[Pages S83-S85]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, WILLIAM S. COHEN

Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, our Nation has been most pleased with the
extraordinary leadership of Secretary William S. Cohen at the helm of
our Armed Forces for the past 4 years. On January 17, 2001, the
Chairman and members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff honored Secretary
Cohen and his lady, the First Lady of our military, Janet Cohen, with a
spectacular ceremony at Fort Myer. Although the ceremony was to
officially honor Secretary Cohen, it made all in attendance most
pleased that Mrs. Cohen, Janet, as she is known to men and women in the
Armed Forces, was also honored. I believe it was the first time in
history when our troops were officially reviewed by the Secretary and
his lady. Janet Cohen was most deserving of this high honor. As the
remarks eloquently note, she was, indeed, the First Lady of the United
States Armed Forces.
The pomp and ceremony, the colors and the parade were memorable, but
the remarks made by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General
Henry S. Shelton, and the response by Secretary Cohen will be long
remembered. I respectfully believe that these speeches are worthy of
the attention of my colleagues. Accordingly, I ask unanimous consent
that a copy of the remarks by General Henry S. Shelton, Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the responding remarks of the Secretary of
the Department of Defense, the Honorable William S. Cohen, be printed
in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:

Remarks of General Henry H. Shelton, USA, at the Farewell Ceremony in
Honor of Secretary Cohen

Secretary and Mrs. Cohen, Mr. Kevin Cohen, Members of the
Cabinet, Designated Members of the Cabinet, Members of the
Diplomatic Corps, Distinguished Members of Congress, Service
secretaries, Fellow members of the Joint Chiefs, Commanders-
In-Chief, Unified and Functional Commands, Distinguished
guests, Fellow members of the Armed Forces, Ladies and
Gentlemen:
Thanks to each of you for coming to this special event as
we, the members of the Armed Forces and the Department of
Defense, pause to honor and salute a truly great American
couple.
But first, let me, once again, thank the outstanding men
and women standing in front of you today and representing
hundreds of thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines
and coastguardsmen. They are truly our Nation's treasure . .
. they serve with honor and courage . . . and they are
committed to keeping America strong and free.
Let's give them a hand!
We are all here this morning to honor and pay tribute to
Secretary and Mrs. Cohen. And while it is always difficult to
say farewell . . . the task is particularly difficult today
because the Secretary and Janet have served the department .
. . and indeed this Nation . . . with such distinction and so
unselfishly over the past 4 years.
Of course, Secretary Cohen's outstanding service to the
Nation encompasses much more than his tenure as Secretary of
Defense. For nearly a quarter century, first as a Congressman
and later as a Senator from the great State of Maine, he
served his constituents and, indeed, all Americans well . . .
as a skillful legislator and powerful advocate.
In the Senate, he was known as an influential voice on
defense and international security. He was admired for his
commitment to the principle that the security of our Nation
is not, and should never be, a partisan matter. His focus,
always, was on what was best for America and what was best
for the men and women of our Armed Forces.
All of us here today recognize it is a great honor to be
asked by the President to serve in the Cabinet . . .
especially if it's the first time in American history when an
elected official of the other party was selected to be a
senior member of the cabinet.
But, 25 years in this town as a dedicated public servant is
a long time . . . and Senator Cohen had certainly ``earned
his parole.'' Why then, you might ask, would this great
Senator from Maine want to voluntarily extend his sentence
and take on such a position?
Well, I don't presume to speak for the Secretary, nor can I
know for certain why he willingly accepted the enormous
demands that come with the 24 hour-a-day/7 days per week job
of Secretary of Defense . . . and the ``scrutiny''--I mean
``help''--of his former colleagues on the Hill.
But, from almost daily observation for the last 3 years and
4 months, I know that the Secretary took the job out of a
deep love for our country . . . and an equally strong
devotion and respect for those who serve. And those of us in
the Armed Forces are fortunate that he did!
For the past four years, America has successfully navigated
the often dangerous waters of international security affairs
with Secretary Cohen at the helm. The department . . . and
indeed the Nation . . . have been well served having him in
charge during the many storms we have weathered over these
unpredictable years.
It was Joshua Chamberlain . . . another great leader from
the State of Maine . . . who once said that, in times of
great struggle, ``it is character that tells.'' Chamberlain
then defined character as a ``firm seasoned substance of soul
. . . [including] such qualities as intelligence,
thoughtfulness, conscientiousness, right-mindedness,
patience, fortitude, and unconquerable resolve.''
Those who know Secretary Cohen, know that he personifies
the qualities of character that Chamberlain, a fellow Bowdoin
College graduate, talked about over a century ago. And we
also understand that as a result we are a stronger, better
military today.
Throughout Secretary Cohen's tenure, America has operated
in and been successfully engaged in a dangerous and untidy
world. He has been a great coach . . . a ``players coach''
who cared deeply for his soldiers, sailors, airmen, and
marines . . . and a visionary leader who executed a winning
game plan . . . a game plan we call our strategy of shape,
respond, and prepare:
The first piece of the strategy is shaping . . . and we
have shaped the international security environment in many
ways: From NATO enlargement, to the more recent and indeed
on-going negotiations on the EU-NATO relationship. From
Bosnia, to Kosovo and the indispensable role we have played,
along with our allies, in promoting peace. And, from the no-
fly zones, to the Persian Gulf, where U.S. forces have
ensured the free flow of oil and prevented Saddam Hussein
from threatening his people or neighbors.
The second element of our strategy is responding . . . and
we, along with our allies and friends, have responded to a
wide range of crises.
From the December 1998 air campaign to degrade Iraq's
ability to deliver WMD and threaten its neighbors, to the 78-
day air campaign that succeeded in reversing Slobodan
Milosevic's reign of terror in Kosovo.
From our presence during the turmoil in East Timor to the
evacuation of noncombatants from life-threatening civil
unrest in West Africa.
From providing humanitarian assistance in Central America,
to fighting raging forest fires in the Western U.S.
The third and final element of our strategy is preparing .
. . that is, getting ready now for the demands of the future.
Under Secretary Cohen's leadership we have seen the largest
increase in military spending in over a decade and
restructured the department to confront the emerging threats
of this new century. Under his leadership we pursued and
achieved--with the great support of Congress and the
administration--the largest increase in pay and benefits in a
generation . . . and recognized that quality of force, in
part, reflects the level of public support for the military.
We are attracting and retaining the best-qualified people for
our military, and making sure we provide them with the best
equipment and training.
In all these areas, and many others Mr. Secretary, our
successes have been due to

