Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the incredible achievements of John Wooden, famed educator, coach, and basketball player. Coach Wooden was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Nation's highest civilian honor, in a ceremony at the White House today.

What Coach Wooden accomplished during his 40 years of coaching will never be surpassed. He compiled an 885-203 record, leading the UCLA Bruins to 10 NCAA Men's Basketball Championships. During his time at UCLA, the Bruins had four undefeated seasons and 88 consecutive victories, including 38 straight NCAA tournament victories. Among his many honors Wooden was named NCAA College Basketball Coach of the Year six times. Coach Wooden nurtured and inspired many of the greatest basketball players of all time who would go on to fame in their own right, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton.

Wooden was also a standout athlete. Born and raised in Martinsville, Indiana, Wooden led his high school squad to the state title in 1927. Later, at Purdue University, he won letters in basketball and baseball as a freshman, and then went on to captain Purdue to the 1932 National Collegiate Championship. Wooden's accomplishments on the basketball court led to him being one of only two men enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame as both player and coach.

But it is his role as an educator where he has made his greatest mark. Wooden developed the ``Pyramid of Success'', a graphic representation of the ideals that form the basis of Wooden's outlook on life and explain much of his success on and off the court. Emphasizing such traits as skill, poise, and confidence, the Pyramid of Success has helped millions be their best when their best was needed.

Coach Wooden has not been content to sit back as a legend. He is a best-selling author, active on the public speaking circuit, and has devoted much of his energies to public service. Wooden was the first sports figure to be awarded the Bellarmine Medal of Excellence, whose other recipients have included Mother Teresa and Walter Cronkite. He received the 1994 Landry Medal for Inspiration to American Youth and also has a number of honorary degrees. The National Father's Day Committee has named him ``Grandfather of the Year'' and the National Urban League has honored him for his years of humanitarian service.

Mr. Speaker, John Wooden's philosophy benefits us all. Be quick, but don't hurry. It's not how tall you are, but how tall you play. Make each day your masterpiece. Character is what you really are; reputation is what you are perceived to be. Through his life's work and his great accomplishments, Coach John Wooden has earned every award he has received. More importantly, he has earned our respect and admiration. Please join me in congratulating this legendary coach and educator on his latest award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Mr. Speaker, I would like today to pay tribute to Allen B. Gresham, a legendary attorney and highly respected community leader for more than four decades in San Bernardino County, California. Mr. Gresham is retiring from full-time practice after 41 years of building one of the top legal firms in Inland Southern California, and nearly as long helping make our community a better place.

My friend Allen Gresham grew up in El Centro, California and received his law degree from Stanford University before joining a San Bernardino law firm in 1959. In just 3 years, he was named as a partner, and became the senior partner by 1978. Gresham, Savage, Nolan and Tilden now has 27 lawyers and is one of the most respected and accomplished law firms in Southern California.

Mr. Gresham served as president of the San Bernardino County Bar Association in 1969 and as a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers for the past 25 years. He was named one of the ``Best Lawyers in America'' for the past decade, and was honored as one of the top lawyers in America in 2001. He was selected as one of the top five business litigators in the Inland Empire in that year, as well.

Almost from the beginning, Allen Gresham was active in our community. He has been a member of the Kiwanis Club of San Bernardino since 1960, and has been a director of Arrowhead United Way since 1964. He was a director of the San Bernardino County Symphony Association from 1967 to 1973 and rejoined the board in 1989--serving as its president for the next 4 years.

In 1971, Mr. Gresham stepped up his activities dramatically, beginning 32 years of service in two groups that have helped ensure that San Bernardino County grows economically and in its educational opportunities. He was elected to the Board of Trustees of the San Bernardino Community College District--and has been reelected for 8 consecutive terms. As board chairman for 3 of those terms, Mr. Gresham has helped a sleepy community college of a few thousand students grow into an academic powerhouse that today serves more than 30,000 on two campuses.

In that same year, Mr. Gresham joined Inland Action, Inc., a service group formed by community leaders to maximize the economic development of San Bernardino County, and to ensure that the county retains the benefits of Norton Air Force Base. Over my 25 years in Congress, I have worked closely with Allen Gresham and the other members of Inland Action to keep the Inland Empire high in the attention of the Federal Government. Although Norton was closed in 1988, the group has continued to strive for economic progress, and was a significant factor in winning community control of the former base in 1998. There is no doubt in my mind that the efforts of Allen Gresham and the other members of Inland Action has helped ensure that San Bernardino County is on course to be an economic powerhouse for decades to come.

