Ike Skelton

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, on August 11, 2000, General Eric Shinseki addressed the Military Order of the World Wars in Kansas City, Missouri. I submit his speech for the Record: Congressman Skelton--thank you for that generous introduction. It's good to be here with you this evening-- thanks also for your service to our nation and the Army as the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee. Your commitment to the national defense and your passion for the well-being of our men and women is legendary. We are indebted to you. Ladies and gentlemen--please join me in thanking Congressman Ike Skelton for his devotion to the soldiers, civilians, and family members of the Army. In this room this evening are also some other patriots who have been great supporters of our military and our veterans. Many have served our nation in war; among their numbers are those who have felt the sting of battle. But all have provided our communities the kind of leadership that has made this country what it is today. To the Kansas City Chapter of the Military Order of the World Wars, thank you for your support of our soldiers and veterans. You know, this country enjoys a unique status in the community of nations. We are a great nation, and we enjoy a vibrant and flourishing economy. No other nation enjoys our unique status in the way that we do today. Americans enjoy these special circumstances, but many do not associate our national strength and our economic health with the readiness and professionalism of our military forces. The fact is, however, that you don't get to be a great power with the world's leading economy without also having a world class military that is respected by our allies and feared by our adversaries. Our military forces enable the great nation status enjoyed by the American people. No one understands or appreciates the importance of that link better than those who have defended this wonderful country of ours in war or those who have the responsibility of assuring the readiness of its military capabilities on a daily basis. The Military Order of the World Wars understands that linkage. Congressman Skelton understands that linkage. Both have worked to help us stay connected to the American people. They have helped us fill our ranks with the kind of youngsters who have kept our Army a force for good and an instrument of national policy. Again, we are grateful for all that you do on our behalf. Also present in the room this evening are a very special group of international fellows. They are students at Fort Leavenworth who will spend the next year at the Command and General Staff College studying with, about, and for us. Since World War I, all of the wars we have fought and most of our significant operational deployments have seen Americans serving side-by-side with soldiers from allied nations. We will never again fight on our own. Coalition and multinational operations are a fact of life. Many of the uniforms on display this evening are the ones who have shared space on distant battlefields with us. We are honored to have so many allied officers and their spouses here this evening. We know the keenness of the selection process that went on in each of your countries, we are honored to have you join us in residence at Fort Leavenworth. You add to the education of our officers. Buffalo wings. There is a lot of excitement in and about our Army today. Many of you know that we have set a course to transform this great and magnificent army of ours from its current cold war designs to a force that is more responsive, more deployable, more versatile, more agile, more lethal, more survivable, and more sustainable force for the future crises of the 21st century. Last fall as we were about to walk from 1999 into 2000 through the door of a new century and the new millennium, I went back to the turn of the last century to try to understand what the last Chief and the last Secretary to do so were thinking; what were their concerns; what decisions did they put in place to prepare their Army for all of its responsibilities in the 20th century. Secretary of War Elihu Root and General Nelson Miles recognized that the Army was standing not just on the threshold of a new century, but at the entrance to a new world. The war with Spain the year before had been just the second overseas deployment of the Army in history, and the first in over 50 years. The Army of 1899 was scattered from Cuba to Puerto Rico to the Philippines. The operating tempo was high, with soldiers maintaining peace, rebuilding nations, handling refugees, even helping with disaster relief after a hurricane. The Army was overseas and that looked like the wave of the future. So, 1899 was a pivotal time. The wars in the West were won. The purpose of the Army seemed to be changing, but in what direction? The Army had shown real growing pains when it had mobilized for war. In addition, technology was changing fast. The Army needed to rethink the future of warfare quickly. Root recognized that the Army had to grow and change as the strategic environment of his times demanded. He tried to envision what the twentieth-century Army should become. Could he foresee a world in which nuclear superpowers threatened each other and the rest of the earth with Armageddon? Could he predict a decade-long depression? Did he know that within the 50 years the world would twice be plunged into global wars, wars unprecedented in scale and scope in all the previous history of mankind? Certainly, the answer to all these questions is no. Root foresaw none of these things. As best we can tell from documents and their writings, neither of them saw the First World War and it was only 15 years away. But with insight and courage and deliberation, they developed a vision for what the Army needed to become, given the strategic and technological realities they faced at the time. They took risks and made preparations that proved to be effective--and timeless. Root began with fundamentals. He presented two principles that are as true today as when he wrote them 100 years ago: ``First. That the real object of having an army is to provide for war. ``Second. That the regular establishment in the United States will probably never be by itself the whole machine with which any war will be fought.'' Root was reaching back toward concepts that were almost as old as the nation itself. First, being ready for war means having an army, and there's no reason to have an army that is not ready for war. The Army might be called upon to do many things, but its first purpose was warfighting. And the Army would never fight alone. Root knew that the Army would need to rely on the Navy for transport, logistics, and gunfire. It would also fight with volunteers and citizen soldiers. Those first principles were right on the mark. And they have served as a foundation upon which Root and Miles and their successors built the twentieth-century Army. Root consolidated the professional gains that the Army had made through the establishment of