[[Page S84]]

your outstanding leadership and vision. Of course, you have
been helped along the way by the fantastic team you built
within OSD . . . and, from one other very ``special
assistant'' as well. Indeed, over the past four years you
have had a great partner at your side. And so, today, we say
goodbye as well to your partner, the First Lady of the
Department . . . Janet Cohen.
Janet, on behalf of our men and women in uniform, let me
say a special thank you . . . for your tireless efforts to
improve the quality of life of our people in uniform and
their families. And for your efforts to help the Secretary
reconnect the military to the America we serve. Those of us
here today who have grown to know you well, will miss you
greatly. But, so too will the families of those who serve . .
. the very families that you have served so compassionately.
Finally, on a very personal note Mr. Secretary, let me thank
you for the tremendous opportunity to serve as your, and
President Clinton's, principal military advisor and to
represent our great soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines
here in Washington--there can be no greater honor and for
that I am forever indebted to you.
You embody those attributes and values that the members of
our Armed Forces try to live by--you're a person of great
character . . . the ``character'' that Chamberlain eloquently
defined. You are a person of absolute integrity and of
tremendous vision. I have watched you work tirelessly on
behalf or our men and women in uniform, watched you travel
over 750,000 miles to foster peace and stability around the
globe with Allies, partners and friends and fight the tough
fights at home and abroad for what was best for America and
for America's Armed Forces. For that, we are all indebted to
you.
In closing . . . thank you, Mr. Secretary . . . and thank
you Janet . . . for all that you have done. We are a
stronger, better-prepared, and prouder military for your
efforts. The Nation has been truly blessed by your service.
All of us wish you and Janet life's best in all your future
endeavors. Thank You.
____