I have always looked forward to the annual Inland Action trips to Washington--not least because a meeting with Allen Gresham was always a joy. He provides a combination of personal stability with an amazing ability to laugh at himself and bring laughter to those around him. His engaging and informed participation is one of the reasons Inland Action has forged numerous ties to lawmakers and federal officials that have paid off handsomely for the San Bernardino area.

Allen Gresham has received many well-deserved honors over his life of community service. He was named Citizen of the Year by the local board of realtors in 1975, Distinguished Citizen by the Military Airlift Command in 1988, Citizen of Achievement by the League of Women Voters in 1991 and received the San Bernardino County Bar Association's ``John B. Surr Award'' for outstanding service to the legal profession in 1999.

Mr. Speaker, as Allen Gresham retires from active practice, he is also stepping down from his role in Inland Action to give him more personal time with his wonderful wife of 49 years, Clara Thompson Gresham. Please join me in wishing them well in their retirement years, and thanking them for all of the many, many years they have devoted to their community.

Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Chairman, I must say that the gentleman presented the 5-minute or so speech I was planning to make. I want to associate myself with the gentleman's remarks.

I think with great foresight the gentleman has recognized that we have done a good deal of the job that had to be done a long time ago. There is no reason to move away from where we are today, indeed, in connection with this competition is having its effect and cross- ownership is highly overblown.

Mr. Chairman, there may very well have been a time when people were justified in their concern that ABC, NBC and CBS dominated the media world and controlled what we watched.

But it is clear that competition has changed that world in many and varied ways. Today we have cable and many other offerings that give us more choice than we have ever had.

Those who want to overrule the FCC rules entirely are concerned with what they consider to be inappropriate programming. But it is not just ABC, NBC and CBS that provide these programs. Today many broadcasters and cable programmers provide endless avenues of entertainment that our diverse American public can enjoy.

We cannot dictate the tastes of the American public. And we have learned that when we try to control the marketplace by federal dictate, we most likely end up having our quest for perfection become the enemy of the good. This amendment would not solve problems, it would create them, and should be opposed.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to have my name removed as a cosponsor of H.R. 1472.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from California?

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 2658, making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2004, and for other purposes, and that I may include tabular and extraneous material.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

First, I appreciate very much having the opportunity to share this time with the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha). I am very pleased today to bring before the House the 2004 defense appropriations bill. It is a bill that reflects very much the direction of the Commander-in-Chief as well as the Department of Defense regarding the war on terrorism that we are pursuing in the Middle East at this point, but also recognizing its great threat around the world.

The bill itself is a very, very good bill that I highly commend to the Members, Mr. Chairman. I must say that in terms of its allocation, I am a bit disappointed, for the bill before us is in the neighborhood of $3 billion below the President's request. But having said that, we did provide some reallocation that helps some of our other bills, and in the meantime, we are doing all we can to recoup some of those dollars by way of other venues.

Having said that, the bill is a very balanced bill, and we have made every effort to reflect the will of the House as well as the needs of our men and women who are representing us so well around the world.

Before going on and commenting briefly about the bill, I want to express my deep appreciation to my colleague from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha), who works hand in glove with me in developing this bill, always, but particularly in this very difficult year with the challenges we face in the world.

Mr. Chairman, I must say that this work would not have been able to have

been carried forward in this timely fashion without the help of our very fine staff, Kevin Roper particularly, on my side, and a variety and mix of other fine staff members. I will let the gentleman from Pennsylvania talk about his fantastic staff on his own.

But in the meantime, rather than going into great deal about the bill at this point in time, let me say that we have made every effort to fully fund the personnel needs that we face in this challenging world, such as a modest pay raise for our men and women who make up our forces, and funding the health care programs that are so vital to their needs, as well as their housing challenges.

We are also providing funding to make certain as we go about being successful in this war on terrorism we also are laying the foundation for America's leading the world in a way that will preserve peace for all of us.

At this point, Mr. Chairman, I would like to insert the following tabular summary of the bill.

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Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young), chairman of the full committee.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. Chairman, the minority has seen the amendment and has no objection. I simply ask for its passage.

I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order on the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Chairman, echoing the words of the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha), I withdraw my point of order.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order on the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order on the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Chairman, I certainly would agree with the statement made by my colleague from Pennsylvania. As the gentleman and I discussed on an earlier occasion, it is our intention to work very closely with the Delegate to see that every step is taken to make certain that the people of Puerto Rico have all the flexibility they possibly can have to maximize the potential of this potentially very valuable property, and one that could provide a great stimulus for their economy.

Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Chairman, I repeat to the gentleman that I very much appreciate his forthright discussion of this matter. I know of the potential difficulty that could be faced, but I want the gentleman to know that we are very committed to working with him to carefully see that this very potentially valuable property is used for the best interest of people of Puerto Rico. Our experience with base closing would suggest there is a variety in mix of approaches that might very well be taken, and we look forward to giving him all the support that we possibly can.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order on the gentlewoman's amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order against the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the gentleman's yielding.

Let me mention that the gentleman and I have had a chance to discuss this, and I am aware of his concerns. The gentleman and I have very similar concerns in this arena.

Frankly, I would hope that, if the gentleman withdraw this amendment, we will have a chance to discuss it further and try to provide the kind of flexibility we need to give him the assurance and employees the assurance they need so we can go forward in a positive way.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve a point of order against the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to very briefly oppose this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, this is appropriately an item that should be a part of the authorization process. It is my understanding at the subcommittee level there was support for this proposal and there was a decision at the full committee to turn that around, and the authorizing committee has spoken in terms of this question.

It is, in my judgment, poor policy on the part of the Committee on Appropriations, going through the back door by limiting appropriations to essentially undo what is the policy in the existing law, a policy which has not been changed by the authorizing committee.

I yield to the gentleman from Washington.

Mr. Chairman, I withdraw my point of order.

Mr. Chairman, reclaiming my time, I very strongly oppose the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that it be in order on Tuesday, July 8, 2003, for the Speaker, as though pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule XVIII, to declare the House resolved into the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union for consideration of a bill reported pursuant to section 6 of House Resolution 299 making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2004, and for other purposes, which shall proceed according to the following order:

The first reading of the bill shall be dispensed with.

All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived.

General debate shall be confined to the bill and shall not exceed 1 hour equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Appropriations.

After general debate, the bill shall be considered for amendment under the 5-minute rule.

Points of order against provisions in the bill for failure to comply with clause 2 of rule XXI are waived.

During consideration of the bill for amendment, the Chairman of the Committee of the Whole may accord priority in recognition on the basis of whether the Member offering an amendment has caused it to be printed in the portion of the Congressional Record designated for that purpose in clause 8 of rule XVIII. Amendments so printed shall be considered as read.

At the conclusion of consideration of the bill for amendment, the Committee shall rise and report the bill to the House with such amendments as may have been adopted. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill and amendments thereto to final passage without intervening motion except one motion to recommit with or without instructions.

Mr. Speaker, I would like today to pay a special tribute to a very special teacher, Clara Corrin, who is retiring after 48 years in education--including 3 decades molding thousands of fourth graders into knowledgeable and confident youngsters at Kimberly Elementary School in my hometown of Redlands.

Clara Corrin got her start working with children even before she finished her own education, starting in 1955 as a nursery school teacher in Orange, NJ. She taught at a number of nursery schools and eventually became assistant director of the Head Start program in Springfield, MA.

Showing a lifelong dedication to improving her teaching expertise, Mrs. Corrin earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education in 1970, and went on to get her Masters of Arts in Education in 1976. She has continued her training with an administrative credential in 1977 and received a Mott Fellowship for studies in Educational Counseling at the University of Redlands.

A generation of fourth graders has now benefited from that expertise at Kimberly Elementary. Mrs. Corrin began her career with Redlands Unified as a substitute in 1972, and began full time the next year. In recent years, many of her former students, who have gone on to become doctors, lawyers, teachers and successful business owners, have been delighted to find that their own children are also in Mrs. Corrin's classroom and capable hands.

Her dedication led to a nomination for Teacher of the Year for the Redlands Unified School District in 1993, and she was appointed Summer School principal at Cram School in Redlands. Going beyond the classroom, Mrs. Corrin coordinated the district's ``Here's Looking at You 2000'' drug abuse prevention program, and has been an active member in the Redlands Teachers' Association and the State teachers association. She is also active in the Phi Delta Kappa and Pi Lambda Theta teachers' sororities.

Outside of the school, Mrs. Corrin has served as chapter president for the California Association of Neurologically Handicapped Children, and has been a board member for the Redlands Valley Rehabilitation Workshop. She is an active member of The Links, Incorporated and raised more than $19,000 for scholarships awarded by the San Bernardino Valley Chapter.

