Duncan Hunter

Mr. HUNTER

Mr. HUNTER. Madam Speaker, I want to talk a little bit about the wonderful people of Rescue Task Force who are headquartered in San Diego, who have been operating in the disaster area in New Orleans, and use that discussion about them to reflect on all the great private efforts and public efforts to help the victims who have been created by this incredible disaster in New Orleans. Rescue Task Force is a small group. It is headed up by Wendell Cutting, who is my chief of staff in San Diego and a guy who a couple of years ago was given only 3 months to live with terminal cancer and who has continued to survive and I think survive as an inspiration based on his continued drive and enthusiasm for helping people. Wendell and Gary Becks have gone around the world in setting up medical clinics, providing food, providing medical services in Afghanistan and Iraq, in Albania, in Central America, and now are providing a helping hand in New Orleans. A couple of days ago, they allowed me to go along on one of their missions. We went to Houma, Louisiana. I had with me Scott Turner, who is retiring this year after 10 years in the NFL, a wonderful cornerback who played for the Redskins and the Chargers and the Broncos. And along with Scott was Larry Nelson, the mayor of Yuma, Arizona; and Roy Tyler, who is a businessman from San Diego who now has Tyler's restaurants in Yuma, Arizona. We brought along some help, but we also stopped in Houston. When we landed in Houston, we had a lot of supplies there ready, and we trucked them into the affected area in Houma. We went to the civic center in Houma with the rescue task force personnel, and one of the things that they needed was beds because you have literally tens of thousands of people who are living in gymnasium settings; that is, where they go into a civic center or a gymnasium and they may have a blanket or two, but they do not have a bed, a mattress, between them and the ground. So we had a need there, and rescue task force personnel managed to run down, working with some of the big stores, 1,000 beds for the folks there, and we got those paid for. I got a call yesterday that they, in fact, had been delivered. Then we delivered lots of baby food and canned food to the various locations. But I was really impressed when I was at the civic center there, this refugee center, or evacuee center. I was impressed with the people of Louisiana, because they had so many volunteers, they actually were having to turn them away, and they had mountains of clothes that had been donated to the point where they said, do not bring any more clothes. They had a great medical system set up where people from the disaster were getting, in most cases, more checkups than they had had in years with the doctors and nurses available, and they were getting good, hot meals. We went in the next day by air boat, into the streets and the communities that were under water in New Orleans, and I want to report that our military personnel, the National Guard folks, the active duty folks, and also lots of other folks from other agencies like ATF and reserve sheriffs' organizations are doing a wonderful job now in providing that very necessary security. Now, I think it is a shame that we have to spend so much manpower on security and have active duty military forces come in that have to provide that security, but that is a fact of life, and they are doing a great job. Madam Speaker, along those lines, I think that the real tragedy of this hurricane, aside from those individuals who lost their lives, is not the water and it is not the hurricane itself or the damage, the property damage, because all of that can and will be rebuilt. The real tragedy to me was that group of people, part of that generation of folks who live in New Orleans, which included people who shot at the rescue helicopters, who looted, and who committed crimes against their fellow citizens during this time of tragedy, during and shortly after the hurricane. I think we need to put together a program or legislation to make sure that we do not reinstitute the projects, the location where people have lived for generations in a system that has not produced a high degree of moral compass and a high work ethic, and all of the other things you need to have for a solid community. So let us work to rebuild not just New Orleans, but let us build a new generation of young people in New Orleans who will be outstanding citizens.

Mr. HUNTER

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. I want to join with the chairman of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in opposing this amendment and just making the point that sources and methods are important. His analysis and the analysis of his experts and ours is that this would indeed compromise those capabilities. I think it is a real mistake to pass this amendment. I would hope the House votes it down.