Remarks by Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen

General Shelton, thank you for your overly generous
remarks. Carolyn Shelton. When I recommended that Hugh
Shelton be selected as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, I was
approached by a reporter who asked, ``What's our reaction to
him? How do you size him up?'' I answered, ``About 6'6".''
I'd say he's a combination of Randolph Scott, John Wayne, and
a little bit of Clint Eastwood. He's a man of few words, but
who's silence tells you all you really need to know about
him. You don't want to make his day.
One of the first things he did after his confirmation was
to give me and the other members of the Joint Chiefs a copy
of a book entitled Dereliction of Duty. He was sending a very
strong signal in passing out that book--he was saying that
under my watch I'm never going to tailor my judgment or
advice to fit a particular objective that I think is unwise.
It's a book that I keep very much at eye-level on my shelf,
Mr. Chairman.
The second thing you gave me was a fountain pen, and a note
that went with it. It was a statement from General William
Tecumseh Sherman to Grant. He said, ``I always knew that if I
was in trouble you'd come for me if alive.'' Mr. Chairman, I
always knew that if I were ever in trouble, that you would
always be there for me as you've been there for all of the
men and women who wear our uniform. You are a warrior and you
carry the warrior's code not on your sleeve, but in your
soul. I am deeply grateful that I had the chance to work
beside you and to have you as a principal advisor.
General Joe Ralston and Dede, I believe you're here, but if
you're not I will say a few words anyway. I want to thank you
for all that you have given to our country and what you
continue to give as commander of our forces in the European
theater, and as Supreme Allied Commander, Europe. You have
carried on the great work of your predecessors and the
tradition established by Generals George Joulwan and Wes
Clark, and you have been succeeded as Vice Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs by a truly able officer and friend, Dick Myers.
So I want to take this occasion to thank General Myers and
Mary Jo; and to thank General Mike Ryan Chief of Staff, U.S.
Air Force and Jane; to thank General Ric Shinseki Chief of
Staff, U.S. Army and Patty; to thank Jim Jones Commandant,
U.S. Marine Corps, a friend and companion for so many years
and Diane; and Admiral James Loy Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard
who played basketball against me so many years ago, and
unfortunately was the winner.
I am told that former Secretary of Defense Caspar
Weinberger may be in the audience. I want to say that I
enjoyed my friendship and service with you over the years. I
don't think anyone other than Mel Laird ever served longer as
Secretary of Defense than Cap Weinberger. You helped to
rebuild our military and our morale at a time when we
needed that boost, and I will never forget how you used to
come before a skeptical Congress with your two very sharp
pencils in your hand, ready to answer any question that we
had.
Secretary, Bill Perry, what an opportunity it was for me to
know you when I serve in the Senate and what an honor to
follow you as Secretary of Defense. You are known and you're
revered for your brilliance, your leadership and your quiet
strength, but you're also respected and loved for your
civility and your kindness. You, along with Cap, are regarded
as two of our finest public servants, and I am truly grateful
that you could be here to observe my farewell.
Deputy Secretary Rudy de Leon, when John Hamre left to take
over the presidency of CSIS, Center for Strategic
International Studies, I asked you to step into some very big
shoes, and you took up the challenge without hesitation. You
more than lived up to our high expectations. And no matter
how difficult the issue, you never lost your composure and
you never lost your focus. And if ever there's going to be
another story made of Cool Hand Luke, you'll be the man.
Members of the Cabinet and diplomatic corps, Members of
Congress, Secretary of the Army Louis Caldera, Secretary of
the Air Force, F. Whitten Peters, Secretary of the Navy,
Richard Danzig, leaders from across this great institution,
Janet, of course, and my son Kevin, thank you for being here
on such a special occasion. Distinguished guests, ladies and
