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“TRIBUTE TO ADMIRAL BUD NANCE” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Senate section on pages S5445-S5459 on May 18, 1999.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO ADMIRAL BUD NANCE
Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, let me take note that members of Adm. Nance's family are in the family gallery. While the rules prohibit my saying anything to them, I think they know that our deepest sympathy goes to them from us.
Mr. President, when I heard the sound of Dr. Elaine Sloand's quiet voice on the other end of the line at about 3:30 in the afternoon a week ago, I detected an unmistakable sadness in it. I tried to brace myself for the bad news that had been expected for a day or so. Dr. Sloand, a wonderful, great, kind and compassionate physician, had done everything within her power to save Bud Nance's life. Many others at the National Institutes of Health had also worked against the odds to save this great American, the remarkable retired Naval officer who had fought in almost a dozen of the major battles of World War II.
So, Mr. President, when I picked up the phone and heard Dr. Sloand's voice, I knew that James Wilson Nance was gone. And he was.
As I sat at my desk in silence and alone, I recalled the poignancy of Adlai Stevenson years ago when he lost the bid for the Presidency: ``It hurts too bad to smile and I'm too old to cry.''
A thousand memories crowded their way into my consciousness as I sat there in those few quiet minutes. You see, Mr. President, Bud Nance and I could not have been more than 4 or 5 years old when we began playing together as little boys. On one occasion, he had scarcely had time to get to his home from my house a couple of blocks away in our little hometown of Monroe, when he was back knocking at the door. There he stood with his little hand thrust forward with a toy: ``Here,'' he said, ``this is yours; I took it home by mistake and I'm sorry.''
Just as the boy, Bud Nance, was unfailingly and impeccably honest, so was Rear Adm. James W. Nance decades later when he skippered a series of U.S. warships, including the giant aircraft carrier, the Forrestal, that had more sailors aboard than there were people in Bud Nance's hometown and mine.
During the past week, there has been an almost endless series of friends and admirers of Admiral Nance expressing their sorrow and their admiration for what I regard as a giant of a man fallen. Needless to say, I have been deeply grateful to every one of those expressing their regrets and their comfort.
Anybody who has known Bud Nance did not merely like Bud Nance; it is a far deeper and genuine feeling that so many have held for him. In my case, nothing fits but the word ``love''. I loved Bud Nance like a brother. In my final conversation with him 9 days ago, I told him so. His voice, weak and raspy, but nonetheless unmistakably clear, replied,
``I love you, too.''
Bud loved his family; oh, how he loved them. We had often discussed, down through the years, his and my good fortunes. He once commented about his dear wife, Mary Lyda, that it was she who did the hard part. He used to say, ``I was away so much of the time, and she was back home raising our children and raising them right.''
Mr. President, I could go on, but I shall not, except for one final vignette, which underscores the goodness and tenderness of ``The Admiral.''
Some years ago, on a cold and wintry night, a kitten was abandoned at Bud's and Mary Lyda's front door. It was doubtful that the kitten--
cold, shivering and wet--would survive, but Bud and Mary Lyda produced hot water bottles and a tiny bed for that little kitten who was too fragile and too young to handle solid food. For 2 or 3 nights straight, Bud Nance sat up with that kitten, lovingly holding it in his arms while, with a teaspoon, feeding a little bit of warm milk into that tiny little fluff of fur.
But the kitten did survive. He named that kitten Kate. She slept at the foot of Bud's bed from then on.
Mr. President, Dot and I visited Mary Lyda Faulk and the wonderful Nance children that night following Bud's departure earlier in the afternoon. While we sat in the living room chatting, in strolled Kate. She checked each one of the several of us, but she first went to Bud's empty chair. I believe Kate knew that her great benefactor and her best friend was gone.
Kate was such a lucky little kitten, just as all the rest of us were lucky to have known Bud Nance, to have worked with him, to have had him as a true and faithful friend, a friend whom we not only admired, but loved.
I ask unanimous consent articles about Admiral Nance be printed in the Record at the conclusion of my remarks.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
Bud Nance, Monroe Native Was an Officer and a Gentleman
James ``Bud'' Nance, who died Tuesday at age 77, was a modest man with a wry, sometimes pointed sense of humor. When, at Jesse Helms' request, he came out of retirement to direct Sen. Helms' staff on the Foreign Relations Committee, he was confident enough to allow staffers to talk to the press on the record on a wide range of issues. He offered one caution, he recalled with a smile: that ``If you leak something [secret] to the press, and I find out about it, I'm going to kill you.''
He grew up in Monroe, where he and the future senator were playmates and members of the same band (Jesse on tuba, Bud on clarinet). He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1944 and was assigned to the USS North Carolina, which survived attacks by more than 150 Japanese suicide bombers.
After the war, he became a Navy test pilot. It was dangerous work--five of the 10 men in one of his test pilot units died in crashes. Later he commanded the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal, then worked for the Joint Chiefs of Staff and for Gen. Alexander Haig, who become President Reagan's secretary of state. When Admiral Nance became deputy assistant to Mr. Reagan's national security adviser, the Washington Post said he was ``among the most well-connected military officers in Washington.''
When Sen. Helms asked him to reshape the Foreign Relations Committee staff, he accepted pay only because the law required it--$2.96 a week, the congressional minimum. After automatic raises bumped it to $4.53, Sen. Helms observed.
``Bud's worth every penny.''
Bud Nance was an officer, a gentleman and an American hero. When he took the Foreign Relations post, he said, ``The only thing I'm here for is to do a good job for the United States, and to make sure Jesse gets a square deal.'' His nation, and his old friend, will attest that, as always, he accomplished his goals.
____
Rob Christensen: Jesse Loses a Boyhood Friend
(By Rob Christensen)
They are breaking up Jesse Helms' old Monroe High School Band.
One by one, the members have been going to their reward. Gone is the oboe player, Henry Hall Wilson, once chairman of the Chicago Board of Trade and a former U.S. Senate candidate. Gone is the cornet player, Skipper Bowles, a former gubernatorial candidate and the father of former White House chief of staff Erskine Bowles.
And last week, the clarinet player, retired Rear Adm. James
``Bud'' Nance, passed away.