Mr. HUNTER

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me this time to give my two cents' worth in this debate. First, let me just say that I understand and I think we should all appreciate that everyone, folks on both sides of this argument, come at it from the perspective of what they think is good for the country. But I think it is absolutely wrong for the country to set a timetable for an exit from Iraq. The timetable and our exit strategy should be the standing up of the Iraqi forces so that they can protect this government that they are putting in place through a representative system in which people are allowed to go to the polls, vote for their elected leaders, and have those leaders represent them until they decide to vote again. This idea of freedom, of democracy, which was embraced, I think, with unexpected exuberance by the Iraqi people, is something that we should be very respectful of, and we should also be respectful of our great men and women who right now have turned a major portion of their purpose, our uniformed personnel in Iraq, to the training up of the Iraqi forces. There is purpose, and the gentlewoman said it well, there is purpose in our forces, whether one is talking to general officers or talking to the troops on the line who are working those difficult areas of operation like Fallujah and Mosul and Tikrit and other places. We have David Petraeus, one of the finest officers who ever served this country, former head of the 101st Airborne, who is in charge of training up the Iraqi forces. He is doing a good job. But this timetable is not something we can predict because there are lots of variables. The variables include the threat. They include the time that it takes to bring the various pieces of this Iraqi defense apparatus into place, to put those leaders who have to answer to this civil government in place. All these things mean that we must proceed at pace, but we must proceed at our own pace and the pace of the Iraqi people. Not an arbitrary timetable. Please support this amendment.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Chairman, I have heard a number of Members who oppose this amendment talk about the importance of sending the right message to the world. We should send the right message. We should send the truth. Here is the truth, which dozens of Members know because they have attended the open and classified briefings we have had on Guantanamo. We have spent as much time in the Committee on Armed Services over the last 3 or 4 weeks working on the security of people in Guantanamo as we have working on our own troops in the warfighting theaters in Afghanistan and Iraq. Number one, there has not been a single death in Guantanamo. There is not a Member who has argued against this amendment who can say at the same time there has not been a single death in their own prison system in the State they come from. Everybody in Guantanamo is allowed five prayer calls a day. That means we use our loudspeaker system to bring them to prayer call. We give them 20 minutes of quiet time. We give them great meals. We give them a medical system we have looked over very carefully, Democrats and Republicans, which is considered to be as good as any HMO system in this country, in which every detainee gets four checkups, on average, per month. We have had over 24,000 interrogations in Guantanamo, and here are the facts: People have talked about the use of dogs, the fact that dogs have been present at Guantanamo at various times, especially with the 20th hijacker, Mr. al Kahtani, who was subject to the most stressful type of interrogation. There is not one recorded instance in any investigation of a dog biting a prisoner. There are only a couple of recorded instances of a prisoner being struck by a guard, and the one time when a guard struck a prisoner that happened on General Hood's watch. That guard was struck by the prisoner, I believe he knocked a tooth out. The guard hit him with a handheld radio. The guard, the American, was busted. The watch word in Guantanamo is honor bound. The troops who guard those people in Guantanamo, who are hijackers, who do include Osama bin Laden's bodyguards, who do include the 20th hijacker, the guy who was destined to be on that plane that went into the ground in Pennsylvania, the guy who was forced to listen to rock music, that is the torture that the gentleman from New York was alleging to. The people who guard those individuals who are dangerous are outstanding American soldiers who are in fact honor bound. I would put Guantanamo up against the prison system of any of the gentlemen who have spoken against this amendment from their own States. Guantanamo has a better record with fewer injuries, better record with no deaths, better medical treatment, and they have a better record for methods of interrogation, which, incidentally, Republican and Democrat Members have been allowed to watch over and over. So the gentleman who could not understand why any hearings are being held, I suggest you turn on C-SPAN and watch them. I urge all Members to vote for this amendment. It makes no sense to close down this important prison where we put terrorists. Announcement by the Acting Chairman

Mr. HUNTER

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues for letting me follow the Top Gun, the gentleman from California (Mr. Cunningham), in giving our thoughts about Admiral Stockdale because Admiral Stockdale represented the very finest in American heroism. When he was going to be pulled in by the North Vietnamese to do a propaganda film he beat himself in the face with a stool that was in his little prison cell so that they could not use him. He shared for a while a prison cell with another great friend of ours, Sam Johnson, who was one of our wonderful POW heroes and is such a hero in this Chamber. I want to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Cunningham) for his great service, as a guy who flew into a pack of 28 MiGs to save his wing man and was nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor and received the Navy Cross because he was cut out of the same cloth as that great Admiral Stockdale. Our very best to the Stockdale family, to Sybil and the kids, and to every aviator who would follow that tradition of heroism and continue to keep our country safe.