Mr. Speaker, the thousands of students who passed through Clara Corrin's door learned well the motto posted there: ``Enter to Learn, Exit to Lead.'' Please join me in congratulating this exemplary leader of youth for a lifetime of public service, and wish her well in her well-deserved retirement.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. Murtha and I rise today to pay tribute to General Eric Shinseki, an outstanding soldier and American who is retiring as the 34th Chief of Staff of the Army after more than 38 years of distinguished service to his country. He is an exceptional leader with a clear sense of purpose, conviction, and conscience of service to his nation.

General Shinseki has served as Chief of Staff in one of the most dynamic and challenging periods in the storied 228-year history of the United States Army. Under his leadership, the Army began a ``transformation'' from a force focused on a defined threat that won the Cold War to a more flexible force that is capable of meeting the new and varied threats of the 21st century. At the same time General Shinseki was managing this historic level of change, he ensured the Army maintained the highest levels of combat readiness that were demonstrated so successfully during operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

General Shinseki received his commission from the United States Military Academy in 1965. He served two combat tours in the Republic of Vietnam with the 9th and 25th Infantry Divisions, first as an artillery forward observer and later as Commander of Troop A, 3rd Squadron, 5th Cavalry. During both he was seriously wounded.

Since Vietnam, General Shinseki has served in a variety of command and staff assignments in the Continental United States and overseas. He served in Hawaii at Schofield Barracks with Headquarters, United States Army Hawaii, and at Ft. Shafter with Headquarters, United States Army Pacific. He also taught at the United States Military Academy's Department of English. During duty with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Ft. Bliss, Texas, he served as Regimental Adjutant and Executive Officer with the 1st Squadron.

Ric spent over ten years in Europe, which included assignments as Commander, 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry; Commander, 2nd Brigade; Assistant Chief of Staff G3; and Assistant Division Commander, all with the 3rd Infantry Division (Mechanized).

From 1994 to July 1995, he commanded the 1st Cavalry Division at Ft. Hood, Texas and in July 1996, he was promoted to Lieutenant General and became the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans at the Department of the Army.

He was selected for the rank of General in June 1997 and assumed duties as Commanding General, United States Army Europe and Commander, NATO Stabilization Force in Bosnia-Herzegovina. In November 1998 he assumed duties as Vice Chief of Staff of the Army.

In addition to receiving a Bachelor of Science Degree from the United States Military Academy, he also holds a Master of Arts Degree in English Literature from Duke University. General Shinseki's military education includes the Armor Officer Advanced Course, the United States Army Command and General Staff College, and the National War College.

His awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit (with Oak Leaf Clusters), the Bronze Star Medal with ``V'' device (with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters), as well the Purple Heart (with Oak Leaf Cluster). He has also been awarded the Parachutist Badge, the Ranger Tab, the Office of the Secretary of Defense Identification Badge, Joint Chief of Staff Identification Badge, and Army Staff Identification Badge.

History will look very favorably on the accomplishments of General Shinseki. It is easy to talk about concepts such as ``transformation'', but it takes a visionary leader to implement them. There are countless decisions that he has had to make that might very

well mean the difference between success and failure on current and future battlefields. General Shinseki successfully met every challenge during his tenure as Chief of Staff with professionalism, commitment, and perseverance.

To Ric and his wife Patti, God speed and enjoy a well-deserved retirement.

The United States Army will miss you and so will we.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is a totally unexpected circumstance, for it has not been my privilege to serve on the Page Board. My name is Jerry Lewis, from California. I have the privilege of chairing the subcommittee that deals with national defense. Our Secretary of Defense and General Meyers are briefing the Members, as you may know, over in the Rayburn Building; and we have had those discussions many a time. But I came here to the floor for other reasons and found this going on and thought it might be an opportunity to express my appreciation and say a few words to this class as you are leaving, for a time at any rate, the Nation's capital.

I wanted to share a couple of thoughts with you. When I was young, not really thinking about public affairs, I grew up in a household where my mother was a Democrat and my father was a Republican. So I grew up pretty confused, and over those early years spent a lot of time trying to figure out what are the Democrats all about and what are the Republicans all about, and is there really a lot of difference between these huge gray donkeys and elephants.

I came to Washington for the first time in 1955 as a student at UCLA, along with 11 other students, on our way to India in a program that existed before the Peace Corps, called Project India. Our job was to travel to Southeast Asia, go from community to community in India and try to communicate with our friends, Indian college students. On the way, we stopped in the Nation's capital. I had not been far out of San Bernardino before that. We spent a couple of days talking to USIA and the State Department people, and then we took a half day off to look at the monuments of this wonderful place. That is the story I kind of want to begin to share with you.