Which left Helms, the tuba player, fielding condolence calls from the likes of President Clinton and Gov. Jim Hunt. Helms has lost his best remaining friend who isn't named Dot Helms.
It's not just that Nance was Helms' chief of staff on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Their relationship started in 1921 in the Union County town of Monroe, where Jesse and Bud were born two blocks apart, two months apart.
It was Jesse and Bud who used to go to The Strand to see Tom Mix westerns. It was Jesse and Bud who put a ``For Sale'' sign on their high school lawn one Halloween. And it was Jesse and Bud who would slip behind the school to sneak a cigarette.
Jesse was proud of Bud's Navy career--on the USS North Carolina during World War II, where he endured 162 Japanese air and kamikaze attacks; Navy test pilot along with such pals as John Glenn and Alan Shepard; commander of an attack squadron, an air wing and two ships--the USS Raleigh, an amphibious ship he skippered off the cost of Vietnam, and the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal.
As Jesse liked to say, Bud was the Monroe boy who amounted to something.
I first met the admiral deep in the bowels of the White House, where he was acting national security adviser to President Reagan. Among his hires were Iran-contra figures Oliver North and John Poindexter.
``I'm the only guy who walked out of the place,'' Nance would later say, laughing.
Helms brought Nance out of retirement to become his chief aide on the Foreign Relations staff.
Nance, a pretty conservative fellow himself, cleaned house--ousting some staffers who he thought were veering too far off into right-wing conspiracy land. And he advised Helms on a broad range of foreign and military matters. Jesse trusted Bud completely.
In recent months, Nance had suffered from myelodysplasia, a blood disease that made him unable to produce platelets. But just a few days before his death, Nance was still showing up in his office at 7 a.m.
In the end, Jesse and Bud were friends again in the Virginia suburbs of D.C.--hundreds of miles from where they started in life.
Nance once remarked to his friend that Helms had better not be the first to die.
To which Helms quipped: ``I'll kill you if you do.''
``I cannot describe the guy because he had as much character as anyone I've ever known,'' Helms said last week.
``He was thoughtful. He cared about people. He loved this country.''
____
James Nance, Admiral, Helms Aide, Dies at 77
(By Robert Stacy McCain)
James W. ``Bud'' Nance of McLean, a retired Navy rear admiral and staff director of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, died yesterday. He was 77.
The committee issued a statement saying Adm. Nance died from complications of a undisclosed illness.
Adm. Nance was a boyhood friend of the Foreign Relations Committee's chairman, Sen. Jesse Helms, North Carolina Republican. Mr. Helms had no public statement yesterday but the committee spokesman, Marc Thiessen, said Adm. Nance ``was so beloved by so many.''
Adm. Nance graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1944. He served as an aviator in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, earning two Distinguished Service Medals. He rose to command of the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal.
Later he served as assistant national security adviser to President Reagan and joined Mr. Helms' staff in October 1991.
Mr. Helms, the ranking Republican member of the Foreign Relations Committee at that time, was having problems with his 19-member staff and asked Adm. Nance--who had retired to Virginia--to take charge.
``I was home having a real good time,'' Adm. Nance told a columnist in 1992. ``Jesse called and said, `Come on up and help me get control of this zoo.' ''
Within three months, nine committee staffers were dismissed.
As a condition of his own employment, Adm. Nance asked that he not be paid, but Mr. Helms pointed out that federal law required that Senate staffers be paid a minimum of $153 a year.
``Nobody can ever say Jesse gave his old buddy a job,'' Adm. Nance said.
When Republicans took control of Congress after the 1994 elections, the GOP pushed through a law requiring Congress to abide by the employment laws that applied to U.S. businesses. Along with a minimum wage increase passed in 1996, that bumped Adm. Nance's pay to $204 a week.
Adm. Nance brought a caustic sense of humor to his Senate job. Shortly after he joined Mr. Helms' staff, Adm. Nance was questioning the benefits lavished on U.S. ambassadors, including hardship pay.
``I fought at Iwo Jima,'' he said. ``That's hardship.''
``He's like a father figure to his staff,'' one of Mr. Helms' assistants said of Adm. Nance in 1993. ``You just can't put a price on that kind of wisdom.''
Adm. Nance is survived by his wife of 42 years, Mary Lyda, and four children.
____
Senators Fondly Remember `Bud' Nance
(By Ben Pershing)
Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) has a story he likes to tell about James ``Bud'' Nance, the retired Navy rear admiral and Senate Foreign Relations Committee staff director who died Monday.
Hagel remembers a Foreign Relations meeting where one Senator was droning on and on, ``enjoying his own eloquence.''
``After a while,'' Hagel recalled yesterday, ``Bud leaned over and whispered in my ear, `Senator, remember, you don't have to be eternal to be immortal.' He said it with that twinkle in his eye and then he winked at me.''
The exact cause of death for Nance was not disclosed, although he told Roll Call last month that he was suffering from myelodysplasia, a blood disease that rendered him unable to produce platelets. He was 77.
Foreign Relations Chairman Jesse Helms (R-N.C.), who grew up three blocks from Nance, had not released a statement on his life-long friend by press time yesterday.
But in an interview last month, Helms praised the fact that despite his illness, Nance beat ``everyone else to work,'' often arriving at the office by 7 a.m.
Senators who worked closely with Nance said he was a thoughtful man and a tough staff director.
``I trusted him completely,'' said Foreign Relations ranking member Joe Biden (D-Del.) in an interview this week.
``I cared a lot about the guy personally.''
Biden added that both he and Helms benefited from Nance's long experience with military affairs.
``He knew the complexities of all this stuff,'' said Biden.
``I never had any doubt I could confide in him.''
``He was a gentleman,'' said Hagel. ``He was such a complete person. People had tremendous confidence in him, partly because they liked him and partly because they trusted him.''
Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.), a member of Foreign Relations, said of Nance, ``This is just one of the finest people I've met in my 18 years in the Senate.''
Dodd also spoke of Nance's steady had in dealing with the committee's younger staffers.
``He was a wonderful, tempering influence on the young staff,'' said Dodd. ``I know this is a loss for Senator Helms. I think it's a real loss for the Senate as well.''
Nance was particularly close to Helms, who brought Nance on board in November 1991 to head up the panel's GOP staff. Nance and Helms were boyhood friends in Monroe, N.C.