Mr. HUNTER

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I rose with my colleague the gentleman from California (Mr. Cunningham) a few minutes ago to talk a little bit about Admiral Jim Stockdale, a Medal of Honor winner; Jim Stockdale, POW; Jim Stockdale, an overall great American, who passed away leaving a wonderful family, but leaving also a family of Americans, all those people who have flown aircraft in the skies of the world, projecting American air power and protecting American freedom. I thought it was appropriate that I stand here tonight talking about Jim Stockdale with another great Navy pilot, the gentleman from California (Mr. Cunningham), who on 10 May, 1972, south of Hanoi, was shot down by a SAM missile after he had shot down his third MiG. He ejected and, thankfully, was picked up by a Marine rescue helicopter and so therefore did not have to suffer the 7 years of imprisonment that Jim Stockdale suffered. I thought, Mr. Speaker, it would just be important for us to once again recognize this enormous hero of the United States, a leader, a hero, a great model for all of us and for all those fighting in the war against terror right now, a wonderful figure for us to emulate in terms of following duty, honor and country. Mr. Speaker, I yield to my friend, the gentleman from California (Mr. Cunningham), and will listen to his memory of Jim Stockdale.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I thank the gentleman for laying out that great description of Admiral Stockdale. It has been repeated many times, but I thought one of the extraordinary circumstances, he was asked why he was able to be such a great leader, and he said he learned from his mother. He went to drama classes or helped her in little theatrical shows where she led local drama shows and he learned to act spontaneously and also to think quickly. I thought that was reflected when the North Vietnamese told him they were going to parade him, use him for television, and were going to put him out where he knew he would be used for propaganda purposes. He had a stool in his cell. He tore it apart and took part of that stool and beat himself in the face with it until he was unrecognizable. What a surprise the North Vietnamese guards must have had when they came to take Admiral Stockdale from his cell for his TV appearance and he had beaten himself. Also when he saw that other prisoners had been tortured and were being tortured and some of them had been killed, and the Vietnamese were pressing him extremely hard, he took a razor and slit both of his wrists to show that he would rather die than break before his North Vietnamese captors. Part of that toughness he attributed to his commitment to his dad when he went off to the Naval Academy to be, as he said, ``the best midshipman ever.'' I thought I would mention that Admiral Stockdale, besides being survived by Sybil, a wonderful, wonderful lady who then started, while he was a POW, she started the League of American Families of Prisoners of War and MIAs and, at the same time, she raised four sons. Those four sons are James of Pennsylvania; Sydney, who is in New Mexico; Stanford of Denver, Colorado; and Taylor, who is living in Claremont, California, and, of course, Admiral Stockdale left eight grandchildren. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman who is talking with me, the gentleman from California (Mr. Cunningham), has won the Navy Cross, was nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor and the recipient of many other combat ribbons, and the Purple Heart. But I have never seen a list of service decorations as extensive as Admiral Stockdale's, who had two Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Medal of Honor, three Distinguished Service Medals, two Purple Hearts and four Silver Stars, and was the only 3-star admiral in the history of the Navy to wear both aviator wings and the Medal of Honor. Interestingly, he went back, he wrote a number of books: ``The Vietnam Experience: 10 Years of Reflections and Thoughts of a Philosophical Fighter Pilot.'' So he continued to give to this country, I would say to my colleague, before I yield to him, he continued to give to this country after he came back the value of his philosophy, and it was that tough philosophy, that great patriotic philosophy that got him through these extraordinarily difficult times as a POW.

Mr. HUNTER

Mr. HUNTER. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I was just looking at the price tag of some of our high performance aircraft that we are going to be buying. You look at it and you say, we do not want to pay that, and then you reflect on the prisoners of war and that incredible defensive barrier that our pilots had to fly in, fly through to get into their targets in North Vietnam, and you say to yourself at that point I only want our pilots to have the very best. So while I guess I am like everybody else, I get a little sticker shock when I look at the price of an aircraft. Of course, we get the same thing when we look at the price of a new car today in this country. I reflect when I see the incredible courage of those who strap themselves into that cockpit and fly out to protect American freedom and to protect our country, that they need the very, very best. I would just ask the gentleman, because I know that he is familiar with the MiG aircraft, the latest high performance MiG aircraft, and I think one of his jobs, because the gentleman from California (Mr. Cunningham) knows aircraft, one of his jobs is to make sure that we keep high performance capability in the skies. I would just ask him for his reflections on what he thinks we need to do to maintain a strong American air power.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I know that my son would like to remind the gentleman that it was a Marine pilot who rescued you when you went down. But there is another point to American air power, and I think American air power in the future, and that is something that one of our real giants, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde), brought up, along with the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos), was this provision that we just passed, that just passed the House in his amendment to his bill, which gives the President leverage against Western countries, European countries, our allies who would sell military technology to China. Because there is a possibility that at some point in the future we may be in a conflict with China, and I think it would be a terrible thing if we saw any type of technology that gives them the ability to acquire American aircraft on a radar screen or to launch weaponry or munitions at that aircraft, or to have in their own aircraft, I would hate to see American stealth capability and technology.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I just would like to end by saying I think one way we can remember Admiral Stockdale is to keep our country strong and be faithful to those who served, including Admiral Stockdale.

