded as the most productive,
    effective Secretary of Defense the United States ever had.
        His association with our military dates to his service as an
    enlisted man at the end of World War II, then as an Army Reserve
    officer. At Stanford he helped to educate and sharpen some of our
    Nation's great young minds. As a businessman, he created jobs and
    prosperity for his home State of California. As Under Secretary of
    Defense in the late 1970's, it was his vision and drive and leadership
    that brought from the drawing board to deployment in record time many of
    the advanced technologies that were vital to our Nation's victory in
    Operation Desert Storm. Bill Perry was one of the great and, indeed,
    unsung heroes of the Gulf war.
        But we gather today, first and foremost, to honor and thank Bill and
    Lee for their last 3 years leading the Defense Department. This was a
    difficult job but the perfect one for Bill Perry. He completed the post-
    cold-war drawdown of our Armed Forces while increasing their readiness
    capabilities and technological edge, something no one thought could be
    done. The simple fact is that this is one of the great managerial
    achievements in our country's history. Today our troops are the best
    trained, the best equipped, the best prepared fighting force in the
    world. And they have proven that again and again on Bill Perry's watch,
    from Haiti to Bosnia to the Persian Gulf.
        Bill Perry downsized without downgrading morale. He always valued
    and honored the service of people who do the hard work of ensuring our
    security. And as the Vice President well knows, he brought reinventing
    Government right into the E wing of the Pentagon with commonsense
    acquisition and financial reform. He never let the crisis of the moment
    deter him from meeting the long-term challenges and seizing the long-
    term opportunities to build a more secure future for the United States.
        He led our successful effort to dismantle and de-target thousands of
    Russian nuclear warheads once aimed at American cities and to eliminate
    nuclear warheads from Kazakstan, Ukraine, and Belarus. The cooperative
    threat reduction program he managed has helped keep nuclear materials
    from falling into the hands of rogue states and terrorists. He helped to
    build a new security architecture in Europe through NATO's Partnership
    For Peace program. He reinvigorated our security ties with Japan and
    established new security relationships with Russia, China, and our
    neighbors in Latin America.
        The Department of Defense is the largest and most complex
    organization in our Nation's Government. He ran it hands-on. This method
    would be demanding enough at any Federal agency, but when your
    headquarters is the Pentagon and your staff numbers 3 million, what Bill
    calls ``management by walking around'' is all the more remarkable. But
    as has been said today by others who know well, it is his affinity for
    and his commitment to our Nation's troops, the men and women who serve
    at home, abroad, and at sea and who are sent into harm's way at a
    moment's notice, which I most admire.

    [[Page 35]]

        In many of our private meetings together over the last 3 years, Bill
    Perry would always--always--bring up the welfare, the morale, the
    interests, and the future of our men and women in uniform who are
    enlisted personnel and their families. Secretary Perry's many trips
    abroad--and as the most traveled Defense Secretary in the history of the
    United States, there were many trips--were as much about checking in
    with our troops and their families and checking on their quality of life
    as they were about meeting with defense ministers and military leaders
    in other lands.
        As a former private, his heart never left the members of the
    enlisted corps. As a former lieutenant, he understood the leadership
    demands we place upon our junior officers. But above all, he understood
    that whether enlisted or officer, military service is the ultimate
    expression of patriotism by those who choose to wear our uniform.
        I will miss Bill Perry for many things, for his thoughtful
    temperament and manner, for speaking with the mathematician's unadorned
    clarity, a rarity in Washington. Teddy Roosevelt said that those of us
    in positions of authority should speak softly and carry a big stick.
    Bill Perry spoke softly and carried the biggest stick in the world with
    great care and a great effect. His quiet confidence was always an
    incredible comfort to me. There were qualities which our allies relied
    upon, and as long as he was Secretary of Defense, I never went to bed a
    single night worried about the security of the United States or the
    welfare of our men and women in uniform. His practice of bipartisanship
    earned Bill Perry the trust and respect of the Congress and the American
    people as well as credibility abroad as an American who could speak for
    the entire country.
        Many of you know that Secretary Perry's personal hero is his
    predecessor General George Marshall. During the crisis days of World War
    II, Marshall lived right here at Fort Myer and then went on to become a
    great Secretary of State and the third Secretary of Defense. While Bill
    Perry is one of just 16 to follow him in that difficult job, I believe
    he is the successor George Marshall would be most proud of.
        The measure of a great Defense Secretary is whether he leaves our
    military stronger and our Nation safer than on the day he took office.
    It is, and we are.
        And so it is my great privilege as President, as Commander in Chief,
    and as a grateful American citizen, to present William J. Perry with the
    Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Nation's highest civilian award.
        Commander, publish the order.

    Note: The President spoke at 10:40 a.m. in Conmy Hall. In his remarks,
    he referred to General Shalikashvili's wife, Joan, and Secretary Perry's
    wife, Leonilla. Following the President's remarks, Spec. John Christ,
    USA, 3d U.S. Infantry (the Old Guard), read the citation.