the Army War College and the restructuring of the Army headquarters into a modern general staff. He brought to fruition the idea that military leadership was a calling, and one that demanded rigorous education and training. The officer corps that flourished under this system became the leaders who produced our victories in two world wars--wars unimaginable in 1899. The Army of the twentieth century, the nation whose freedom it guaranteed, owed a great deal to Elihu Root's vision preparation for the future. As we stood on the cusp of the new millennium 10 months ago, we saw a situation remarkably similar to the one that Root and Miles faced 100 years ago. The world has changed dramatically. The cold war was a historic anomaly. We maintained relatively robust forces for 50 years because of the danger of superpower conflict. That very preparedness deterred a war too terrible to contemplate, but one that we stood trained and ready to fight for half a century. Since 1989 we have reduced the size of the Army by 32 percent, but our operating tempo is higher than at anytime in several decades. The recent mission in Kosovo brings to 35 the number of operational mission deployments the Army has made since the end of the cold war. The world is a far less stable place than it used to be. Moreover, the world is a far different place than it was 10 years ago. In a word, it is ``wired.'' The information revolution has placed a computer on every desk. We are all cyber-connected to each other and everything imaginable around the world. We are renegotiating zones of privacy and business practices and property protections and the very idea of what a nation-state is. Many of the advertisements we see on television are for products that did not exist 15 years ago. It is impossible to predict with assurance what the world will look like in 5 or 10 or 25 years. But we know that it will continue to change and that the pace of change will continue to accelerate. We must prepare to fight our future wars. We must also be ready for the next crisis. We must be able to respond to missions throughout the spectrum of operations, from the low end of disaster relief to the high end of major war. We need to take advantage of emerging technologies to counter emerging threats. And we can't make it up as we go along--we need a plan. And so it is that last October, the Army charted its course for transforming itself into a force more capable than the magnificent force we field today. We intend that it will be a force capable of handling the full array of missions that we have been called upon to do in the last 10 years--in many ways, we have described the 1990's as the first 10 years of the 21st century in terms of the kinds of missions we see for ourselves in the years ahead. But what we will not lose sight of is what Elihu Root concluded 100 years ago--our non- negotiable contract with the American people is to be trained and ready to fight and win the nation's wars. This we will do--and just as Root and Miles could not see all the technological advances that were going to present themselves as opportunities in the 20th century, we cannot today settle on the technologies that will go into the design of the hardware that will describe the objective force we are trying to design for the 21st century. But what Root and Miles were able to do was to position their army for all The unseen opportunities that were to lay ahead by putting into place the system for training soldiers and developing leaders who were going to have to make those decisions when the time was ripe. And so it is with our responsibilities today. Much has been written over the past 10 months about the technologies that the Army will need to transform itself. The debate about combat platforms has turned hot and in some cases mean-spirited as the competition for inclusion has become intense. I have even received the concerns of allied armies about the fear of an ever-expanding technological gap between the American army and those of our closest allies. I think the lessons of Root and Miles are important---their conclusions are as important today as they were then. It isn't about technology, although technology is important; it isn't about platforms, although combat platforms is important. It is about leadership and character and doctrine. It is about the preparation of the Army to be ready to fight each and every day with the technologies it has available, and it is about the development of visionary, courageous leaders who have the skill and determination to leverage the technologies as they become apparent and embed them into the formations that will fight them. Focus on warfighting; develop the leaders for the next conflict. If you do that well, those leaders will be able to get the right technologies into place in time. But without that kind of leadership or without warfighting formations which have been disciplined to execute one's warfighting doctrine, all the technology in the world will make no difference. Warfighting is ultimately a human dimension in which the most dedicated, disciplined, and best trained will prevail. It is about leadership and in this Army, we consider it our stock in trade. To our allied officers, your attendance at Leavenworth is important for us---for the American officers attending the course and for our force as a whole. You give our officers other perspectives on our common challenges. Our differences in culture, language, nationality, and geography give us each our different outlooks on military operations. We must understand and appreciate the importance of interoperability---but not just technical and tactical interoperability but interoperability of the mind. The lessons you learn in professional give-and-takes with your fellow officers, inside the classroom and at the officers' club, will be among the most important that you take away from this course. Equally important will be the professional associations you make with your fellow students. The future battlefields will be joint and multinational and you will find yourselves serving with the officers you are studying with this year--- just as I have experienced. I can tell you that as commander of the stabilization force in Bosnia, the relationships that I had developed with my counterparts in years past, whether in operational assignments, or in the Command and General Staff College or the National War College, helped us to bridge the gaps. Personal relationships and a common professional understanding turned those differences into strengths. We, in this country, have put tremendous effort into our professional education systems. The pay-off for that investment has been a consistently high quality of officer leadership. I would also tell you that our noncommissioned officer education system is equally the finest in the world and it has produced the very finest NCO Corps in the history of our army. In the gulf war, one of the take away lessons was that our technological and materiel superiority made us successful. Those who fought the war would give you