Mr. HUNTER

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time. Mr. Chairman, this amendment is as important as spending bills in the defense appropriations measures or the defense authorization measures, because this will give the President the tools that he needs to make sure that we do not see Western technology, either from the United States or our allies, moving ultimately to battlegrounds in the future on some unfortunate date when that technology, developed by American allies, may end up being used to kill young Americans on the battlefield. It is a very, very important amendment. I hope all Members will vote for it. I salute the authors, the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde). I have watched the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde) for 20-some years standing up on this floor during the Cold War, during the Contra wars. When the Berlin Wall fell, it did not fall simply under the forceful leadership of Ronald Reagan, but also the great eloquence and eloquent leadership of the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde) over the last many years. So, again, both gentleman have answered the call of our country to national security, and I would hope that every Member votes for this amendment.

Mr. HUNTER

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I just want to take the floor briefly and comment on the passing of Admiral Jim Stockdale, one of the great heroes of our time. Jim Stockdale, when he passed away was a resident of San Diego, California, with his wonderful wife, Sybil. This occasion I think brought America's focus back to what Jim Stockdale accomplished and the enormity of his service to our country. I just thought it might be the right time to talk about that a little bit and about that extraordinary heroism that he demonstrated at a time when Americans had largely turned away from the operation in Vietnam. Jim Stockdale was shot down, and I know that my two colleagues, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sam Johnson), who shared a cell with Jim Stockdale in the Hanoi Hilton, and the gentleman from California (Mr. Cunningham) who was the most proficient Navy pilot of that period, in fact the only Navy ace in the Vietnam conflict, would want to be with me talking about Jim. But Jim Stockdale was shot down and was incarcerated in the Hanoi Hilton. At one point, the North Vietnamese wanted to use him for propaganda purposes. To keep them from being able to do that, he broke up a stool that was in his cell and beat his own face with the stool almost beyond recognition so that he had no value to the North Vietnamese in terms of being an image that they could broadcast for propaganda purposes. He was a leader in the true sense of the term. He led his men in that prison under extraordinarily difficult circumstances. He showed incredible heroism. In reviewing the exploits of American pilots, and they are numerous because one thing that America has always had is a great pool of individuals who are willing to go out and risk their lives. Ever since the days when we flew biplanes in World War I, to the current operations over Iraq and Afghanistan, we have always had extraordinary Americans who, as James Michener said in his book ``The Bridges of Toko-Ri,'' would fly off those little postage stamps that you call aircraft carriers and fly over and hit difficult targets, sometimes under enormous defensive fire, and then return back to that small carrier out at sea somewhere and try to make that extraordinarily difficult landing. Michener asked, Where do we get such men? Where does America get such men? The answer is, we have always had them and they are sometimes guys like Randy Cunningham or Sam Johnson or, in this case, Jim Stockdale. Jim Stockdale when he was shot down really had the greatest challenge of his military career because that was a time when he had to be a leader, not in an aircraft that was going to return to a ship where he could live in some degree of comfort and convenience with his fellow pilots, but his war zone then was reduced to the small spaces that constituted the cells of the Hanoi Hilton. He so inspired his men and so extended himself and endured torture to the degree that his countrymen who had served with him were unanimous when he was recommended for the Congressional Medal of Honor, they were unanimous in their support of Jim Stockdale for this Nation's highest honor, to go along with all of the other combat decorations that he had. I just thought, Mr. Speaker, it might be a good time to remind Americans what a great hero Jim Stockdale was and what a great model he is for our Nation.

Mr. HUNTER

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. I support the attempt to block this sale. This sale involves a strategic asset and, more importantly, a strategic lever for Communist China. Our policy for the last many years has been to deter the Chinese government in Beijing from ever coming into the position where they thought they had enough leverage over the U.S. to cross the Straits of Taiwan. This would be a major lever that would accumulate to the Chinese Communist government on top of the Sovereign class missile cruisers that they have acquired, on top of the MiG fighter production that they have acquired, on top of the other acquisitions of major U.S. economic interests. I hope everyone votes against this, votes to block this important transfer of a strategic asset to, and make no mistake about it, the communist government, not a private entity, but the communist government of China.