On that trip together we walked up the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for the first time, saw that wonderful statue seated in that temple. It is a magnificent first experience, chills up your spine. We had an appointment shortly thereafter on the edge of the Potomac, and in those days you could take a chain of boats and ride in a chain of boats along the Potomac and look at the Capitol and monuments from a different perspective.

We found ourselves waiting for a half hour, 45 minutes, and finally an hour went by only to learn that the reason for our wait was because two of our students were being told they would have to ride in a boat to be attached to the back because they happened to be black. The summer of 1955, 12 young idealistic kids from UCLA going to India to talk about freedom and hope and opportunity, and that scene at the Lincoln Memorial, and then that experience on the Potomac is something you just cannot wipe out of your memory.

But the point was not at all that our country had not made significant progress between the days of Lincoln and that summer of 1955. Clearly we had made much progress in our country. Clearly, also, we have made a lot

of progress since then and today. But the real point is, as I visit Lincoln, the real point is that this is our government, your government. If we are not happy with pieces of it, clearly we have a responsibility to try to impact it, to push it, to shove it down a pathway that makes a lot more sense from our perspective.

Mr. Speaker, I went to India that summer thinking that maybe I might actually go into politics some time. I thought then I would probably run for office as a Democrat. I came back from India convinced, as I went through the summer trying to figure out the differences between the two great parties, that for me, Jerry Lewis, I probably absolutely would run for public office one day, but if I did so, I had made the decision that the place where I could have the biggest impact was on the Republican side of the aisle instead.

I draw the painting regarding the Potomac for one reason, and the quest for the difference between one or the other, I would love to hear from some of you in the months and years ahead, hear from you about what you decide to do in terms of your pathway in life, and what you decided to do if you involved yourself in partisan politics. Because it is people like you who make the two great parties great. But, more importantly, you can continue to make sure that our country is by far the best and the most important force for freedom in the world.

Thank you for what you have done, and it is a pleasure to have been with you.

Mr. Speaker, I have before me an outline of information regarding General Eric Shinseki, Chief of the United States Army, who is on the verge of his retirement. The material before me involves much more than the 5 minutes that is available to us at this moment, but the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha) and I want to make sure that all of this is in the Record.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a genuine American hero, our retiring Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Eric K. Shinseki. After leading the Army during successful campaigns against terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq and putting the Army on an irreversible track towards transformation, General Shinseki is stepping down as Chief of Staff of the Army next week.

Mr. Speaker, there is many a thing that I would say, but most of us in the House have come to know and be spellbound by the story of General Shinseki's life. Indeed, Hollywood could not have written a better story that would reflect an Horatio Alger kind of hero during our very age.

Mr. Speaker, when I first met General Shinseki, I was a newly elected chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security of the Committee on Appropriations. Shortly after assuming that responsibility, I was asked to go to the swearing-in of the new Army Chief, meeting a general whom I had really not known at all for the first time, the beginning of a very deep and growing friendship.

Eric Shinseki, upon being sworn in, was introduced; and in that introduction I learned for the first time when he was born, Rick Shinseki was born a foreign alien, for he was of Japanese dissent, born in Hawaii, and World War II was raging. So a foreign alien. Think of that and think of the reflection and what that says about our country that some years later that same individual rises to be the Chief of the United

States Army. It is a fantastic reflection of this country's strength and what it means in terms of service and opportunity for those who will but serve.

Another piece of that introduction and the Chief's speech says an awful lot about this guy Rick Shinseki. I will never forget his words. Turning to the audience, he said, I want all of you who are here present to know I would not be here today if it were not for the Shinseki women, and he pointed out some two dozen of those women who were in the audience, his grandmother, his mother, wife, daughters, et cetera. With that, he went on to outline his vision for the future of the Army relatively near term, and for the first time I heard in a meaningful way an outline by a military leader that involved the term transformation. He was about transforming the American Army and making sure we found ourselves on a pathway that would allow the Army to lead this free country as the only remaining superpower for the decades ahead.

As he discussed the fact that the Army needed to be lighter and quicker and stronger, I heard a fellow just behind me who also had stars on his shoulders, I heard him gasp, what does this guy think the Marine Corps is for, although the terms he used in expressing that sentiment were a little stronger than I have used here. But, nonetheless, a clear illustration that there continues to be competition between our branches, which is good, but there also continues to be a great need for transformation throughout the Department of Defense. And the first guy out on the point regarding that transformation is this great Chief who is now retiring, Eric Shinseki.

The gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha) and I have had a chance to work very closely with the Chief. We have had a chance to play a role in developing ideas of his such as the future combat system, to talk out loud about what that future battlefield might look like and to talk about the fact that we are responsible for by far the largest budget in the Congress, those moneys that flow on behalf of our national defense and allowing America to be the voice for freedom. Indeed, in those conversations time and time again, the General and I come back to this thought:

That is the thought that the reason we spend these moneys is not because we are about to wage war but because America is the force for peace and we appropriate these dollars and work with the Army and the rest of our forces on behalf of peace in the world. So as General Eric K. Shinseki goes on to a new part of his life, we thank him for his great and wonderful service, and we all are in his debt.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a genuine American hero-- our retiring Chief of Staff of the United States Army, General Eric K. Shinseki. After leading the Army during successful campaigns against terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq and putting the Army on an irreversible track towards transformation, General Shinseki is stepping down as chief of staff next week.

Many of us in the Congress have come to know, and be spellbound by, the story of General Shinseki's life. Indeed, Hollywood couldn't have written a better Horatio Alger story. General Shinseki, as we've all come to know, was born during World War II to Japanese-American parents at a time when the fears of war created a regrettable episode in our history--the internment of American citizens and loyal immigrants. Between then and now, much has changed in the world and in this country. General Shinseki has been a positive force for some of that change, even as his incredible professional accomplishments are a symbol of that change.

Indeed, I remember so well the first time I heard the Shinseki story. It was during the introduction at his swearing-in ceremony as the Army's Chief of Staff. That story moved me, but I was also struck by General Shinseki's own remarks that followed. He spoke eloquently and forcefully on a broad range of topics--it was during these remarks that I first heard the term ``transformation.'' General Shinseki shared with us his powerful vision for change and I was intrigued at how clear his transformational ideas were, and how resolute and determined he seemed in bringing this about. I also remember what he said about his family-- just how important they were to him. He singled out, as he called them, the dozen or so ``Shinseki women,'' in the audience--his grandmother, mother, sisters, wife, and daughters--saying he wouldn't be where he was today without them. His sincere humility and gratitude on this his big day, was inspiring. It was a moving set of remarks on a propitious and portentous day, an event that remains fresh in my memory even now.

With the guiding hand of loving parents, Ric Shinseki matured into an extraordinary young American with rock-solid values and with a calling to serve--``Duty, Honor, Country.'' This West Point graduate is a decorated combat veteran and an accomplished peacemaker. He is a fierce warrior-leader with a Master's degree in Literature--a true Renaissance man. His story is an inspiration for us all. He has lived the ``American Dream'' rising to become the 34th Army Chief of Staff.

As a young junior officer, Ric Shinseki served valiantly and selflessly in Vietnam, where he was wounded twice--once so severely his troops were convinced he would not survive. His valor and courage under fire won him three Bronze Star Medals for valor and two Purple Hearts.

A ``soldier's soldier'' who has commanded at every level, General Shinseki is also a reflective and intellectually gifted leader. In addition to West Point, General Shinseki has attended the National War College and Duke University. Those of us in the Congress involved extensively with defense issues have come to know him as an insightful thinker and inspirational speaker and writer. He is someone we all trust and respect.

Nearing the pinnacle of his Army career, General Shinseki spent 15 months as the commander of the NATO Stabilization Force in Bosnia in 1997. He led this force with remarkable skill, helping that land begin to heal the wounds of years of war. His abilities as a warrior-diplomat subsequently helped the Army prepare for and execute its peacekeeping responsibilities in Kosovo.

General Eric Shinseki became Army Chief of Staff in June 1999--just six months after I took the job as chairman of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. Over the past four years, we have spent a lot of the time together, professionally and socially, and I have always come away from those meetings inspired and thoughtful about the general's visionary ideas.

In many ways his early performance in Vietnam revealed the true measure and character of this man. This is a tough man who sticks to what he believes is right, even when it is unpopular, controversial, and sometimes even when it is against his own interests. True courage. And we have seen more of this during his tour as Army Chief of Staff.

After only a few months into his tenure as Army Chief, General Shinseki unveiled his comprehensive plan for transformation, the vision for which, as I mentioned earlier, he introduced at his swearing-in ceremony. This town is indebted to him for bringing our collective attention to this important mandate. Transformation is now a very popular phrase in defense circles, with many proclaimed authors, but in this Body in these chambers, we know where this all started and gained traction--with the humble and understated Ric Shinseki.