a slightly broader lesson. As one division commander proclaimed, we could have traded equipment with the Iraqis and still beat them in 100 hours. That may sound like vain boasting, but his point was that our professional education system and the professionalism of our soldiers and their leaders were the foundations of our warfighting prowess--not technology. That has always been true. In the Army we do two things every day---we train soldiers and we grow them into leaders. Some of that work happens in our operational units. Some of it happens in quiet moments when our officers and soldiers can read about their profession, its history, its methods, and its doctrine. But the foundation of it all resides in our professional schools. I'm glad that you have all come to study with us. I appreciate the value that you bring to our professional education system. I thank you for breaking bread with us tonight. And though I don't look forward to our joining ranks on a future battlefield, I do look forward to the trust and confidence that we will build together as professional soldiers. Thank you and God bless you.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time. Mr. Speaker, this is a sad moment for me. I know it is a sad moment for Virginians, and it is a sad moment for Americans who serve in the Armed Forces of our country. Herb Bateman was a friend. He was a colleague. We served on the Committee on Armed Services together, and I saw him through the years apply his considerable knowledge and his considerable efforts in the pursuit of maintaining a strong national security. He was the chairman of the Subcommittee on Military Readiness and took that position quite seriously. We have, as a result, considerably more readiness; and the men and women of our uniformed services are all the better for his work. Herb was a man of integrity, a man of knowledge, a man of ability who gave his country his best. We have enjoyed serving with him here in the Congress of the United States. We have enjoyed being his friend. My wife, Suzie, and I join with Members today in extending our sincere sympathy to his wife, Laura, and to his family, and to that very, very fine staff that he has, especially those who are across the hall from my office in the Rayburn Building. Our sympathy and condolences go out to them.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, let me take this opportunity to pay tribute to Lt. Gen. Joe N. Ballard, 49th Chief of Engineers and Commander, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, who is retiring from his post after 35 commendable years of service to our Nation. Lt. Gen. Ballard assumed command of the Corps of Engineers on October 1, 1996, and has been responsible for an annual budget of over $12 billion and a leadership of a workforce of more than 35,000 civilian and military personnel worldwide. During his tenure as Chief of Engineers, Lt. Gen. Ballard led the Corps of Engineers in a number of significant accomplishments. Among them were restructuring all levels of the organization, streamlining major changes in business practices, reemphasizing the Corps' missions in support of the Army and Department of Defense, and strengthening the organization's commitment to serve the nation and its vital interests. Lt. Gen. Ballard has managed Army Corps of Engineers missions-- including the nation's vast Civil Works Program, environmental restoration, and construction on military installations. His leadership has guided the Corps in assisting with recovery from natural disasters as well as regulating work in the Nation's waterways and wetlands, conducting research and development, serving as the Army and Air Force real estate agent, and providing engineering services to 60 other Federal agencies and more than 80 other nations. Earlier, he served as Commander of Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, with great distinction. In addition to the military honors that he has achieved, the Council of Deans of Historically Black Colleges and Universities and the Career Communications Group recognized Lt. Gen. Ballard as the 1998 Black Engineer of the Year. He has also been the 1998-1999 president of the Society of American Military Engineers and a member of the National Engineering Honor society, Tau Beta Pi. Mr. Speaker, Lt. Gen. Ballard has had an outstanding career in the Corps of Engineers and with the Army. He will surely be missed by everyone at those organizations. As he retires, I wish Joe and his wife Tessie all the best. I am certain that the Members of the House will join me in paying tribute to this outstanding American.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Taylor) for granting me this time, and I urge my colleagues to support the motion to instruct conferees that has been offered by the gentleman. The motion directs the House conferees to maintain the House position in conference on expanding and making TRICARE Senior Prime permanent. As you may recall, on May 18 during consideration of H.R. 4205, the Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2001, the House overwhelmingly voted 406 to 10 to make permanent TRICARE Senior Prime, more commonly known as Medicare Subvention. The House sent a clear signal that Medicare Subvention should continue to be available to our Medicare-eligible military retirees and their families. Expansion of permanent authority for Medicare Subvention is a vital step toward fulfillment of the commitment made to our career men and women in uniform who were promised access to health care services for life. We made a promise to take care of those who served their Nation with distinction for 20 years or more. We must keep that promise. The motion to instruct conferees to retain the House position will help to ensure access to medical care for Medicare-eligible military retirees. By spreading TRICARE Senior Prime to military hospitals and making the program permanent, we will begin to meet our promise. Medicare Subvention is an important step toward ensuring access to care for retirees and their dependents over the age of 65 who live near military facilities. Military retirees and their dependents that participate in the program are very satisfied with the quality of health care they receive. In fact, there are many retirees and their family members in the current test areas that have been placed on a waiting list because military treatment facilities cannot take more patients at this time. As I have stated before, this is the year of military health care. As the ranking member of the House Committee on Armed Services, I focused on the need to improve access to health care services for men and women in uniform, particularly for our Medicare-eligible retirees. Retention of TRICARE's Senior Prime is the first important step in meeting our moral obligation to provide access to quality health care for our military retirees and their families. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this motion to instruct offered by the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Taylor).