Mr. HUNTER

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time. I think most of my colleagues know that we had a hearing 2 days ago on something that is not an easy subject, that is, Guantanamo, the treatment of the detainees, many of whom were picked up on terrorist battlefields around the world, including the 20th hijacker, the bodyguard for Osama bin Laden and an institution which is at the focal point of a great deal of public discussion. We had Brigadier General Hood, the commander of Guantanamo; Sergeant Major Menendez; and Lieutenant Commander Ostergaard, who runs the medical facilities. They gave us straight ahead, candid, absolutely truthful answers, and every member of the committee, Democrat and Republican, had a chance to ask them questions, cross-examine them. I would just ask my colleagues to look at the statements that came from Democrats and Republicans regarding the quality of the testimony. Now, each year, we put together a $400 billion-plus defense budget. That requires candid, up-front testimony from the people that wear the uniform of the United States and the civilian officials that oversee the Pentagon. In addition to that budget, we bolt on and bolted on this year a $50 billion bridge appropriations; and to do that, we had to ask of the services and of our military leadership, and we drilled down right to the platoon level; we had to ask them for unfunded requirements, that is, we said what did you need that was not in the budget but in your estimation, in your candid opinion, General, Captain, Lieutenant, Sergeant, what do you think we need for the Armed Forces of the United States. They answered us candidly; and because of that, we were able to put together a complete and robust statement of the requirements that we had, and we were able to meet those with the $50 billion bridge fund that we then bolted on to the defense authorization bill. Our process has been one that has been marked by candor, by truthful testimony, and I think by respect from Republicans and Democrats for the process.

Mr. HUNTER

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to Colonel Frank Gallegos, Commander of the 30th Space Wing and the Western Range at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. Colonel Gallegos will be retiring after more than twenty-four years of faithful service to our nation. Colonel Gallegos entered the Air Force in 1981 after graduating from the United States Air Force Academy. Since then, he has served in various operational assignments, and has performed staff duties at Headquarters, United States Air Force; Strategic Air Command; and on the Joint Staff. Colonel Gallegos also served as the Vice Commander of the Air Force Space Command and has commanded the 12th Missile Squadron at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana and the 90th Operations Group at Warren Air Force Base, Wyoming. Throughout his career in the Air Force, Colonel Gallegos has always maintained a commitment to the men over which he commanded. While some military leaders choose not to know the personnel which they command, Colonel Gallegos has maintained a reputation as someone who places his troops before himself. In fact, in each one of his command posts, Colonel Gallegos established personal relationships with each of his Airmen, understanding that such relationships are important to maintaining cohesion, respect, and morale. Colonel Gallegos is a true leader, worthy of recognition. His strategic, tactical, and operational expertise has served our nation well and as our armed forces continue to confront the threat of terrorism around the world, we look to individuals like Colonel Gallegos to lead the fight. His replacement, Colonel Jack Weinstein, will be given the command of a Wing that represents the best this country has to offer. I am confident that he will provide the Airmen of Vandenberg Air Force Base with the same leadership and dedication that Colonel Gallegos exhibited for so many years. Colonel Gallegos will retire to Omaha, Nebraska, the same place he met his wife Julie. His time with his wife and his daughters is well deserved and I would like to wish him the best of luck in the years to come. On the occasion of his retirement, I ask that my colleagues join me in recognizing the dedication and service of Colonel Frank Gallegos.