Nance joined the committee at a time when its staff was in disarray, and three months after taking the post, Nance fired nine top aides.
``I felt we had too much overhead and not enough operators,'' Nance told Roll Call in 1992. ``It was difficult for me to see exactly who was doing what.''
When he first came on, Nance refused to take a salary. Since federal law required that Senate staffers receive at least $153 per year, Nance accepted that, and after the minimum wage was increased, his pay jumped to $204 per week.
Nance, who entered the Navy as a midshipman in 1941 and retired 38 years later as a rear admiral, saw active duty in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Nance said that during his service in World War II, he endured 162 Japanese air and kamikaze attacks.
Over the course of his Navy tenure, Nance commanded an attack squadron, an air wing and two ships--the USS Raleigh and the USS Forrestal. His military background had a profound effect on the way he carried himself and on the way he handled the committee's staff.
``When you manage an aircraft carrier, you are managing a small city at sea,'' said Hagel. ``It matures one rather quickly.''
Nance was born Aug. 1921, in Monroe. He entered the U.S. Naval Academy in 1941 and spent three years there, earning a bachelor's degree in 1944. He later spent time at both the Naval War College and the National War College, and in 1965 he received a master's in international relations from George Washington University.
After leaving the military in 1979, Nance went on to work as assistant national security adviser during the Reagan administration. He then joined the privates sector, working for several years as head of naval systems for Boeing Co. Nance had retired to Virginia when Helms asked him to come to the Hill.
Nance is survived by his wife of 42 years, Mary, four children and seven grandchildren.
A Senate GOP source said Helms will try next week to clear some time on the Senate floor for Members to pay tribute to Nance.
____
Adm. James ``Bud'' Nance Dies; Chief of Staff for Senate Panel--
Influenced Committee Chairman Jesse Helms
(By Louie Estrada)
James Wilson ``Bud'' Nance, 77, a retired Navy rear admiral and former White House national security affairs adviser who as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's chief of staff was regarded as a pragmatic influence on his childhood friend, Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.), died of complications from a preliminary form of leukemia May 11 at the National Institutes of Health.
Adm. Nance, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and former naval aviator and test pilot, was a self-described conservative Republican who reportedly advised Helms, the committee's chairman, to tone down his sometimes fiery rhetoric and confrontational approach when tackling issues.
Their close relationship was based on a mutual trust that stemmed from their days growing up in their native Monroe, N.C. Over the years since they played in the same elementary school band, they periodically kept in touch. Although the two shared similar political philosophies, Adm. Nance was considered Helms's opposite in many aspects, coming across as a more courtly hard-nosed figure with an easy laugh and a loathing of the limelight.
He did have critics. A POW group called on Helms to fire Adm. Nance because of what they said was the committee's lack of attention to their cause. Still, he was seen as an affable father figure in Washington's corridors, where colleagues referred to him simply as ``the admiral.''
At Helms urging, Adm. Nance, who had an illustrious 38-year career in the Navy, joined the committee in 1991 to help improve the minority staff's efficiency. Saying the government already had done plenty for him, Adm. Nance accepted the job on the condition that he would work for free.
But, as it turned out, laboring without a salary was not an option under Senate rules. He was paid Congress's then minimum of $2.96 a week. Later, two cost-of-living pay increases bumped his weekly salary to $4.53. Still, he wasted little time with the task put before him, overhauling the staff by releasing deadwood and malcontents, hiring whiz kids and shifting old-timers around.
After the Republicans swept into the majority in the 1994 mid-term elections, Adm. Nance was placed in charge of the transition on the Foreign Relations Committee and predicted that Senate members would play a larger role in foreign policy hot spots. He was coming into the office as recently as last week, showing up as he did every day at 7 a.m. and returning to his home in McLean in the evening.
Adm. Nance was no stranger to the committee's workings, having served as a consultant to the committee during the SALT II deliberations. In 1981, he joined the White House as President Ronald Reagan's deputy assistant for national security affairs, and for a brief time, he was acting chief special assistant for national security affairs, temporarily replacing Richard V. Allen.
As a young man, he attended what is now North Carolina State University and graduated from the Naval Academy in 1944. He was assigned to the battleship USS North Carolina and served there throughout the remainder of World War II.
After the war, he underwent flight training and served as a flight instructor at the Naval Air Basic Training Command of the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Fla. He was assigned to exchange duty with the British Royal Navy in the mid-1950s and was a project pilot with the Flight Test Division at the Naval Air Test Center in Patuxent River. In the latter assignment, he test-landed aircraft on carriers.
Before his military retirement in 1979, he served as the senior naval officer on the staff of the commander of U.S. forces in Europe when Alexander Haig held the combined job of U.S. and NATO commander. He also held strategic and planning posts in the Pentagon and was commander of the aircraft carrier Forrestal.
His military honors included two Distinguished Service Medals and the Legion of Merit.
He received a master's degree in international relations from George Washington University and attended the U.S. Naval War College and the U.S. National War College.
In the 1980s, he worked for Boeing Military Airplane Co., where he was manager of Navy systems.
Survivors include his wife, the former Mary Lyda Faulk of McLean; four children, James Lee Nance of Richmond, Mary Catherine Worth of Atlanta and Andrew Monroe Nance and Susan Elizabeth Nance, both of McLean; and seven grandchildren.
____
Rear Adm. James Nance, 77, Influential Aide to Jesse Helms
(By Irvin Molotsky)
Washington, May 14--James W. Nance, a retired Navy rear admiral who took on a late-career job as the chief aide to his old boyhood friend Senator Jesse Helms of North Carolina, died on Tuesday at the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, MD. He was 77 and lived in McLean, VA.
Marc A. Thiessen, the spokesman for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where Admiral Nance was staff director, said the cause was complications of myelodysplasia, a pre-leukemia condition.
On Capital Hill, Admiral Nance was known for having brought order to the committee's Republican staff, which Senator Helms, the senior Republican, and others on the panel had found disorganized and riven by ideological differences.
``When I came over here, I couldn't understand the organization,'' Admiral Nance said in a 1992 interview with The National Journal after agreeing to come out of retirement a year earlier to help his old friend. ``It was a zoo to me. My military mind has got to have all the men and women in line.''