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Abercrombie), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Military Personnel, who does such a marvelous job in supporting the men and women in uniform, both active duty, Guard and Reserve, for yielding this time to me. Mr. Speaker, I think it is fitting that the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Buyer) is handling this bill on his side of the aisle, because I compliment him for his role that he played as a Reservist in the United States Army; and I certainly thank him for his dedication then as well as for his hard work and dedication now. I also would be remiss if I did not mention the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Gibbons) on the role that he played in Desert Storm. Today I rise in strong support of this resolution introduced by the gentleman from California (Mr. Gallegly). The inclusion of the National Guard and Reserves during Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield set the standard for today's total force integration policy. The superior performance of our Guard and Reserves and our outstanding active duty force led to the overwhelming defeat of the Iraqi forces. The resolution before the House commends the 267,000 men and women in the Guard and Reserves for their service and their dedication to this Nation, and it honors the ultimate sacrifice of 57 Guard and Reservists who lost their lives in service to our great Nation. Nearly 10 years after the operations known as Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Guard and Reserve personnel continue their outstanding service in Southwest Asia. Air National Guard units continue to support our efforts to enforce the no-fly zone in Northern Iraq, while Army Guard units continue to support the Southern Watch in Southwest Asia. Today we have over 1.3 million individuals in the Ready Reserves who have volunteered to protect and defend our country. It is because of the achievements of the Guard and Reservists who served in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm that the 49th Armored Division of the Texas National Guard is today in Bosnia and Herzegovina. For the first time, a National Guard unit has responsibility for the command and control of the Multinational Division-North Task Force Eagle. Let us honor the men and women of the National Guard and Reserves who served with such great distinction in Desert Shield and in Desert Storm as we recognize the 10th anniversary of their initial activation.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, let me take this means to share a few words with you regarding the career of David A. Yarger, of Versailles, Missouri, who recently retired from his post as City Attorney after serving more than 33 years. Since December of 1966, Mr. Yarger has provided countless hours of legal guidance to the citizens of Versailles and served diligently as the Prosecuting Attorney for the City of Versailles. In addition to his service as City Attorney, David Yarger has worked to acquire new industries in his community, and he was instrumental in creating the Versailles Park Board. Mr. Yarger has also dedicated his time to the establishment of the Roy E. Otten Memorial Airport and has served as the chairman and secretary of the airport board. David Yarger is a member and past president of the Versailles Lions Club. He has served on the Morgan County Fair Board and the Fair Cook Shack Committee. As a pilot, Mr. Yarger has frequently made available his time to fly city officials and other residents of the community to destinations throughout Missouri, and he is responsible for the outstanding aerial photographs taken during Versailles' annual and well-attended Old Tyme Apple Festival. Mr. Speaker, David A. Yarger has established himself as a civic leader in Versailles and Morgan County. His career and dedication to his community show that he is a role model for all Americans. I am certain that the members of this body will join me in congratulating Mr. Yarger for a job well-done.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of this resolution, which is a resolution expressing the sense of the House concerning recent security lapses at the Energy Department, particularly at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. On June 9 of this year, the Committee on Armed Services was notified by the Department of Energy that two computer hard drives containing classified, restricted data were missing from a document storage vault located in the weapons design ``X Division'' at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The information on these hard drives relates to the development, design, and manufacture and use of nuclear weapons. In a very real sense, the information on these computer disks represents the ``keys to the kingdom.'' Fortunately, the missing hard drives have been recovered, but we still do not know whether they were simply misplaced or whether they were copied or otherwise used by those with hostile intentions toward the United States. The security lapses that led to the apparently temporary loss of the two computer disks containing highly sensitive nuclear weapons secrets are inexcusable. I am especially distressed that a culture continues to exist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory that relegates security concerns to secondary importance. Something must be done to change that culture. I applaud Secretary Richardson's efforts to improve security and get the Department of Energy on the right track; but obviously, the steps he has taken so far are somewhat inadequate to ensure that our nuclear secrets are adequately safeguarded. The protection of nuclear weapons information is a critical responsibility for all of those with access to that information. The compromise of the data on the missing hard drives could seriously jeopardize the national security of our country and of our allies. Mr. Speaker, the resolution before the House today, which the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Spence) and I have cosponsored, expresses the sense of the House that the security failures at the Los Alamos National Laboratory show that our existing nuclear weapons security policy is inadequate, that the individuals responsible for implementing that security policy should be held accountable, and that the administrator of the Nuclear Security Administration must take immediate action to improve our procedures concerning the safeguarding of nuclear weapons information. It is my sincere hope that Secretary Richardson and others with the responsibility for security matters within the Department will heed the words of this resolution and take prompt steps to ensure that we do not again suffer security breaches such as that involving the loss of hard drives at Los Alamos. Our Nation simply cannot afford lax security when it comes to our nuclear secrets. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 534. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Guam (Mr. Underwood).

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank).