Mr. HUNTER

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to the life and career of Wally A. ``Preacher'' Hebert. Wally is holder of 4 pitching records for the San Diego Padres and on June 25, 2005, he will be inducted into the Pacific Coast League San Diego Padres Hall of Fame. Born in Lake George, Louisiana in 1907, Wally's talents and interests were evident at a very early age. Aside from gardening, hunting, and fishing as a child, he became an expert golfer, playing close to par with a 2 iron and a putter. He enjoyed athletics and when it came to football and baseball, Wally excelled over his peers. At Lake Charles High School, Wally was an all-state football star and had been offered a scholarship at Louisiana State University when he caught the eye of a major league baseball scout. In his first professional game in Springfield, Missouri, he got off the train from Louisiana, went to the ballpark, and pitched a 22 inning complete game victory. In 1931, Preacher, as he was also known, was called up to spring training for the St. Louis Browns and remained with the team throughout the rest of that season. As a lefthander, he began to attract attention with a variety of curve balls at various speeds and arm motions. His first major league appearance came that year against the New York Yankees where he faced Babe Ruth with the bases loaded and one out. The Babe hit into an inning-ending double play. That season, Preacher won six games and was the only pitcher in the major leagues to beat the New York Yankees and the world champion Philadelphia Athletics twice in one season. His finest game that year included 8 shut out innings against the Yankees--striking out Lou Gehrig and Ruth three times. Unfortunately, St. Louis lost the game by one run after Preacher exited the game. Over the next two seasons in St. Louis, Preacher pitched in relief, battling a shoulder injury. He was then sold to the Hollywood Stars which after one season, moved to San Diego and began playing at Lane Field. During seven seasons with the San Diego Padres, Preacher delighted fans with a dominating presence and pinpoint control. While with the Padres, Wally and his bride Bobbie moved out to California where they had their first two children, Hillene and Linda. Of all their children, Hillene had the ability to do what the opposition could rarely accomplish; knocking her father out of a game. Preacher was pitching when Hillene's birth was announced, at which point he collapsed on the mound. His finest season as a Padre came in 1942 when he established records for most complete games pitched, batters faced, and innings pitched. During this season, Preacher finished every game he started. In 1943, Preacher was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates and at the end of the season, he faced a turning point in his career. While his arm was as strong as ever, his oldest daughter was beginning first grade and America's involvement in World War II made domestic travel difficult. When Bobbie indicated that the family would not be traveling to Pittsburgh that season, Wally chose his family and his beloved Louisiana over baseball. He turned down a contract worth $10,000 to earn 35 cents per hour in a wartime synthetic rubber factory. After settling in Westlake, Louisiana, Wally and Bobbie had three sons and he resumed his life of hunting, fishing, and gardening while working in a nearby Firestone factory. He devoted himself to his family after his retirement from Firestone in 1965 and remained active as an outdoorsman until his death in 1999. Today, Wally is survived by his beloved Bobbie, five children, numerous grandchildren. The legacy of Wally ``Preacher'' Hebert will long be remembered throughout the San Diego community and I ask that my colleagues join me in paying tribute to his life and long list of accomplishments.

Mr. HUNTER

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to Joan and William F. Inman of EI Cajon, California. On June 25, 2005, Joan and William will celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary. Bill and Joan met in 1952, married on June 25, 1955, and their first daughter JoAnn was born the following year. As Bill went on to graduate from Pennsylvania State University in 1958, the couple decided to pursue the promise of employment and a chance for a new life together in San Diego, California. Over the next few years, Bill and Joan were blessed with a son, William F. Jr. and two more daughters, JoRae and Jodi. While raising his family and beginning a career as a materials engineer at Rohr Industries, Bill continued his education at San Diego State College. During this time, Joan continued her service as a full time mother and worked as an emergency room and maternity ward nurse at Grossmont Hospital. Both Bill and Joan retired with more than 75 years of service to their community and nation. Bill and Joan now fill their time with friends and family, enjoying golf and being a vital part of the lives of their four grandsons, Jeb, Jayme, Jonathan and Willie. Throughout their lives, Joan and Bill have faced life's challenges with a positive attitude and determined spirits, and have raised their children to do likewise. I wish Joan and Bill many more years of happiness together and in anticipation of their fiftieth anniversary, I ask that my colleagues join me in paying tribute to this milestone.

Mr. HUNTER

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor members of the Charlie Rangers, Company C of the 75th Infantry. The Charlie Rangers are celebrating a reunion in D.C. and will gather later today at the Vietnam Memorial. As a member of the Charlie Rangers 75th Infantry who served with these fine and extraordinary men, and as a guy who did nothing special myself in Vietnam, I can attest that the men of Charlie Rangers are very special Americans. Company C came into being after the Army realized the need for special capability elite forces. Rather than create an entirely new unit designation, the Department of the Army designated the 75th Infantry as the successor of the legendary 5307 Composite Unit which served with distinction during WWII. The Charlie Rangers built on the formidable legacy of Merrill's Marauders by providing reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition and special type combat missions. True to its motto of Sua Sponte, or Of Their Own Accord, Company C Rangers during their service in the Vietnam War, penetrated behind enemy lines without cover. Acting by themselves, Charlie Rangers slogged through enemy positions gathering critical and valuable information on major infiltration routes. The Rangers operated in vast, inhospitable terrains throughout Vietnam. Their prowess, coupled with boat patrols, night ambushes, and stay-behind infiltration techniques were instrumental in thwarting members of the Viet Cong and NVA. According to historical accounts, This company, comprised of merely several hundred men, was able to keep vast numbers of North Vietnamese Army troops occupied, thereby potentially saving numerous American troops. Mr. Speaker, I am proud of this incredible company, the Charlie Rangers, and I am honored to have been able to serve in a small way alongside such professional and selfless soldiers. I know my colleagues join me in applauding them for a job well done and share my wishes for a memorable reunion.