gentlemen, and most importantly, the men and women of the
United States Armed Forces--the finest fighting force on the
face of the Earth.
Twenty-four years ago another Secretary bid farewell to
this institution. In the coming days, the 13th Secretary of
Defense will return as the 21st Secretary of Defense. Don
Rumsfeld has been an enduring public servant to this country,
and he's going to be an outstanding leader of this
department. But I must tell you, even if senator Strom
Thurmon is in the audience--and what an inspiring example of
service he is--I have no illusions. I am not returning in the
year 2025.
But I do want to take this occasion to thank you for
honoring me and Janet with your presence and to use this
final occasion to address the ranks among you--those who wear
the nation's uniform.
During these final days--which somehow have become the most
demanding in the last four years--I've been afflicted by a
multitude of emotions and thoughts. Late last night, early
this morning, I was complaining to Janet that I didn't have
enough time to even begin to contemplate what I might say to
you today, knowing that my words would have no more lasting
effect than those words written in sand. She replied. ``Just
tell them what you feel.'' That's always what Janet would
say. ``Tell them what you feel.''
I thought years back to when I was in college and I used to
read the French existentialists. And I think it was Gide, or
it could have been Camus, who once said that it's the
foreknowledge of the finality of things that destroys bliss
at its very apex. In other words, everything that is mortal
must come to an end, and therefore we can take no joy in the
experience.
I used to dabble with such thoughts as a young college
student, but 40 years of experience have taught me
differently. We have loved this job, knowing that this day
would one day have to come. We have loved not this job, but
this opportunity to be in the presence of heroes--to walk and
to sail and to soar with eagles.
So what do I feel? I feel honor, to be sure, but most of
all, an unqualified sense of awe. When I'm in the presence of
men and women who serve and sacrifice themselves and their
families for our freedom, I am in awe. I've had the privilege
of meeting with kings and queens, and presidents and prime
ministers, and princes and sultans and emirs, and yes,
parliamentarians the world over. But nothing has ever been
more rewarding than to visit our troops in Bosnia, in Kosovo,
Korea, Kuwait, or Saudi Arabia; to land on a carrier in the
Persian Gulf where the temperatures can run 120, 130, 140
degrees, and to see our sailors and Marines carrying out
their duties in that heat; to watch our Air Force put steel
on target or deliver humanitarian relief to helpless victims
of hurricanes, earthquakes or other natural disasters; to
witness our Coast Guardsmen protect our shores or rescue
those who are caught up in those perfect storms.
I marvel at your raw courage and your willingness to
constantly train and prepare to fight the wars that can't be
prevented. And I am touched to the core when I visit you at
Christmas time, knowing what a special moment it is for you,
how far away you are from your families, what spirit you show
in your very loneliness as you're surrounded by your
comrades, what pride you take in knowing that you save lives,
that you've touched hearts of total strangers, and that
you've given them something more precious than gold.
And as I reflect on the swift passage of time these past
four years, all of these moments and memories come rushing at
me with a terrifying velocity. But I'd like to share one of
my earliest with you.
On our visit to Eagle Base in Bosnia on Christmas Eve three
years ago--as we have done every holiday since that time--we
joined hundreds of soldiers to share songs and love and
levity and laughter, and to bring them just a touch of home.
As we left around midnight, we passed along the perimeter and
came across three young soldiers for whom Christmas Eve meant
manning a security post that was fashioned from wood. They
were out there in the mud, in the cold, in the darkness,
standing guard in the night.
As we expressed our gratitude for their service and
conveyed our sorrow they couldn't be home with their
families, one of these soldiers looked at Janet and he
offered a response that we will never forget, so eloquent in
its simplicity, so profound in its