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, let me take this opportunity to congratulate the community of Clinton, Missouri, which recently received the designation of All-American City from the National Civic League. The All-American City Award recognizes towns that work together to address critical community issues. The sponsors of this award commended Clinton for exhibiting outstanding citizen involvement, high government performance, local philanthropic resources, and inter-community cooperation. With a population of 9,300, Clinton was the smallest of the 10 cities selected for this award, although towns of all sizes participated on an equal level. A group of 75 residents of Clinton--including many student ambassadors--traveled to Louisville, Kentucky, in early June to present a summary of three of their community betterment programs to a panel of judges selected by the sponsor of the award. Several projects which the sponsors noted as especially worthwhile included the START (Students Together Achieving Responsible Tasks) program. This local youth community service organization connects students with charitable volunteer opportunities. In addition, Clinton has made progress in attacking its biggest killer, cardiovascular disease, by creating a CHART wellness center staffed by local hospital employees. Through community educational measures and blood pressure and cholesterol screenings, this group helps increase awareness and prevention of heart disease. Also, the town participates in the Main Street USA program in an effort to revitalize its downtown and Historic Square Districts. Mr. Speaker, I wish to extend my congratulations to the residents of the city of Clinton. It is with great pride that I honor them for being designated an All-American City.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, it is with deep sadness that I inform the House of the death of a former member of this body, The Honorable William J. ``Bill'' Randall of Independence, Missouri. Bill Randall was born July 16, 1909, in Independence, Missouri, a son of William R. Randall and Lillie B. Randall. He graduated from William Chrisman High School in 1927; Junior College of Kansas City in 1929; and University of Missouri in 1931. He received a LLB from Kansas City School of Law in 1936 and LLM from the same school in 1938. He married Margaret Layden in 1939, and she preceded him in death in 1986. Mr. Randall was a practicing attorney in the Independence area until 1943 when he served in southwest Pacific during World War II from March 1943 until December 1945. In 1947, he was elected Judge of Jackson County Court and served six consecutive terms until March 1959, at which time he was elected U.S. Representative of Missouri's Fourth Congressional District. While in Congress from 1959 until his retirement in 1977, Representative Randall was appointed as the first chairman of the newly created 38-member Committee on Aging, and rose to become the fifth ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee. At his retirement, Representative Randall chaired two subcommittees on the Armed Services Committee, one subcommittee on the Government Operations Committee, and one subcommittee on the Committee on Aging. After retiring from Congress, Representative Randall remained in Washington, D.C. until 1981, during which time he lobbied for the U.S. Railway Association and represented other Missouri interests. In 1981, Representative Randall returned to Independence and resumed his practice with concentration in probate and estate law. Representative Randall was also an involved member of his community. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church, a member of the Masonic Fraternal organizations and a member of Royal Order of Jesters. He was a member of Phi Kappa Psi social fraternity (University of Missouri) and was past Commander of Post #1000 Veterans of Foreign Wars. Mr. Speaker, Representative Randall was a fine statesman for the people of the Fourth District of Missouri, with a distinguished record of public service. I know the Members of the House will join me in extending heartfelt condolences to his family: his daughter, Mary Pat Wilson, two grandsons, Patrick and Randall Wilson and a great- granddaughter, Adeline Wilson.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, it is with deep sadness that I inform the House of the death of Dwight Reed, of Jefferson City, MO. He was 85. He was born on March 13, 1915, in St. Paul, MN, and was the son of Dwight and Ora Woods Reed. Coach Reed grew up in St. Paul and was a football, basketball, and track star at George Washington High School. He attended college at the University of Minnesota, where he received his bachelors and masters degrees and was an All-American member of three national championship football teams. In addition, he was an intramural light-heavyweight boxing champion. After 3 years of coaching three sports at the high school level, Coach Reed played semi-pro basketball for the Galloping Gophers. Following his basketball career, Reed served a four-year tour of duty in the Army during World War II. He was involved in combat in Italy. In 1949, Coach Reed moved to Jefferson City and began his coaching career at Lincoln University. Reed was LU's football coach for 23 years and posted a career record of 135-75-6. Reed also served as the athletic director, eight years as women's track coach and three years as men's basketball coach. Among his accomplishments as a football coach were two undefeated seasons in 1952 and 1953 and four league championships. In addition, he produced two NFL All-Pro stars which include current Lincoln assistant Lemar Parrish, and Canadian Football Hall of Famer Leo Lewis. As a tribute to Coach Reed's career, the Lincoln University football stadium and track were named in his honor in 1985. Coach Reed's hard work and dedication throughout his career has impacted the lives of many. Mr. Speaker, Dwight Reed will be greatly missed by all who knew him. I know the members of the House will join me in extending my heartfelt condolences to his family: his wife of 58 years, Hiawatha; one son, Kenneth L. Reed; one stepson, Marvin Reed, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, let me take this means to honor Mr. Chuck Plunkett of Lebanon, MO, for his outstanding service to his community. Mr. Plunkett has served the Lebanon community as the president of both the Lebanon Chamber of Commerce and the Fort Leonard Wood Committee of the Chamber. He has indeed been a community leader and an ambassador to Fort Leonard Wood. In fact, Chuck has spent nearly twenty years of his life working on behalf of better community relations between Lebanon and Fort Wood. Throughout the years, Chuck, along with his wife Lil, have worked tirelessly on behalf of service members and their families who live and work at Fort Leonard Wood, MO. They have organized tours of Lebanon and the surrounding area to showcase the people of Missouri and the scenic Ozark hills that surround the fort. They have regularly attended events at Fort Leonard Wood and passed out hundreds of buttons declaring ``Lebanon Loves Fort Wood.'' In addition, when the U.S. Army was considering moving the Army Engineer School to Fort Leonard Wood, Lil and Chuck played an instrumental role in promoting the outstanding community relations that America's young soldiers would experience in Missouri. This good will gesture was important to the Army's decision to move the school to Missouri in 1989. Chuck Plunkett has received many awards because of his dedication to Fort Leonard Wood. He has been given a certificate of appreciation while serving as the Chairman of the Fort Leonard Wood Committee, and he received the TRADOC Certificate of Appreciation for International Student Support. Additionally, Chuck and his wife, Lil, have been awarded a certificate of appreciation for their generous contribution and support to the soldiers of the 10th Infantry Regiment during the 1990 holiday season, and in 1991, Chuck was presented an award commending his public service during the gulf war. One accolade that Mr. Plunkett is especially proud of is from the families of the 55th Engineer Company, which included photographs of service members' families. In addition to the various awards presented to Chuck Plunkett over the years, he has been named a Charter Member of the Engineer Regimental Association of the United States Army. He has also been officially designated as a member of the Army Engineer Association. Chuck, who served his nation in the U.S. Air Force from 1943 to 1946 as a ball turret gunner on a B-17, came to the Lebanon community in 1972. He owned and operated Commercial Quality Feed Center, Inc., until 1983 where he engineered and constructed a feed mill and retail store. Mr. Speaker, in a time when the gap between civilian America and military America is growing, Chuck Plunkett has worked long and hard to bridge that gap. A World War II veteran, a small business owner, and a community leader, it is right that the Members of the House of Representatives join me in honoring this role model for all Americans.