Mr. HUNTER

Mr. HUNTER. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the chairman for his kind words. It is appropriate that I follow the ranking member of the Committee on Armed Services, the distinguished gentleman from Missouri and his remarks, because he talked about Goldwater-Nichols, and Goldwater-Nichols did drive jointness in the military. Another thing that Goldwater-Nichols did, and it was primarily as a result of the debacle in Lebanon with the marines, is to drive what was known as the chain of command rule, meaning that when you had a combatant commander, formerly known as a CINC, that combatant commander was in charge of everything in that warfighting theater, whether it was a rivet joint aircraft or a soldier or a marine, special operator, or a tactical intelligence gatherer in that area. That was a major issue that we had to work on, and we had to build a seam and a protection for the chain of command and, at the same time, afford to the national intelligence gatherers the resources and the opportunity to carry out their mission. I think that the bill, the 9/11 bill did a pretty good job of that, and I want to commend the gentleman from Michigan (Chairman Hoekstra) and the gentlewoman from California (Ranking Member Harman) for their participation in working that. My good colleague, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton) and I really look forward to Mr. Negroponte getting off to the right start. He is a guy with a lot of good judgment, great experience in very difficult and inconvenient and dangerous missions, in my estimation, and I think that is probably a requisite for this job. I want to thank the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Hoekstra) also, because there were a couple of provisions in this bill that we thought had a chain of command problem, and he looked at those and worked on them and took them out in the rule, and I want to let him know I appreciate that. That was important to us. We are working together, and we both want to see this new apparatus, this intelligence apparatus that has to work so well with the defense apparatus moving off to a good new start in this war against terror. So my thanks to the chairman and thanks to the ranking member. We have a lot of work to do, but we have a good bill here, and I hope every Member supports it.