Admiral Nance's role was important then, when Senator Helms was the committee's ranking minority member, and it became more important later, when, after the 1994 elections, the Republicans took control of the Senate and Mr. Helms became chairman.
Before Admiral Nance was brought in, The National Journal said in its 1992 article, there had been a movement among the committee's Republicans to remove Mr. Helms as their leader because of the minority staff's disarray.
Mr. Helms accepted Admiral Vance's recommendations that eight members of the staff be fired, and although there was an angry reaction at first, Republican leaders later said the Vance replacements had brought order to the panel.
Admiral Nance was born in Monroe, N.C., where he and Mr. Helms grew up two blocks from each other. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1944 and went on to serve as a naval aviator in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. By the time he retired from the Navy in 1979, he had held several commands, including that of the aircraft carrier Forrestal.
He became a humorous if caustic reflection of the dour Senator Helms, who seems to enjoy saying no to State Department requests. Once, when questioning the benefits given to ambassadors abroad, including hardship pay at some posts, Admiral Nance said: ``I fought at Iwo Jima. That's hardship.''
He had many Navy decorations, including two Distinguished Service Medals and the Legion of Merit.
After his Navy service, Admiral Nance served for two years on the White House staff of President Ronald Reagan and later worked for Boeing in its naval systems department.
Besides the Naval Academy, he graduated from the Naval War College and the National War College, and received a master's degree in international relations from George Washington University.
Admiral Nance, who was known as Bud to his friends, is survived by his wife of 51 years, the former Mary Lyda Faulk; two sons, James Lee Nance of Richmond and Andrew Monroe Nance of McLean; two daughters, Mary Catherine Worth of Atlanta and Susan Elizabeth Nance of McLean, and seven grandchildren.
When Admiral Nance agreed to go to work for Senate Helms. The Washington Times reported in an obituary on Wednesday, he asked that he not be paid, but the Senator pointed out that a Federal law required that Senate staff members be paid a minimum of $153 a year.
Once he went to work for the $153. Admiral Nance said,
``Nobody can ever say Jesse gave his old buddy a job.''
Senator Helms, noting that his friend's pay came out of
$2.94 a week, said, ``Bud's worth every penny.''
____
Blood Disease Kills ``Bud'' Nance; Retired Admiral, Adviser From Monroe
Was Lifelong Friend of Senator
(By Norman Gomlak)
Monroe.--The way U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms saw it, you could't find a better friend or a more trusted adviser than James
``Bud'' Nance.
The friendship between Helms and Nance spanned seven decades, from their days in the band of the old Monroe High School to the corridors of Capitol Hill.
Wednesday, Helms and others mourned the death of Nance, 77, a retired Navy admiral who was chief of staff of the Senate Foreign Relations that Helms chairs. Nance also had served in the Nixon and Regan administrations.
``I don't know of anybody . . . that had as much effect on the country or that had any higher principles than Bud Nance,'' Helms said in an interview Wednesday evening.
Helms said Nance, who died Tuesday, suffered from a blood disease that prevents sufferers from producing platelets. Without platelets, a person cannot stop bleeding once cut.
Funeral services for Nance will be held at 9 a.m. Wednesday at Lewinsville Presbyterian Church in McLean, VA. He will be buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetary at 11 a.m. Wednesday.
Helms and Nance were born two blocks and two months apart in Monroe in 1921. At Monroe High school, they played together in a school band organized by the principal, Ray House.
Nance played clarinet; Helms played tuba.
Two years ago, Helms and Nance returned to their hometown to attend House's funeral.
After attending N.C. State College in Raleigh, Nance enrolled at the Naval Academy in 1941 and eventually commanded an aircraft carrier. He rose to senior command positions in aircraft carrier operations before retiring as a rear admiral in 1979.
Nance served as a consultant to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during SALT II deliberations and on President Ronald Reagan's transition team. With Reagan's inauguration, Nance was appointed Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs.
He worked in the Reagan administration until 1983, then became a consultant for Boeing. After retiring again, Nance was persuaded by Helms to join the staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
``If a ship runs aground it's the captain's fault, and the ship had run aground,'' Nance said in explaining some reshuffling at the time.
Nance had asked that he be paid only $1 because his government retirement benefits already were enough. But Nance had to receive Congress' minimum of $2.96 per week. After two cost-of-living increases, Nance was forced to take $4.53 per week.
``Bud's worth every penny,'' Helms said when he took his salary hike.
Nance had been receiving platelet transfusions twice a week at the National Institutes of Health. Nance said last month he had switched to an electric shaver on doctors' orders and had to be very careful in handling sharp objects.
Helms said he last spoke to his old friend in the hospital on Sunday. They joked about old times, Helms said.
After Nance died, Helms said, a Capitol police officer stopped to tell Helms how Nance had rolled down his window every day to shake his hand.
Said Helms, ``I loved Bud. I shall miss him dearly.''
Nance is survived by his wife, Mary; four children, James Lee Nance, Mary Catherine Worth, Andrew Monroe Nance, and Susan Elizabeth Nance; and seven grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions be made to the NIH Patient Emergency Fund, 10 Center Drive, Room 1N252, Bethesda, MD 20892.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Delaware.
Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, I have served since January of 1973 with the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. We have been on opposite sides of a lot of issues, occasionally on the same side. I have seen and listened to and been on the opposite end of some very powerful and difficult speeches he has made. But I am presumptuous enough, know him well enough to say until now he has never had a more difficult time making a speech than today.
There is a reason for that, to state the obvious. There is an old expression: You can know a man by his enemies. I suggest you can judge a man by his friends. Anybody who had a man of the stature of Admiral Nance love him as much as Admiral Nance loved this guy, means there is something awful, awful, awful, awful good about the Senator from North Carolina.
I am not doing that really to be solicitous. I truly mean that and I believe that. The irony of all ironies, as I told the chairman, on the Friday before Bud died, the chairman asked him whether or not he could come down to my office to see if we could work out--and we did, by the way--work out some legislative language and discuss a nominee. We sat there with staff--his staff and mine. Afterwards, the staff left and Admiral Nance and I sat there for the better part of 45 minutes, basically asking him questions and him telling me stories.