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Madam Speaker, each year, the legislative process consistently yields a particularly important authorization bill, and each and every year that authorization bill is signed into law by the President. I am speaking of the annual Defense authorization bill. A month ago on May 18, the Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2001, aptly named for our distinguished chairman in his last year at the helm of the committee, passed the House by a strong bipartisan margin of 353 to 63. The $310 billion that this bill would authorize in the coming fiscal year represents the blueprint for defense policy and spending priorities as it does every year. Not only does it set the troop strength levels and extend expiring authorities, it goes to the heart of what our troops need to do the job. This bill will directly improve their quality of life, their readiness to fight, and the pace of the modernization of their equipment. I am especially pleased that this bill contains several important new initiatives, including a comprehensive package of military health care reforms that would significantly improve access to quality health care for all military beneficiaries, particularly for over-65 military retirees. But, Mr. Speaker, I am sorry to note that progress on the Defense Authorization bill, after passage in the House, has come to a sudden standstill in the other body. As I look about the legislative landscape, I see no other issue that I believe should take precedence over the authorization of the funds that our troops need. I hope that this situation can be dealt with quickly, and that we can get about the business of going to conference on a Senate bill and a House bill in the very near future. The Congress needs this bill. The troops need this bill. The country needs this bill.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate and pay tribute to Gen. Anthony C. Zinni, who will retire from the U.S. Marine Corps on August 11, 2000, after more than 35 years of devoted service to the nation. General Zinni was commissioned a second lieutenant upon graduation from Villanova University in 1965. After completion of The Basic School, he was assigned to the 2d Marine Division. In 1967, General Zinni served in Vietnam as an Infantry Battalion Advisor to the Vietnamese Marine Corps. Following his tour in Vietnam, he was ordered to The Basic School as a Tactics Instructor and Platoon Commander. In 1970, he returned to Vietnam where he was wounded and subsequently assigned to the 3d Force Service Regiment on Okinawa. One year later, General Zinni was again assigned to the 2d Marine Division as a Company Commander. In 1974, he was assigned to the Manpower Department at Headquarters, Marine Corps. Following the Vietnam war, General Zinni served in succession of influential staff and command positions, including: Commanding Officer of the 2d Battalion, 8th Marines; Operations and Tactics Instructor at the Marine Corps Command and Staff College; Head of the Special Operations and Terrorism Counteraction Section; Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group fellow; Regimental Commander of the 9th Marines; Commanding Officer of the 35th Marine Expeditionary Unit; and Chief of Staff of the Marine Air-Ground Training and Education Center. Upon promotion to flag rank in 1991, General Zinni was named the Deputy Director of Operations at the United States European Command. In 1991, he served as the Chief of Staff and Deputy Commanding General during the Kurdish relief effort in Turkey and Iraq and also acted as the Military Coordinator for the relief effort for the former Soviet Union. From 1992 to 1993, he served as the Director for Operations for the Unified Task Force Somalia and as the Assistant to the Special Envoy to Somalia. His next assignment was as the Deputy Commanding General, United States Marine Corps Combat Development Command. After that, he assumed command of the I Marine Expeditionary Force, during which he served as Commander of the Combined Task Force responsible for protecting the withdrawal of United Nations forces from Somalia. In September 1996, General Zinni was assigned to the United States Central Command and subsequently assumed command in 1997. In addition to continuing no-fly and maritime interdiction operations over Iraq, General Zinni conducted humanitarian operations in response to flooding in Kenya and demining efforts in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Yemen and Jordan. The continued intransigence over United Nations weapons inspections resulted in General Zinni leading several military operations against Iraq. Operation DESERT FOX set Iraq's ballistic missile program back several years by destroying key facilities and specialized equipment during several days of combat operations. General Zinni activated a joint task force in Kenya to assist in recovery support after the 1998 terrorist bombing of the embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, while also taking military action against the terrorist infrastructure in Sudan and Afghanistan. During his command, General Zinni participated in numerous diplomatic efforts within the Central Command area of responsibility. In the fall of 1998, he worked directly with the National Security Advisor to prevent Ethiopia and Eritrea from resorting to armed conflict over a border dispute. He also was instrumental in efforts to engage the Pakistani government after its nuclear tests. His two trips to Pakistan reinforced objections to Pakistan's nuclear tests and stressed the importance of avoiding a nuclear arms race between Pakistan and India. Additionally, General Zinni orchestrated the command's large-scale overseas exercise. Conducted in Egypt, this exercise involved not only United States forces but also eleven participating countries, 33 observer nations, and 70,000 troops. This field training exercise emphasized coalition operations, interoperability, and computer simulation of exercise events. It also exhibited regional stability and cultural interaction. General Zinni's decorations include: the Defense Distinguished Service Medal; the Defense Superior Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters; the Bronze Star Medal with Combat ``V'' and gold star; the Purple Heart; the Meritorious Service Medal with gold star; the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat ``V'' and gold star; the Navy Achievement Medal with gold star; the Combat Action Ribbon; the Vietnamese Honor Medal; the French National Order of Merit, and the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. Mr. Speaker, I want to recognize General Zinni for serving the Marine Corps with honor and distinction for 35 years. He has provided a significant and lasting contribution to the Nation's security. I want to wish him and his wife, Debbie, best wishes in the days ahead. The Marine Corps will lose not one, but two exceptional people upon General Zinni's retirement. I know the Members of the House will join me in expressing our appreciation for their distinguished and faithful service to the country.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Sanchez).