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sincerity, ``That's all right, ma'am. Somebody has to do it.
And besides, I think we're making a difference here.''
Men and women of the United States Armed Forces for the
past four years, we've been blessed to serve with you as you
stand guard in the night, and as you continue to make an
extraordinary difference the world over. Because of your
patriotism and professionalism, because of your dedication
and your daring, more people today sleep under the flag of
freedom than at any time in history.
So the poet asks, ``How should we presume?'' I was recently
asked, ``What's your legacy? What can you point to with pride
that you've helped to make happen on your watch?'' Well, I'd
never really given any thought to legacies. I simply tried to
keep the faith of all who have come before me and those who
come after.
The Chairman stole my thunder here, because I was going to
engage in just a touch of immodesty, but he already outlined
everything we've done. We have managed to secure an
additional $227 billion for future years defense spending.
Four years ago we were told there wouldn't be any increases.
We now have an additional $227 billion coming to our armed
forces. That's a remarkable achievement that this team has
produced.
We've had the largest defense spending increase in 15
years, the largest pay raise in a generation, retirement
benefits back up to 50 percent, the elimination of housing
inequities for those who live off-base, overhauling the
health care system to make sure that we give decent health
care for the men and women who are serving us and those who
have retired and their families-care that's worthy of this
nation.
We conducted the most successful air campaign in the
history of warfare. We drove Milosevic out of Kosovo, and
hopefully into oblivion, or at least to The Hague where he
can stand trial. We kept Saddam Hussein in his box and out of
his neighbors' oil fields and homes. We've enlarged the NATO
family with three new democracies. We've strengthened our
relationships in South America, in Africa, the Gulf States,
South Korea, Japan, and all of the Southeast Asian countries.
We've reduced nuclear weapons in Russia. We have established
military to military ties with China.
We created the Joint Forces Command, preparing to deter and
counter those who plot our destruction with weapons of mass
destruction. We have reoriented the Space Command to ensure
that we remain as dominant in space and cyberspace as we are
on the battlefields. We've accelerated that Revolution in
Military Affairs, transforming our forces so we can marshal
and match the power of our technology with the force of our
ideals.
And I want to mention one other thing--we've kept our
promise to help reconnect America to its military, to remind
the American people that we must take care of those who take
care of us and that freedom can be lost just as easily
through indifference and neglect as it can through warfare.
In his wonderful book, On the Origins of War and the
Preservation of Peace, Donald Kagan talked about Athenian
democracy. He said that in the end, more than they wanted
freedom, they wanted security. And when the Athenians finally
wanted not to give to society, but for society to give to
them, when the freedom that they wished for was freedom from
responsibility, then Athens ceased to be free. We should
never let that happen to the United States of America.
General Shelton, you quoted Chamberlain, one of my heroes.
And I would suggest that no words better describe those that
we serve. On countless occasions I've been asked by foreign
leaders. ``How can our military be more like America's?''
I'll repeat here today what I've said time and time again.
It's not our training, although our training is the most
rigorous in the world. It's not our technology, although
ours is the most advanced in the world. And it's not our
tactics, although ours in the most revolutionary in the
world. We have the finest military on Earth because we
have the finest people on Earth, because we recruit and we
retain the best that America has to offer.
So as I prepare to leave public office, I want to take this
final occasion to remind all of America: take a look at the
leadership that we have, take a look at what you see arrayed
before you here. Be inspired by their character and their
devotion to duty. Stand in awe of their courage and their
professionalism and their ability to maintain bravery in the
midst of tragedy and loss.
When we stood on the tarmac at Andrews Air Force Base to
welcome home the flag-drapped coffins of those that we lost
in our embassies in East Africa, when we stood on the pier in
Norfolk with the wounded sailors and the families of those
who perished in the Cole, when we learned of those who were
lost aboard the Osprey, and whenever the phone rang at
midnight or in the early morning hours telling me of an
accident that would not make the headlines, but that would
rip a hole in the hearts of the families who were affected,
then we understand why these brave men and women and their
families truly are patriots among us--the pride of America,
the envy of the world.
Finally, I'd like to pay special tribute to the most
remarkable person in my life. When you think of Janet
Langhart Cohen, you think of passion, of fire, of spirit.
Creative ideas spring from her like the cherry blossoms
around the Tidal Basin, only it's not just in the spring
time, they're always springing forward. And it's not just the
creativity, it's moving from the creation of the idea to the
actuality of the event.
I think of all she has been able to do--creating that first
Family Forum or the Pentagon Pops, helping to organize those
holiday tours overseas, creating the new USO Corridor in the
Pentagon and a new liaison office in the Pentagon, hosting
that Special Assignment television program that goes
worldwide to our troops, receiving the VFW Award, then just
last week the Zach Fisher Award, being recognized by the
United States Chamber of Commerce for her work on behalf of
all of those in uniform, and yes, named the First Lady of the
USO. But I would say most of all, she has loved our men and
women in uniform with a zeal that transcends any ability of
mine to describe. I have never felt more alive--or more
ignored--than when she's out there with the troops. Lou
Gehrig was wrong, I'm the luckiest man alive.
So it's time for the two of us to take our leave. We have a
new President who has assembled a great new national security
team and they will, with your help and God's help, continue
to make the United States of America the greatest force for
freedom in the world.
I'd like to close with the paraphrased words of the poet
Tagore. ``When one comes and whispers to me, `Thy days are
ended,' let me say to him, `I have lived and loved and not in
mere time.' And he will ask, `Will thy songs remain?' And I
shall say, `I know not, but this I know. That often when I
sang, I found my eternity.' '' Thank you.

____________________