They were all about Jesse Helms, his buddy. They are all about the guy he grew up with and loved. I suspect, one of the few men or women, other than Mrs. Helms, who has ever been able to tell the chairman: Enough, Jesse; slow down, Jesse; no, Jesse. Senator Helms, I don't think in all the time I have known him, has ever respected anybody as much as he respected Admiral Nance.
It was a wonder to behold, I think my Democratic colleagues would agree with me, to watch this relationship. It was almost, I say to my friend from North Carolina, like you had an older brother, a brother who loved you and guided you and occasionally, like all of us do when you sort of get off and you were going too far or not far enough, would whisper in your ear, would put his hand on you--I watched him put his hand on your shoulder. It was like he didn't have to say anything to you. So all Members on this floor and all Members watched in wonder and with a sense of envy the relationship the Senator had with Admiral Nance, and we have an appreciation for how difficult a moment this is for you.
We respect you for your ability to pull it off with the grace that you have thus far.
Mr. President, I have only on a couple occasions in 27 years come to the floor to pay a tribute to a staff member. We have had great, great, great, great staff members who have guided us all. I think the best kept secret from the American people is the incredible quality, patriotism, capacity, educational achievement, and personal commitment of the staffs that sit back in these chairs behind that rail. It is a trite thing to say, but the Nation could not run without them.
I know of no staff member who was the peer to this fellow, Bud Nance. The Senate family and the Nation--it sounds like hyperbole--suffered a loss when Admiral Nance passed away. Since 1971, Admiral Nance has been the staff director of the Committee on Foreign Relations, serving first as the minority staff director, and then as the staff director for the minority under the chairman and senior Senator of North Carolina, Mr. Jesse Helms.
Working in the Senate was something of a second career for Admiral Nance. Prior to coming to the Senate, Admiral Nance spent 35 years in the U.S. Navy. A pilot by training, Admiral Nance rose to hold several senior command positions on aircraft carriers, including command, as mentioned earlier, of the U.S.S. Forrestal and senior commands in the Pentagon. He retired in 1979 with the rank of rear admiral. I might note, parenthetically, one of the great, great, great, great advantages of having Bud Nance, with the ideological divisions that exist in matters relating to foreign policy, was that you always knew you would get down to the final question of how it worked.
I remember two Fridays ago talking to him and him saying--I hope no one is offended by my saying this--the reason why we haven't in the committee taken the administration to task on some of the NATO questions is I know how hard it is to get consensus in NATO. I sat there. I was in charge of planning. I know how difficult it is.
He also knew how easy it would have been for the committee, under the chairmanship of the Senator from North Carolina, to demagog the living devil out of the targeting questions and whether or not the French and the Germans and the Brits--he said until you are there and have to get 15 other nations to agree on something, you have no notion how difficult it is.
To steal a phrase from the chairman, this is one little vignette that illustrates how, even though he had serious disagreement with the policy of the President of the United States, he believed it wasn't fair play--my translation, not his; mine--to take advantage of something, that the people wouldn't understand how complicated it was, but he understood that it was complicated. It was just simply not fair game to take advantage of it, in addition to the fact he always thought of the people who were jumping in the cockpits of those planes. He always thought of the people who were over there putting their lives on the line.
That came from 35 years of experience. It wasn't merely because he was a good, honorable and decent man which you will hear more about, because he was. You can ask any of my colleagues, and I suspect my Democratic colleagues will say the same. All Bud Nance had to do with me is say that this is what we are going to do, and I can absolutely, positively trust it as certain, as certain as if my closest staff aide said that to me.
The magic of Bud Nance was he made each of us feel like he was our staff, like he was looking out for our interest. I knew without any question that if he said something to me, even if there was a miscommunication between the chairman and Bud Nance, the chairman would never undercut Bud Nance, either that whatever Bud Nance said was going to happen.
You have no--yes, you do, Mr. President. I was going to say you have no idea. You do have an idea. Anyone who serves here has an idea what an incredible, incredible asset that is. If we were able to do that, if we had that kind of faith in each other's staffs, this place would move so much more smoothly than it does because so much is necessarily propelled by staff.
During the 1980s, Admiral Nance served as deputy assistant to President Reagan for national security affairs, and in private business with the Boeing Corporation. In 1991, his boyhood friend, Jesse Helms, as the chairman has indicated, who grew up in the small town of Monroe, NC, called Bud Nance to serve his country once again. Although at the time he got the call he had long-since retired and he was 70 years old--a time when most people would choose to take it easy, spend time with their wives, their children and their grandchildren--Bud Nance answered the call of his friend, Jesse Helms, and he came to work for the Foreign Relations Committee. He did so not out of a desire for power or money, to state the obvious. In fact, he received only a nominal salary, which at one point, as he enjoyed putting it, amounted to a few dollars per week. That is literally true, by the way--
literally true. Because of this law we have about double dipping, literally he worked for pennies here--full time, 60 hours, 70 hours a week. He worked literally for nothing.
Rather than the dollars, he enjoyed the work--because of his powerful sense of duty to his country and its people and his powerful and palpable loyalty to the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee.
In the last several months, as he struggled with illness--and I might point out, for the last year anybody else would have quit. Anybody else would have walked away and everyone would have said: God bless him. We understand.
Here is a guy whose hands were literally beat up because of the transfusions, because of the IVs, because of all of the painful way they had to go to get blood. They could not get it out of his veins anymore. They had to go into his hands and his feet. He came in black and blue--black and blue, barely able to walk. I would say: Bud, what in the heck are you doing here? He'd say: We have to get this done. No problem.
I never, never, never heard him complain. I never watched him even wince knowingly. This is a guy who literally dragged himself in and out of the hospital to show up for work. Instead of staying at home, getting the care he needed in the hospital, he kept the staff and all of us focused on the task at hand.
In my 2\1/2\ years as ranking member of the committee, I came to know Bud even better than I did the previous years, both as a professional colleague, and, I am presumptuous to say, and this is presumptuous--as a friend.
I was kidding with the chairman the other day. I said: You know, Jesse, my mom has an expression.
I will not mention the little girl's name, but I remember as a kid I got picked up second on the bus on a long bus ride to school, about a 35-minute ride. Every morning, a little girl who was not very popular and wasn't very attractive, every morning would get on the bus. It would be empty and she would sit next to me. Then everyone else would fill up the bus by the end.