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of H.J. Res. 101, a resolution commemorating the 225th anniversary of our United States Army. The principal land force of our country, the United States Army traces its origins to the Continental Army of the Revolutionary War. That Army, raised by the Continental Congress, had the mission of engaging British and Hessian regulars and won our country's independence. That Army was composed largely of long serving volunteers. Now some 225 years and numerous major wars and minor conflicts later, our U.S. Army is again composed of volunteers. We have come full circle. What is important and why we recognize the anniversary of the Army today is that the U.S. Army has defended our Nation and fought with distinction on countless occasions. We in Congress and the American people owe a debt of gratitude to all those who have served in our Army. While the Army dates from 1775, the U.S. Army as a permanent institution really began in June of 1784 when the Confederation Congress approved a resolution to establish a regiment of 700 officers and men to assert Federal authority in the Ohio River Valley. Congress adopted this tiny force after the reorganization of the government under the Constitution of 1789. Since then, the Army has served our great Nation with distinction in many, many memorable conflicts. From its humble beginnings, the Army has been the key force in achieving military success in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, the War Between the States, the Spanish-American War, the First World War, the Second World War, the Korean War, and, of course, the war in Vietnam and, more recently, the Persian Gulf War. Hundreds of memorable battles in these many conflicts highlight a truly illustrious history of dedicated service and selfless sacrifice by literally millions of Americans. Beyond the Army's participation in these major wars, the Army has also been a successful instrument in implementing our Nation's foreign policy objectives and helping to restore democratic institutions of government in a myriad of smaller, short-of-war conflicts and interventions, particularly within the last 50 years. Places like Panama, Grenada, Haiti, Somalia, Bosnia and Kosovo come to mind. As we think today about the great service of our Army and what it has performed over the years, it is important to bear in mind two key considerations: First, the U.S. Army is really a microcosm of American society. Dating back to the days of the original militia in the Revolutionary War, our Army has succeeded in large measure because of the participation of citizen-soldiers. I believe our Army and our military will continue to be as successful as they have been only as long as the people who comprise our forces reflect the makeup of our country and only as long as they have the support of the American people. We need to continue to recruit and retain high quality personnel so that the total Army will continue to be the formidable force that it is today. The second characteristic of the Army that has made it such a success is that it has adapted to changes in warfare, tactics, and techniques as well as technology. It has stayed ahead of our adversaries in efforts to reform, modernize and win wars. From the change from conscription to the all volunteer force; from the use of flintlock muskets to the use of stealth technology of today, the U.S. Army has evolved to become the premier ground force in the world. The effort under way now, to transform the Army into a lighter, more mobile and more lethal force, shows that our Army continues to adapt to the rigors of the modern battlefield and will continue to be successful in the years ahead. As much as we may be inclined to remember the major wars and battles that ultimately brought us victory over the years, it is really the men and women who serve so bravely and so well to whom we should pay tribute to today. Without their selfless dedication, their valor, their perseverance, America would likely not be the free and prosperous society it is as we enjoy it today. H.J. Res. 101 recognizes their service, expresses the gratitude of the Congress and the American people, and calls upon the President to issue an appropriate proclamation, something that he unquestionably should do. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Members who have stayed to this late hour to express the birthday wishes to the United States Army, and a special thanks to our chairman, the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Spence), for introducing this resolution. There are two types of soldiers and have been through the years. First is the citizen soldier, who historically has served so well and then gone home after a conflict or after the service and performed duties in the civic arena. The second kind of soldier is the one who has made a career of leadership within the United States Army. I come from Lafayette County, Missouri, which is the western part of the State, and in my home county there are two shining examples of each of these types of soldiers. Harry Earl Gladish was in the First World War, a member of the National Guard, Battery C of the 129th Field Artillery, 35th Division. He was gassed in combat, recovered and came home and elected mayor of Higginsville, a State representative from our county, and served many, many years as a magistrate judge of Lafayette County. The epitome of the citizen soldier. Then I had the privilege of living next door to another soldier who came back after his distinguished career, a West Point graduate, coming through the ranks as an engineer, as a Brigadier General; built the Alcan Highway as a Brigadier General of the 9th Infantry Division, captured the Remagan Bridge, later retired as a four star general in charge of the entire American Army in Europe, Bill Hoge, General Bill Hoge of Lafayette County, Lexington, Missouri. Both of these gentleman are gone, of course, but they have left the memory and they have left the example for those who follow; the citizen soldier on the one hand and the professional soldier on the other. Those who follow in their footsteps and who wear the American uniform today are performing admirably, as long as they have the same spirit. For Judge Earl Gladish or General Bill Hoge, our Army will always be the finest institution of that sort in the world. So I say happy birthday to the American Army, knowing full well that there are decades and centuries ahead of us where it will perform great tasks for our country. I wish them continued success and Godspeed, as well as a birthday wish. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from America Samoa, Mr. Faleomavaega. (Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Hawaii (Mr. Abercrombie).

