Duncan Hunter

Mr. HUNTER

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I greatly appreciate everything the gentleman is saying.

Mr. HUNTER. We will keep working. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Florida (Mr. Foley).

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Buyer), a Gulf War veteran and former very distinguished subcommittee chairman on the House Committee on Armed Services.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey).

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this story of this massive mobilization which has been undertaken is a story of people. It is a story of families and a story of close-knit communities. We have a group of folks in Operation Home Front in San Diego, California, which is a support group, lots of businesses, lots of great folks, community leaders and lots of community servants, who have gotten together to try to build a group that will be a support group for the families and all the folks who are still at home. They have done a wonderful job. That model was started by, I believe, Roger Hedgecock, one of our radio talk show hosts, spread throughout San Diego County. I know that idea has spread throughout the country. It is representative of this great community that does find common ground in this very important first duty and first obligation of our government, which is to ensure the security of its people. Mr. Speaker, I think there is nothing more descriptive of the support of our uniformed personnel than a letter which was written to a Marine sergeant, Benjamin Harris, by his wife. This letter could just as easily have been written to the battlefield at Gettysburg, sent to a base camp in Vietnam, the Chosin Reservoir during Korea, or the Guadalcanal beachhead during World War II: ``My Dearest Ben, I hope this letter finds you in good spirits. As I look into our son's eyes every day, I see you. I miss you every second we're apart, but there is a reason for our separation. You've been my hero for years, now it's time for the world to see you shine. ``Finally everyone will see all that you stand for, all that you're made of: pride, honor, strength, and a faith that shames most men. Though my heart aches without, I know what my duty as a Marine's wife calls for, and so I give you to our country, to our world, `to fight for right and freedom,' as a Marine's hymn states. I give you to the families who lost in the attacks on our country, and I give you to the rest of the world. Without men like you, people wouldn't have the freedom to sit down to dinner with their families, to tuck their children into bed at night knowing that they'll be safe. I understand the pain of separation is temporary. If I must give up the sound of your laughter for the sound of my tears, so be it. The sound of my tears then will give me strength as your laughter once did. They are tears of loneliness, anger and fear, but also of pride and love. You are the air I breathe, and while I am lost without you, I know you'll be home soon to find me. God speed, and God bless. Your loving wife, Erica.'' Mr. Speaker, that is the story of mobilizations that took place in the last century, that left 619,000 Americans dead on battlefields around the world. That is the story of the American mobilizations which have given freedom to hundreds of millions of people in this world, and which shortly may give freedom to millions more; and it cannot be done without the sacrifices that are manifested in thousands of letters, hundreds of thousands of letters like the one I just read. To all my colleagues who contributed to this resolution, I want to thank them and thank my great partner in rebuilding our national defense, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton). Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask unanimous consent and with the consent of my great colleague the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton) that we might take one of his minutes and thereby be able to yield 2 minutes to our closing speaker, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Total Force, the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh).