I would get home and I would say to my mother: Mom, every morning--I will not mention her real name; it was not Sally--Sally gets on the bus and sits next to me. All the guys make fun of me. The girls even make fun of me--because Sally was not a particularly popular little girl.
I will never forget what my mother said. My mother said: Joey, remember one thing. Anybody who loves you, there is only one thing you can do. Love them back.
It is real simple. I was kidding the chairman the other day. I know Bud Nance loved me because he knew how much I thought of him. He didn't have a choice. He may not have wanted to, but it was in his nature. He couldn't return the affection. So, although I do not have one one-
hundredth of the history or the relationship that the chairman had with Bud Nance and it seems presumptuous for me to call him a friend in the shadow of his closest friend in life, I want you to know, Mr. Chairman, that a lot of us--and you will hear from more--a lot of us took great personal pride in believing that Bud Nance liked us. The mere fact that Bud Nance liked us in part validated what we did here. That is a remarkable thing, Mr. Chairman. That is a remarkable thing to say about any individual.
His word was his bond in a literal sense. Although he worked for a darned Republican, Bud Nance was far from partisan. I always wanted to ask him--and I never did, Jesse--about back in the days when you were a Democrat, I suspect he was, too, back in those days. I kind of harbored the illusion in my soul a little bit that maybe--maybe he still was. I knew he wasn't, but maybe he still was.
Mr. HELMS. No.
Mr. BIDEN. I always want to say Bud, Bud--they are all laughing, all the Republican staffers. But I would get back in the subway car and I would head over here and I would say: You know, maybe . . . maybe.
I want to tell you, he was well liked by every Senator, every staff person. The guy who is the minority staff director, Ed Hall, who is sitting in the back, considered him a close friend. It was remarkable to watch their relationship, watch how they dealt with one another. I haven't found anybody who was better liked, more respected, more fair, or more knowledgeable than Bud Nance--of all the people with whom I have worked. Above all, Bud Nance was--and this is not said lightly; I don't often use the word--Bud Nance was a genuine patriot.
At all times, he would focus on the central question. We would get involved and we would be arguing, we would be talking, and Bud Nance always, always brought us back to the central question: Is this in the interest of the country? Is this in the interest of the country? Because, as we Senators know, we can get carried away. We believe in what we are doing, but we get invested in what we are doing. We get invested in our position. Sometimes, although we don't consciously do it, in my opinion, we get so wrapped up in winning our point that it takes somebody like Bud Nance to say--and I know he has said it to Jesse; he has said it to me--whoa, wait a minute, wait a minute. Hold up here.
He had that great ability, as the old saying goes, to see the forest for the trees. We get lost in the forest. We start numbering the trees. He could stand back. He would stand back and he would say, Look at the whole picture.
As I said, I will end where I began. I have a sense of envy that you, Senator Helms, had the relationship you had. My dad's expression is: At the end of your days, if you can count one person who you can call a true friend, you are a lucky man.
You are one of the luckiest men that I know, Senator. You have had a guy who everyone is honoring, honoring you.
Our profound sympathy and our prayers go out to his loving wife of 53 years. I don't know Mary, but I know of her. I have heard her name invoked a thousand times. To Bud's four children and his seven grandchildren, to use my grandpop's expression, I say: You got good blood. You got good blood. I am telling you, remember where you came from. This guy--your grandfather, your father--was the real thing. The real thing.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Utah.
Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I will not even try to match the eloquence of my esteemed colleague from Delaware. But I would like to just say a few words about my friend, Adm. Bud Nance, and my friend, Senator Helms, as well. I will not be long because I see other members of the Foreign Relations Committee who are here to speak.
I didn't have the privilege of serving on the Foreign Relations Committee at the same time with Bud Nance. But I knew him. I respected him. On a Capitol Hill that is completely covered with more youthful staffers, staffers who are very young in many ways, not quite as experienced, Bud Nance stood out as one of the most senior. He did not have to be here. He probably could have enjoyed the remaining years of his life much more by not being here. But he came to serve side by side with his friend from his youth, Senator Jesse Helms, one of the greatest Senators who has ever sat in the Senate.
Admiral Nance was one of the greatest people who ever served on the Senate staff, and he did it at a time when we had a lot of conflicts and difficulties and problems in foreign relations, and he did it with intelligence, with a mastery that was important, with an ability to get along with people and to work with both minority and majority staffs.
This man is a true hero to me and true hero for our country, just the type of person we ought to all try to emulate, somebody who really loved his country enough to give his last for the country. I believe he loved his country so much because of his family and because of his understanding of what a great country this is and what a great constitutional form of government we have.
This is a man who reached the heights in the military and, in my opinion, reached the heights in the Senate as well. When he came on the staff, the staff was reported to be having difficulties, and he brought them together, coordinated them, unified them, and I think both the minority and the majority staffs have worked well ever since. It took a true leader to do that.
It took a true leader in Senator Helms to pick Admiral Nance, and I know he feels highly privileged to have worked with his friend, his colleague, and somebody who advised him in the best of ways and advised all of us in the best of ways.
I express my sympathy to his wife and his family and tell them that they should be very proud of him, not just for the tremendous years of serving this country, as he did in the military, as a husband and as a father, but for these years on Capitol Hill. It made a difference to the country, to the world at large, and to all of us. I thank Senator Helms for having given us the opportunity to know him better.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Enzi). The Chair recognizes the Senator from Maryland.
Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, last week the Senate lost one of its most able and committed staffers; the country lost a brave public servant, a true patriot. Beyond that, with the passing of Adm. James W.
``Bud'' Nance, many of us have lost a good friend.
I want to touch for just a moment on his Maryland connections. Admiral Nance graduated from the Naval Academy in Annapolis in 1944, then went off to serve in our Navy in World War II. He in fact served in World War II, in the Korean war, and in the Vietnam war.
In the mid-1950s, he was a project pilot for the flight test division of the Naval Air Test Center in Patuxent River, MD, in St. Mary's County, the mother county of our State. I simply say we were honored to have had his presence in our State for an extended period on those two occasions.