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Clement), who I might say, Mr. Speaker, has served our country in his State of Tennessee so well and ably through the years in the National Guard.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, I wish to pay tribute to Mary and Jearl Cobb and Maxine and Gordon Warren, of Richland, Missouri, for demonstrating extraordinary commitment to their community in the effort to obtain a public library. Mary and Jearl Cobb served successive terms as president of the ``Friends of the Library''. During this time, they volunteered to become involved in the effort to maintain a public library service for Richland. Long-time Richland residents, Maxine and Gordon Warren, bought the run down Earl Morgan building to rehabilitate and offered it to the library for a minimal annual amount. They also donated $40,000 to remodel the building and established a $50,000 annual trust for additional community projects. Once the building was identified, Mary and Jearl Cobb voluntarily dedicated numerous hours to the library project in order to make it a reality. Mary raised over $100,000 for mechanical equipment, lumber, paint, and other materials and also organized free lunches for the workers. Jearl recruited dozens of volunteers from all branches of the Armed Services stationed nearby and from the community to install air conditioning, siding and plumbing. He personally helped during every phase of the construction overhaul and even drove to St. Louis to pick up furniture donated to the library. The efforts of Mary and Jearl Cobb and Maxine and Gordon Warren have resulted in the new ``Maxine Warren Library Building'' which was dedicated on April 29, 2000. Mr. Speaker, these Missourians deserve special recognition for completing an extraordinary job. I know the Members of the House will join me in paying tribute to them for their exceptional efforts.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, today, I wish to pay tribute to the troopers of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. These men and women, who are directed by the Governor and Superintendent Weldon L. Wilhoit, deserve our gratitude for their contributions to the citizens of Missouri. You see the Missouri State Highway Patrol's distinctive blue uniforms throughout the state on a daily basis. The men and women of the Patrol can be found tirelessly working on behalf of the residents of the State of Missouri. You may see them testifying in courtrooms throughout the state or working with county sheriffs and local police departments. You may witness their lecturing students on the benefits of highway safety and other important matters. On Missouri's highways, you may see troopers deliver new babies or change motorists' tires, and elsewhere in the state, members of the Patrol may be combating the trade and production of illegal narcotics. In addition to these very important responsibilities to the citizens of the ``Show Me State,'' the Missouri State Highway Patrol specializes in providing protection for Missouri's governor and managing the law enforcement needs of Missouri's gaming industry. The Patrol also maintains Drivers Examination Stations throughout the state and provides detailed analysis of crime and accident scenes through the use of their Crime Laboratory Unit, Aircraft Unit, and Traffic Division. Although the troopers prefer calm and peaceful experiences while on duty, their jobs as law enforcement officers sometimes turn deadly when confrontation occurs with the violent criminal element. Each trooper is fully aware that her/his life may be on the line as 21 troopers have died defending the values of Missouri society. Vigilance is always a prerequisite for a trooper initiating a car stop or interrupting a crime in progress. So that no one will forget the supreme sacrifice that troopers have paid, a large picture of each trooper killed in the line of duty hangs in the Missouri State Highway Patrol General Headquarters Building in Jefferson City. These pictures are a solemn reminder that the law enforcement profession is fraught with danger. Mr. Speaker, the troopers of the Missouri State Highway Patrol exemplify the highest tradition of duty and service to the protection of the citizens of Missouri. I am certain that all Members of the House will join me in expressing appreciation for their dedication.

Mr. SKELTON

Mr. SKELTON. Mr. Speaker, it has come to my attention that a long and exceptional career in education is nearing an end. Dr. Tom F. Luthy, Jr., of Lebanon, Missouri, is retiring after more than 40 years of service to Lebanon Public Schools. Tom began his teaching career as an 18-year-old college student in 1958 at the Blackfoot School. After that, he taught grades five through eight for two years at the two-room Bolles School before teaching for two years at the Lebanon High School. After a year of teaching at the newly built Glendale High School in Springfield, Tom returned to Lebanon as the school's firstever department chair in charge of the social studies program. He continued to teach history for 15 more years at the high school. When the high school moved to its present location in 1976, Tom stayed as the assistant principal of Lebanon Junior High. Two years later, he became the principal and spent the next 17 years guiding the lives of the young people who attended his school. After that, he became the Lebanon R-111 Schools assistant superintendent for personnel and instruction. As an assistant superintendent for the past eight years, Tom has hired more teachers than are currently on the entire district staff. He also guided the district through its highly successful review under the Missouri School Improvement Plan in 1998. Tom has had a great impact on education in the Lebanon area. Early in his career, he created the American Heritage program at the high school. He also was involved in the formation of the C-5 school and was instrumental in naming that school after Joel E. Barber, who was president of the school board at the Blackfoot School where he began his career. After retirement, Tom will still impact education by continuing his work with the statewide Goals 2000 project, which is developing a new physical education model for Missouri. Mr. Speaker, Tom Luthy's passion for excellence in education has made a difference in the lives of students and teachers. I know all Members of Congress will join me in paying tribute to his outstanding service to the Lebanon education community.