Mr. HUNTER. What we might do if it is okay with the gentleman from Missouri, perhaps he can continue with his speakers and then we will wrap up with the gentleman from New York as we get close to the end.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, with great thanks and respect for my colleague the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton), I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh) who is the chairman of the Subcommittee on Total Force on Armed Services which has jurisdiction over all those important issues with respect to pay and bonuses and housing and the melding of our Reserve forces and our Guard forces and our active forces together, the guy who cares about over a million men and women in uniform.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on the joint resolution under consideration.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, since the start of the global war on terrorism, a saga has unfolded marked by the dedication, selfless service, and commitment of the members of the Armed Forces and their families. Now, on the eve of a potential war with Iraq, the Nation is about to ask our Armed Forces and their families for additional sacrifices. For these reasons, my great colleague, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton), and I thought it was only fitting that we offer this joint resolution to send a message to our Armed Forces of our support and appreciation for their magnificent efforts. Mr. Speaker, the U.S. Armed Forces, a total force of active National Guard and Reserve volunteers, have conducted more than 17 months of courageous and successful operations against terrorism, not only in Afghanistan, but also worldwide. Beyond that, they have secured the U.S. homeland by performing various missions, including patrolling the Nation's airports, protecting the public at special events, and flying combat air patrols in the Nation's skies. Today, more than 200,000 active duty personnel are already deployed to the Persian Gulf, and thousands of Reservists and National Guard members are on alert for mobilization or are deploying for a possible war with Iraq. All these missions are in addition to other regular military requirements and have significantly increased the pace of operations and the stress on our forces. There have been no permanent increases in the size of the Armed Forces to meet these new requirements. Instead, our military forces are being required to work longer, harder, and smarter. One enduring mark of the sacrifices being made in this war on terrorism by our men and women in uniform is that 67 American servicemembers have died defending the Nation, and 212 have been wounded or injured. Untold sacrifices are being asked of the nearly 225,000 members of the National Guard and Reserve who have been mobilized for active duty since the start of the global war on terrorism. More than 174,000 of them remain on active duty, with thousands facing a second year of active duty away from their families and civilian employment. America is able to make a substantial commitment of its citizen soldiers to this war because many of the Nation's employers, in the spirit of patriotism, are maintaining job security for those mobilized personnel and their families. Whether the members of the Armed Forces are active, Guard, or Reserve, their ability to perform their missions requires the continuing support and sacrifice of their families. Mr. Speaker, the Nation is engaged in a global conflict that presents many new and dangerous challenges to the members of the Armed Forces. It is a conflict that will require the Nation's unflinching resolve and commitment to provide the Nation's soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines with the necessary resources required for victory. In that context, this joint resolution commends and expresses the gratitude of our Nation to all members of the United States Armed Forces, whether on active duty, in the National Guard, or in the Reserves, who are fighting the global war on terrorism; also, Mr. Speaker, to the employers who maintain the job security of their mobilized National Guard and Reserve employees; and also, importantly, to the families of those servicemembers who have borne the burden of separation from their loved ones and who have staunchly supported them during this war. The joint resolution also expresses our condolences to the families of the brave American servicemembers who have lost their lives defending our Nation in the global war on terrorism, and it reaffirms that the Congress stands united with the President in this ongoing effort to defeat terrorism. Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support this joint resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for the sense of history and patriotism that he brings to this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hayes), the vice-chairman of the Subcommittee on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare of the Committee on Armed Services.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Jo Ann Davis) who represents Quantico Marine Base, Dahlgren Air Force Base, Fort Eustis, many other military installations and thousands and thousands of great service personnel.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the order of the House of Tuesday, March 4, 2003, I call up the joint resolution (H.J. Res. 27) recognizing and commending the continuing dedication, selfless service, and commitment of members of the Armed Forces and their families during the Global War on Terrorism and in defense of the United States, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. HUNTER

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for yielding, who is, in fact, one of those rare individuals himself, one of the great leaders in aviation in this last quarter century, as the only American ace from Vietnam and a nominee for the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, let me qualify that. The gentleman from California (Mr. Cunningham), along with Willy Driscoll, were the first aces in Vietnam, but actually the only Navy aces, and my colleague has had a great record there. What I wanted to do tonight, and I know my colleague has a number of aviation leaders and I think it is appropriate at this time in our history, when we are on the verge of perhaps another conflict and we have lots of people deployed and lots of people defending liberty around the world for the United States, is to reflect on some of the great Americans who have stepped forward as citizen soldiers, so to speak, and led this Nation. I am not a pilot and I am not a great friend of aircrafts, but one thing that I have always reflected on was that if we did not have these people who came from our villages, from our farms, from our cities and had a desire to fly and saw an intrigue in flying and interest in flying, and thereby became involved and ultimately became pilots in uniform for this country, we would not have this great country, because as Billy Mitchell said, and we are going to reflect on him a little bit, we entered the age of air power early in this century, and it was American air power that has helped us to retain our freedom. What I thought I wanted to do, I know we have got a number of people to talk about: Billy Mitchell, Chuck Yeager, Joe Foss, and several others.