Mr. HUNTER

Mr. HUNTER. I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Chairman, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) said we are angry because this has come up. That is not so. We were offered under the Army provision in our conference that this provision not be protected and simply strike it on the floor. I was advised that the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) wanted to have a full discussion on this, and I said let us do it. So that is why we are doing this. The reason we did not act on this is laid out and validated by the Secretary of the Air Force's letter where he says: ``As this work progresses, I ask you to reserve your opinions on this matter until I can get to ground truth through the objective processes now ongoing.'' If something is this serious, and I have never seen any statement by the Secretary of the Air Force that said abusive and coercive proselytizing has occurred, but that is the language that the gentleman has in his bill. So we have a difference of opinion on this. I think we should wait until the reports come in, until the DOD IG comes back with his report on the captain that the gentleman has referred to, and until, in the words of the Secretary of the Air Force, we get to ground truth. And we require in my amendment a report back to Congress within 90 days on the findings that the Secretary of the Air Force comes to and recommendations for action. Let me say one other thing. The gentleman said he is not accusing anybody of proselytizing. I am reading his plan. It says: ``The Secretary of the Air Force shall develop a plan to ensure that the Air Force Academy maintains a climate free from coercive intimidation and inappropriate proselytizing by Air Force officials and others in the chain of command at the Air Force Academy.'' That is a heck of a strong dose of preventive maintenance. The gentleman's position, what he has read in the Los Angeles Times is good enough for him, and it is now time for us to take remedial action even before the Secretary of the Air Force comes back with his recommendations.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Chairman, I am opposed to section 9012 as it is currently written and a number of other members of the Committee on Armed Services are opposed to them as well, and you will hear from them in the ensuing minutes here. We were informed that we had the right to assert that this was, in fact, authorizing on an appropriations bill and to ask the Committee on Rules, which we initially did, to not protect this provision and allow it to be stricken. But I was informed by the chairman of the full committee that this was an important issue for members of the minority on the Committee on Appropriations, and they wanted to have a discussion. And our Members agreed with that. So I think we will have a full discussion of this issue. Mr. Chairman, my amendment will require the Defense Department to provide Congress with recommendations on maintaining a climate of religious freedom and tolerance at the Air Force Academy. The amendment also expresses a sense of Congress that personal expressions of faith, that is, all faiths, are welcome in the United States military. My objection to section 9012 is that the section concludes based on newspaper accounts that officers assigned to duty at the U.S. Air Force Academy and others in the chain of command are engaged in ``abusive and coercive religious proselytizing'' based on reports. Mr. Chairman, Members may have read press accounts regarding issues of religious freedom and tolerance at the Air Force Academy. What may not be known is that many of the allegations reported by the press were first discovered by the air force through internal surveys. In response, the Academy superintendent has been quite open that there have been instances where respect for others has been lacking. He also suggested that Academy practices and processes may also have contributed to the appearance of a lack of respect for members of minority religious traditions. Overall, the Air Force has taken aggressive action on these important issues of religious freedom and tolerant at the Academy, and the Secretary to the Air Force detailed those actions to me in a June 7 letter which I would like to submit for the Record at this point. Secretary of the Air Force, Washington, DC, June 7, 2005. Hon. Duncan Hunter, Chairman, Committee on Armed Services, House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Chairman: The media contains a steady flow of stories decrying religious intolerance at the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA). In late Spring 2004, the Superintendent of the Academy, Lt Gen John Rosa, detected religious tolerance concerns through surveys he initiated. He subsequently brought the issue--and the corrective measures he was taking--to the attention of the Academy's Board of Visitors and the Air Force leadership. Together, we have been addressing the issue openly for the past several months. As of today, the Academy's Board of Visitors has looked at this situation during three separate meetings. They will do so again this summer. In addition to the Board's inquiries, I have deployed four separate teams from the Pentagon to address one or another aspect of the Academy climate for religious tolerance. The first team, led by the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Equal Opportunity, visited the Academy last fall and assisted Lt Gen Rosa in scoping the problem and designing a campaign to correct the situation. The second visited USAFA last month and is led by Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel, Lt Gen Roger Brady. This team is in the final stages of assessment of the Academy climate, leadership practices, and the corrective actions that should be initiated. Specific allegations of improper conduct against the Commandant of Cadets, Brig Gen John Weida, are being separately examined by the Office of the Air Force Inspector General. Last week, the DoD Inspector General began--at my request--an inquiry to determine whether Air Force reassignment of Chaplain (Capt) Melinda Morton was handled properly. Please note that the visit to the Academy in July 2004 by a group of Yale Divinity School students and an Associate Professor of Counseling was not part of our assessment or corrective measures, and did not focus on the religious tolerance issue. Nevertheless, we have reviewed and considered the submission of that group in connection with our on-going reviews. Finally, this week, a group from the National Conference on Ministry to the Armed Forces (NCMAF) is also visiting USAFA at my request to provide an external look by a private organization of religious leaders who understand the military in a pluralistic society, and who represent their faith group communities to the military. Thus far, results indicate--and the Academy Superintendent continues to openly acknowledge--there have been instances where respect has been lacking. Academy practices and processes may also have contributed to the appearance of a lack of respect for members of minority religious traditions. The multiple reviews I have asked for, together with aggressive leadership action, will help us correct Academy climate and culture. Recently, the Air Force Chief of Staff, General John Jumper, in a written communication, reminded all Air Force commanders of their responsibilities for establishing a climate and culture that promotes respect for individual beliefs. This message reemphasized the importance of respect and its role as the foundation of our core values. In constructing his message, General Jumper used the lessons we have already learned from our work with the Academy leadership team. As our work at USAFA progresses, we will continue to incorporate lessons learned into actions that will help us reinforce the culture of respect throughout the Air Force. Air Force and Academy leadership are deeply engaged in the question of respect for individual beliefs. As this work progresses, our work--and critics of that work--will generate news stories. I ask that you reserve your opinions on this matter until I can get to ground truth through the objective processes now on going. The Inspectors General and Lt Gen Brady's team, including consideration of the NCMAF external assessment, will report back to me within the next few weeks. These results will provide a factual basis for deciding what further actions may need to be taken. Completing these reviews quickly and consulting with the Secretary of Defense, Congress and the Academy Board of Visitors regarding next steps is my highest priority. Sincerely, Michael L. Dominguez, Acting Secretary of the Air Force.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment. Mr. Chairman, I am looking at the text of the Obey amendment, and it is essentially a restatement of the base language. It has the same problem that I spoke about earlier, and that is this: the Secretary of the Air Force is undergoing a number of reviews. He is investigating this situation, but as he says, he has not gotten to ground truth on this thing yet. Yet this amendment is the judge, jury and executioner of the persons who are reported. I am looking at these last three words that say we should not have any inappropriate proselytizing that may have occurred. What we have is a newspaper story.

Mr. HUNTER. I yield to the gentleman from Florida.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, I want to thank the gentleman and thank the ranking member for their commitment to work with us on this matter and all matters of national security and we appreciate their dedication.