Here in the Senate, an institution sometimes marked by acrimony and divisiveness, Bud Nance displayed a warmth and generosity of spirit. He was able to work constructively with those on both sides of the aisle to enhance our Nation's interests. That was always first and foremost in Bud's mind--what served the interest of our great country.
Each time I had occasion to work with him, Bud listened to my concerns and responded promptly and fairly. Others had the same experience. He fought hard for the principles in which he believed, but always in a manner that commanded respect and admiration.
As the chairman of our committee has indicated, his lifetime friend made an invaluable contribution to our Nation's policies.
I was particularly moved by the way Admiral Nance dealt with his illness. Having had an illustrious 35-year career in the Navy, he knew how to surmount the gravest challenges and how to maintain strong leadership throughout. He demonstrated that once again by showing up for work every day with a smile and a vitality that masked whatever pain and discomfort he may have felt. Every day he reported for duty. Rather than complaining about his own situation, he showed a genuine interest in the health and well-being of those around him, and the other staff members of the committee will recount his unfailing courtesies towards each and every one of them.
I join my colleagues in offering my deepest condolences to Bud's wife of 53 years, Mary Lyda, and to his four children and seven grandchildren. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate itself were fortunate to have had the benefit of his dedicated service over the past 8 years. He will be remembered fondly, not only for his lifetime of service to this country--civilian as well as military--but also for his integrity, courage, and grace.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.
Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, I am not sure I can adequately thank the Senators for their comments. They know I appreciate them. We are trying to go from one side to the other, and I ask the Chair to recognize the distinguished Senator from Virginia.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair recognizes the Senator from Virginia.
Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise to join our colleagues in the Senate to provide this record of our recollections of this great American who, in service to the Senate and in partnership with the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, left his mark. I feel very humble about it because I was fascinated in some research that I did on the U.S.S. North Carolina, the battleship on which he served.
I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record reference to the engagements in the closing days of World War II in which this distinguished ship participated with Ens. Bud Nance.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
History of the Battleship North Carolina--BB-55
background
The current Battleship North Carolina (BB-55) is the third U.S. Navy ship to bear the name. Her commissioned service lasted a little over six years, and only eleven years lapsed between the time the ship was authorized and she was decommissioned. During that short time however, she had quite a record, and is now preserved in her original World War II colors as a memorial to all those who gave their lives for freedom.
the first north carolina--1818-10/1/1867
The first North Carolina was a ship of the line, built in Philadelphia Navy Yard. The keel was laid in 1818, and the ship was launched in 1820. She was just over 193 feet in length, with a 53-foot beam, and was rated at 2,633 tons. She carried 74 guns--32 pounders and 42 pounders. She was active until 1839, when she was converted to a receiving ship. She was sold for scrap on October 1, 1867 for $30,000. The original figurehead of the ship, a bust of Sir Walter Raleigh was given to the state of North Carolina in 1909.
the confederate north carolina--1863-9/27/1864
During the Civil War the Confederate States Navy had an iron-clad sloop named North Carolina. She was 150 feet long, with a 32-foot beam, and carried four guns. She was built in Wilmington, North Carolina, and because she was structurally weak, never crossed the bar out of the Cape Fear River. The ship was active from late 1863 until September 27, 1864 when she developed leaks and sank.
the second north carolina--3/21/1906-9/29/1930
The second U.S. Navy ship to bear the name was an armored cruiser, number 12, built by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry-dock Company in Newport News, Virginia. The keel was laid March 21, 1905, she was launched on October 5, 1906, and was commissioned on May 7, 1908. She was 504 feet 6 inches in length, with a 72 foot 11 inch beam. She displaced 14,500 tons, and had a top speed of 22 knots.
On November 5, 1915 she was the first ship in the world to launch an airplane with a catapult while underway.
On June 7, 1920, her name was changed to Charlotte to make way for the new super battleship, number 52. As Charlotte she was decommissioned on February 18, 1921. Her name was struck from the Navy list on July 15, 1930, and she was sold for scrap on September 29, 1930.
battleship number 52
Laid down in 1919, battleship number 52 was to have been called the North Carolina. This ship was to have been a monster for that era, with a displacement of 43,200 tons, a length of 624 feet, a beam of 105 feet, and a speed of 23 knots. Mounting 12 16-inch guns, the North Carolina and her five planned sister ships, had they been completed, would have been the largest and most heavily armed capital ships of the world at that time.
Three years after construction was begun, however, the Washington Naval Treaty in 1922 imposed a ten year limit, and new size restrictions on warships of the era. All work was stopped, and the hull was sold for scrap.
the current north carolina: navy day 10/27/37-6/27/47
Authorized by an act of Congress on June 3, 1936, the keel of BB-55 was laid down at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on Navy Day, October 27, 1937. This was the first time the United States had started construction of a battleship in 16 years. A few new cruisers and destroyers had been built, but in general, the fleet was old if not obsolete at the time.
Ships are not built in a day. As they say, when you need ships it's too late to build them. Four years of design work, and three years and eight months went into her construction.
While building the North Carolina, war broke out in Europe, and only four days before her launch Hitler's divisions occupied Paris. In the Far East, Japan had invaded China, and was threatening further aggressive moves in Southeast Asia.
On June 13, 1940, Governor Clyde R. Hoey of North Carolina's daughter, Isabel, to the strains of ``Anchors Aweigh'', smashed the traditional bottle of champagne against the bow and launched the ship. Then, on April 9, 1941, after completing her fitting-out, Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox commissioned the ship. After all work was done, the ship cost the taxpayers $76,885,750. Today, the sum would be vastly greater.
After commissioning, the North Carolina had an unusually extensive shakedown, lasting several months. During this long
``shakedown'' period, the North Carolina returned often to her building yard for adjustments and modifications. During this time, New Yorkers, and in particular radio commentator Walter Winchell often witnessed the great new ``battlewagon'' entering and departing the harbor, and began to call her
``The Showboat'', after the colorful river steamer in a popular Broadway musical. The name has stuck ever since.
asiatic-pacific campaigns--war record post-service, 9/1945-6/27/1947
On September 5, 1945 the North Carolina finally anchored in Tokyo Bay to pick up a group of about 100 men who had been transferred from her August 20th, to help with the initial occupation at the Yokosuka Naval Base, near Tokyo.