Mr. HUNTER. I thought we might start with General Bob Cardenas, who is a quiet man. He is a guy we do not see on a lot of magazine covers, but Bob Cardenas is a great test pilot, great bomber pilot who had his bomber blown apart in World War II, landed on one side of the lake, in fact German side of the lake, other side of the lake was Switzerland. He and his colleague, who also bailed out, swam that lake to get to freedom, and Bob later became one of the great test pilots of this country and he flew the B-29 and was a project manager and flew the B- 29 that dropped Chuck Yeager's X-1 out in October of 1947 and watched it break the speed of sound. So Bob Cardenas was a remarkable individual, a guy who came up through San Diego, went to San Diego State. He used to build model airplanes as a kid. He got involved in flying, saw those. He helped local glider pilots with their construction of their planes. He bummed rides with folks who were flying guide gliders. He was a very bright student and went to San Diego State and ultimately joined the United States Air Force; and Robert Cardenas has been just a model of what I would call our first citizens, our best citizens. Today, Bob is a guy who leads veterans groups in San Diego; and if a person has an important veterans issue, Bob Cardenas will be there, never for pay, never for reward, never with a kind of a pronouncement that is designed to attract attention, but the quiet man, with lots of wisdom. One of my favorite pictures of Bob Cardenas is one that was taken by a tourist in, I believe it was 1953, when he flew the flying Wing right down Pennsylvania Avenue at the request of President Truman. In fact, it was not 1953. It was February 9, 1949. The flying Wing looks exactly like a B-2 bomber at a distance, and yet at 1949, when I was 1 year old, this great test pilot flew this flying Wing which is very difficult to control. In fact, he wrote a memo that went to President Truman saying it was not suitable to be a bomber aircraft at that time, but he flew it right down Pennsylvania Avenue and he flew it over this Capitol. His boss said, Bob, fly down Pennsylvania Avenue and try not to hit a tree; and Bob was watching those trees so intently he said he just barely saw the Capitol in time and pulled up. It just so happened there was a photographer out here to the east of the Capitol, just a tourist, who took this incredible, dramatic picture in 1949 of that flying Wing coming right over the United States Capitol, and that autographed picture is one of my treasured mementoes because it reflects a guy who came from San Diego with an open demeanor, with a great character and with just a desire to fly and to help his country while he was doing it, just a very open and honest expression of patriotism and developed into one of the great fighter pilots or one of the great test pilots of all time and ended up being an important figure in the advancement of American aerospace. Today, as we watch these B-1 bat-like airplanes, these B-2s, half a century later rolling out into action and being in theater now in the Gulf, and prepared for potential action against an adversary, every time I see one of those planes I think of this great Bob Cardenas, 1949, flying that plane at President Truman's request over the U.S. Capitol. So Bob is obviously one of our mutual heroes, and I hope to see him soon and tell him that we have been talking about him today.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, I think the gentleman has led into one of our mutual friends and a great hero, Chuck Yeager, a great hero for this century who came out of, as my Dad calls him, the citizen soldiers; and my dad had written recently about how people from the outdoors often have a penchant for the military because they learn how to shoot, they learn how to be vigilant, they learn how to be alert. And those qualities serve them well when they get into the military, and Chuck Yeager is one of those people. Where would my colleague place Chuck Yeager as a great fighter pilot and a great test pilot? He was a guy with both qualities.

Mr. HUNTER. He is a man not without a sense of humor, also. The second time I guess I had an engagement with General Yeager was the very first time I was able to join the American Fighter Aces Reunion. There had been no new fighter ace in almost 30 years, and we had our first reunion in San Antonio when Willy and I came back from Vietnam. And the press came up to me and said, ``Duke, how do you feel about joining Joe Foss and Pappy Boyington and Chuck Yeager and all these different guys?'' And General Yeager was there. And the press guy said, look, if you and General Yeager would get into a dog fight, who would win? He wanted me to put down General Yeager. My answer was, ``General Yeager is not only a test pilot and a fighter pilot and a combat pilot, but he has done a million things I have not ever done before. So I would basically not answer his question. But after the press guy left, I looked at Chuck and said, ``General Yeager, I'll meet you at 15,000 feet and I'll have your donkey.'' And his immediate response was, ``Bring it on, Duke,'' which you would expect from General Yeager. So this is one of the all-time greats that have contributed not just to combat aviation, but when you look at the first man to go supersonic, the first man in the X1 and the X1-A that set speed records of over 1600 miles an hour, he is right up there.

Mr. HUNTER. My father sent some commentary about these citizen soldiers, and Chuck Yeager is one of these guys, because dad always felt that people with this outdoor background had a special rapport with the military. He says, and I am quoting, ``Hardened by frontier life, Americans have always been able to use their woodsmanship and facilities with firearms to win any wars that were thrust upon us. Organizations such as the Boy Scouts, citizen gun clubs, the American Rifle Association and veterans groups, have successfully resisted the efforts of those anti-gun forces that would like to disarm the average American. In the Spanish-American War and World Wars I and II, American forces have mobilized in short order and defeated their enemies. Our citizen soldiers are our greatest defense and are mobilized and used by those who make our Armed Forces their profession.'' And if you read the exploits of Chuck Yeager, a kid that grew up in West Virginia hunting and fishing and tracking, it is very clear, and he reflects many times about how he used these developments in his instincts and his capabilities and his reflexes, and certainly his shooting ability to our advantage when he was in combat. And when you go out among our troops that are deploying now for Desert Storm II, possibly, and for the war against terrorism, you talk to lots of people who have become proficient in firearms and in the outdoors, whether they are in infantry or in the Navy or in the aerial forces. There is a certain insight that that kind of a background gives you. Maybe Chuck Yeager is one of the greatest examples of that. And when I saw him the other day, he said that he had walked away from his last test piloting at Edwards Air Force Base in California just a few weeks before his 80th birthday. And I know my friend visited him on his 80th birthday.