Think about how difficult it was for this career Armor officer, a Tanker himself, to lead the Army in a direction away from 70-ton tanks towards a lighter, more strategically responsive force. Indeed, General Shinseki faced considerable skepticism within the naturally conservative institution that is the U.S. Army. An Army, after all, that had been tremendously successful over the past decade during major combat operations in Panama, the Persian Gulf, and in several other lesser contingencies and peacekeeping operations around the globe. Yet, General Shinseki knew that more than incremental changes were needed to get the Army ready for future requirements--it wasn't enough to look backwards as validation of work well done.

After 9-11, and after devastating attacks only yards away from his office, General Shinseki quickly moved the Army onto a ``wartime footing.'' Like all Americans, I watched with pride and wonderment as our armed forces quickly accomplished their objectives time and again in Afghanistan and most recently now in Iraq. This is the legacy that General Shinseki leaves behind--a fabulously well trained and disciplined force that is helping win the Global War on Terror, while at the same time it is transforming itself to meet the threats of the 21st Century.

Throughout our time together, I have greatly valued this man's opinion and judgment that is always carefully arrived at and based upon over three and a half decades of experience and committed service to the nation. We haven't always agreed, in fact, we've had some major differences over the years, but there is not one in this town I respect more than our outgoing Army Chief of Staff. We will miss him sorely. And we will miss his lovely wife Patty, too. She has steadfastly and selflessly stood by her husband and the Army for over 38 years and today on behalf of my colleagues of the United States Congress, we say ``thank you'' for a job well done, and may

God bless you with health and happiness in all future endeavors. Although we now end our time together as Chairman and Chief, we will always remain friends.

Mr. Speaker, I greatly appreciate this very special opportunity to honor my friend, General Eric Shinseki--a model citizen and soldier.

Mr. Speaker, we in America have a penchant celebrating milestones in just about every endeavor, be it sports, business or even school attendance. But today I would like to recognize a truly amazing milestone, which is only rarely reached in our modern world: the 75th wedding anniversary of Boyd and Irene Maddox of San Bernardino County.

Boyd Maddox and Irene Crozier are lifelong residents of the Old West, growing up in the rugged early 20st-Century New Mexico Territory, marrying in Tombstone, Arizona and finally settling at the 250,000-acre Las Flores Ranch in the Mojave Desert--a working cattle ranch that still provides good employment to the cowboys of the 21st Century.

Boyd was born in Lordsburg, New Mexico in 1908 and grew up on a cattle ranch where he got to know a young neighbor girl named Sandra Day--later to become Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. After graduating from New Mexico Military Academy, Boyd became a messenger for Continental Bank of Los Angeles, and then worked his way up through a series of banks to become chief bookkeeper of the Douglas State Bank in southern Arizona.

Irene had graduated from Tombstone High School, and married the young bank officer on June 10, 1928 at Old Adobe Episcopal Church in her hometown. The couple homesteaded for 2 years, but the depression forced Boyd to go to work for the Civilian Conservation Corps as a bookkeeper.

A former bank employer had purchased a cattle ranch--the Las Flores Ranch in the Mojave Desert, and urged the Maddox's to come west and help him manage it. They finally visited in September 1938, and never left. Boyd became the working general manager and stayed for the next 50 years until his retirement. Irene raised Boyd, Jr., who is now 67.

Mr. Speaker, Boyd and Irene Maddox are enjoying an active retirement, traveling, visiting friends and reminiscing. I'm sure we would be spellbound by the stories they could tell of their remarkable life together all these years. Please join me in congratulating them on their 75th wedding anniversary, and wishing them many more years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I would like today to join the people of Loma Linda, California, in singing the praises of Minnie Iverson Wood, who has been teaching music and directing choirs for more than 75 years--and plans to continue teaching students after her 95th birthday on May 26th.

This remarkable teacher and musician got her start in music at Pine Tree Academy in her native Maine, and continued her education in voice and foreign languages at Columbia Union College in Takoma Park, Maryland and Catholic University of America. She took lessons in voice, choir conducting and piano in the United States, Europe and the Far East.

With her husband, Dr. Wilton Wood, Mrs. Wood went to China, where she taught at Far Eastern Academy in Shanghai and Hong Kong. She has taught music and conducted choirs at the Baltic Union Seminary in Riga, Latvia; the Malayan Seminary in Singapore; and the Philippine Union College. Back in the United States, she taught at Columbia Union College for 10 years and at Andrews University in Michigan for 16 years.

Mrs. Wood has conducted choirs around the world, and organized major musical events such as Handel's Messiah and Brahms' Requiem. She personally sang for President Truman, and her choirs performed for Presidents Eisenhower and Nixon. Her choral groups also sang a yearly memorial service at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, Virginia.