Mr. HUNTER. Let us move to another guy, whose picture my friend just gave me a couple of months ago, and who passed away. He was a great, great friend of ours, but what a great leader for America. Joe Foss. Joe Foss shot down over 20 aircraft in World War II. He was a great marine fighter pilot. He went back and became the governor of South Dakota. He was the commissioner of the American football League between 1988 and 1990. In fact, I think you were one of the guys that urged him to run and he did and became the President of the National Rifle Association. And that takes me back to my dad's treatise to the effect that a lot of country boys become great military leaders and great pilots because of this sixth sense that they develop in the woods. Joe Foss is one of those guys. And that autographed picture you gave me of Joe Foss, that I have still on my wall, is very treasured, because Joe Foss passed away just a few weeks ago. What a great hero he was for this century. And that great story, the Bridges of Toko Ri that was about Korea, where James Michener talked about where Americans got these people that flew off these tiny carriers and went out and found the enemy and took them on, and then tried to find that little bitty postage stamp out there rocking in the middle of the ocean. And how extraordinary it was that at a time when the rest of us were living a life of comfort, people like that should come forward. That was Joe Foss, coming out of South Dakota. A great guy, bigger than life, a guy who had gotten in lots of rough and tumble situations, but a guy with an absolute heart of gold. Joe Foss. When did the gentleman first meet Joe?

Mr. HUNTER. Joe Foss, as the gentleman said, was inspirational to so many young people. He was born in 1915 in South Dakota and helped to run the family farm. In fact, he had to drop out of college to do that. But when he was 11 years old in South Dakota he got to meet Charles Lindbergh, and it was that inspiration and meeting the guy who had flown across the Atlantic and was such an American hero at that time that inspired him to himself become an aviator. So this is a great family of aviators that we have, and Joe, again, won the Medal of Honor. He shot down some 24 aircraft.

Mr. HUNTER. Twenty-six aircraft. He was shot down himself on November 7, 1942, and he was rescued the next day. So what a great hero, Joe Foss. But the gentleman that was a special guy, who has been to a number of events and community gatherings we have both been at, and that is Wally Schirra.

Mr. HUNTER. My favorite picture is a picture of you hunting pheasants with Wally Schirra. Tell us a little bit about that guy.

Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, there is another guy who preceded all these people that we have talked about. He is a guy who, in this city, was actually taken to court-martial at one point because he told the United States, when he was a U.S. officer, a General officer, he announced to the world and to the United States that we were not ready for war and that we needed to be doing more. And, of course, sometimes when you tell the truth, that gets you in trouble. But in the 1930s, we were not ready for war. This guy's name was Billy Mitchell. In fact, one time I was carrying on about Billy Mitchell and how great he was at warning us to get ready for this new age of air power, and the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Bass), one of our great colleagues, asked me to quit lecturing him on Billy Mitchell because, he said, Billy Mitchell was my uncle. And he knew a lot more about Billy Mitchell than I did. But Billy Mitchell took a tour of the world in the 1920s and came back reported to the Coolidge administration about where he thought our vulnerabilities lay. He would go out and analyze scenarios in which he thought we might be attacked. More than a decade before Pearl Harbor, he predicted at some point we would be attacked by a low-level, early-dawn attack by aircraft from Japan at Pearl Harbor. The only thing that he also, in predicting what they might try to do, part of the blueprint that they did not follow, luckily, was that they did not blow up the fuel depots which he predicted that any enemy that attacked Pearly Harbor, that they would try to blow up. He warned this country that we lived in an age of air power. He came back from this tour of a very dangerous, and it is relevant for us to remember now that we stand on the ledge of this new century in what appears to be a very dangerous world. Billy Mitchell warned us that we had entered the age of air power, and that the United States had better become dominant in air power because if we did not, we would be losing future engagements. I recently looked back at the aircraft that were flown in World War I, and apparently most of those aircraft were French and British aircraft. We were not really in the age of air power.