Many of Mrs. Wood's musical groups have performed live on radio programs, including an a cappella choral group from Columbia Union College that gave weekly Sunday performances. She also organized the choir music for the Seventh-Day Adventist Church General Conference Session in Cleveland in 1958.

In addition to her long career as a music teacher, Mrs. Wood was a grade school teacher for 11 years. Her use of phonics helped her first grade class to be able to read at least one grade level above average by the end of each school year. The method was so successful she was asked to train other teachers in its use.

Mr. Speaker, as she reaches her 95th year, Minnie Iverson Woods continues to teach and mentor several dozen private students, and to be active on the Sabbath School Music Committee. Her students from 75 years of teaching will gather this week in a special Vespers concert to honor this wonderful teacher. Please join me in thanking her for a lifetime of making a joyful noise, and wishing her well in the years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I would like today to congratulate Daniel S. Coelho, a good friend and mentor of mine, as he celebrates his 50th year as a leader in the financial security industry. As he celebrates this milestone, he can take pride in having helping thousands of families to ensure their financial future and start productive new businesses.

Many of my colleagues know that I began my professional life as an independent insurance agent, specializing in whole life insurance. It was during those early years that I came to know Daniel Coelho, who was my general agent with Penn Mutual Life and helped me learn the trade and how important these policies can be for American families.

Americans today have an entire universe of options to invest in their future, from Individual Retirement Accounts to 401k savings. But before any of these were established, whole life insurance was the most important way for American families to plan for their future. Millions of families ensured that their spouses and children would have financial security, while at the same time laying a foundation for their own retirement. And millions of entrepreneurs have used these policies as the only way to get capital to start the small businesses that are the bedrock of our economy.

Dan Coelho has spent 5 decades in this industry, establishing a record of business ethics and policy leadership that has earned the trust of thousands of families who have counted on him and his firm to lay their financial future. His advice and support has helped entrepreneurs create thousands of small businesses--many of which are now large and successful firms.

A California native born to immigrant parents, Dan graduated from University of California, Berkeley in 1950 after capping his college career by being elected student body president. He went to work for Bechtel Corporation in Arkansas, where he met his future wife, Jenny Johnson.

After service in the Korean conflict, Dan entered his life insurance career with the Penn Mutual Life General Agency in San Francisco, and was appointed General Agent in Detroit in 1957. After that agency was given the company's President's Award, he was offered the Los Angeles agency in 1962. Over the next 23 years, the Los Angeles agency grew into one of the nation's largest, and was renamed Resources Financial. It now offers a full range of investment and estate planning and business services for small and large companies.

Daniel Coelho has become known to many of my colleagues as a Core Group Member for the Association for Advanced Life Underwriters, which seeks to protect these basic investments for Americans. There is no doubt that some in government have had their eye on these pools of individual financial security as potential sources for taxation, and investors should thank Dan Coelho and his fellows for watching over their interests in Washington and state capitals.

Mr. Speaker, thousands of families owe their financial peace of mind to Daniel S. Coelho and the company he has led for the past 50 years. Please join me in congratulating him for those years of success and service, and wish him and Jenny well in their future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I very much appreciate my colleague yielding time to me.

I cannot help but say to the House that later in the day I expect that I will have a lot of exchange with my very good friend, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey). I express my appreciation for the magnificent work that he and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Young) have done together regarding this bill.

It is a war supplemental for the 2003 year. It is a process that will go forward today in a very, very positive way with both sides of the aisle expressing their support for our troops, both sides of the aisle responding I think positively to the need to make sure that funding goes forward effectively.

I cannot help, however, as I sit and listen to this discussion regarding open rules to share with my colleagues a conversation I had a moment ago with my colleague, the chairman, who was not really wringing his hands but he was saying to me, ``I cannot help but remember a decade I spent in the minority in the Florida Senate. I cannot help but remember all the time I spent as a Member of the House.'' Some, not all, of 40 years in this House, but a very big hunk of time, when the other side controlled, the other side of the aisle. And indeed, they are constantly talking about open rules the way they saw them, and beauty does lie in the eyes of the genuflector around this place.

I was reminded a moment ago of the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter) in a parade that she participates in regularly, I understand, and as she came down the roadway in that parade that day, one of our fine staffers over here happened to flash up a sign that said ``Louise, more open rules, please.''

It is fascinating when one majority controls a place for more than 4 decades, and indeed, now comes here to the floor and complains so rather effectively about our learning so much from them, during the years they controlled it with such an iron fist.