On September 6, the ship headed for home via Okinawa (to take on passengers), Hawaii and the Panama Canal. On October 17, the ship arrived in Boston harbor for a hero's welcome.
Due to post-war disarmament, the battleship's remaining active service was short. In the summer of 1946 she twice visited the Naval Academy at Annapolis to embark midshipmen for training cruises in the Caribbean. In October of that year she returned to the place of her birth, the New York Navy Yard for inactivation. She was decommissioned June 27, 1947, and placed in the ``mothballed'' Reserve Fleet at Bayonne, New Jersey, where she remained in obscurity for the next 14 years.
In 1960 the Navy announced its intention to scrap the famous battleship, and two famous natives of North Carolina, Hugh Morton and James S. Craig, Jr., with the endorsement of then Governor Luther Hodges began a campaign to bring the ship to North Carolina and preserve her as a war memorial.
Thousands of citizens, and countless school children contributed money. $330,000 was raised to acquire the ship from the Navy and prepare a suitable berth. In September 1961 she was towed from New Jersey, and on October 2 she was moored in her present berth across the river from downtown Wilmington. On April 29, 1962 she was dedicated as a memorial to all the North Carolina men and women who served in the war, and in particular, to the more than 10,000 North Carolinians who gave their lives in the war.
Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns of the Battleship North Carolina
Prelude to Combat--December 1941-July 1942.
Landings on Guadalcanal and Tulagi--7-9 August 1942.
Capture and Defense of Guadalcanal--16 August 1942-8 February 1943.
Battle of the Eastern Solomons--23-24 August 1943.
I-19 Submarine Attack: USS WASP--Carrier--SUNK, USS O'BRIEN--Destroyer--SUNK, USS NORTH CAROLINA--Battleship--Damaged--15 September 1942.
New Georgia Group Operations: New Guinea, Rendova, Vangunu Invasion--30 June-31 August 1943.
Gilbert Islands Operations: Tarawa, Mrakin--19 November-8 December 1943.
Bismark Achipelago Operations: Kavieng Strike--25 December 1943.
Marshall island Operation: Invasion of Kwajalein Atoll, Invasion of Majuro Atoll--29 January 1944-8 February 1944.
Task Force Strikes: Truk--16-17 February 1944, Marianas--21-22 February 1944, Palau, Yap, Ulithi, Woleai--30 March-1 April 1944, Turk, Satawan, Ponape--29 April-1 May 1944.
Western New Guinea Operations: Hollandia--21-24 April 1944.
Marianas Operations: Invasion of Saipan--11-24 June 1944, Battle of the Philippine Sea--19-20 June 1944.
Leyte Operation: Attacks on Luzon--13, 14, 19-25 November 1944, 14, 15 December 1944.
Luzon Operation: Attacks on Luzon--6, 7 January 1944, Formosa--3, 4, 9, 15, 21 January 1945, China Coast--12, 16 January 1945, Nansei Shoto--22 January 1945.
Iwo Jima Operations: Invasion of Iwo Jima--15 February-1 March 1945, 15, 16 February 1945, 5th & 3rd Fleet raids on Honshu & Nansei Shoto--25 February-March 1945.
Okinawa Invasion--17 March-27 April 1945.
3rd Fleet Operations: Bombardment and Airstrikes on the Japanese Home Islands--10 July-15 August 1945.
Invasion of Okinawa (April 1945)--BB-55
Coincident with the air offensive of Task Force 58 against Mainland Japan, other American forces were closing in for the invasion of Okinawa, where the initial landings occurred on 1 April. Three Marine Divisions (1st, 2nd, and 6th), plus four Army Divisions (7th, 96th, 77th, and 27th) were employed in this operation, the last of the major island assaults of the Pacific war. Okinawa was needed because it was best located to support the planned invasion of the Home Islands of Japan, and because it offered airfields and anchorages required for that purpose. Task Force 58 covered the operation, providing air support and fighter defense.
The NORTH CAROLINA, in company with other fast battleships, conducted a pre-invasion bombardment of Okinawa from very long ranges on 24 March; and fired again, in support of a feint landing on 17 April.
On 6 April, in the heat of air attack with all ships firing, the Showboat was accidentally hit by a 5-inch AA Common projectile fired at a low-flying kamikaze by a friendly ship. The projectile struck the supporting trunk of the secondary battery director (Sky 2), killing three men, wounding 44, and disabling the director. During a lull in the fighting, the dead were buried at sea with members of the crew sadly bidding their shipmates a last farewell in the traditional solemn rites.
Just before taps that night, the voice of the Chaplain came over the ship's public address system with the following prayer: ``Heavenly Father, today we committed to the deep three of our shipmates who gave their lives so that others may live. We are particularly mindful at this time of their loved ones at home. Sustain them in their sorrow. Help them to understand that those they love gave their lives for their protection and care. Be with all the officers and men of this ship. Give all of us heart and mind to serve thee and our country willingly and faithfully. . . .''
The NORTH CAROLINA, with Task Force 58, was in the thick of the fighting around Okinawa for a total of 40 days before being ordered to withdraw for repairs to her battle damage. During this 40-day period, hundreds of kamikaze attacks were launched against naval units operating in the vicinity of Okinawa, and a total of 73 ships were crashed by them. Of these, 20 were sunk or so badly damaged they had to be scuttled, and 22 were damaged to the extent that repairs would not be completed before the war was over. However, for every Kamikaze pilot who succeeded in crashing one of our ships, there were scores shot down by our fighters and ship's gunners.
Reflections on the Kamikazes
A Kamikaze attack, as witnessed by a potential victim, can be ranked among the most frightening experiences in the history of modern warfare. As a rule, such attacks were pressed home with fanatical determination, despite the most intense antiaircraft fire. Virtually all Kamikaze attacks ended in flaming violence and death, if only for the pilot crashing into the sea amid a torrent of bursting shells and tracers, some of which were often wildly and dangerously erratic. Carriers were always the primary targets, but no ships were immune. Once a kamikaze was damaged, he usually selected whatever ship was nearest ahead as his target. The specter of sudden holocaust created on board a ship by a combination of the exploding bombs and gasoline carried by a suicide plane instilled fear in the staunchest heart.
Mr. WARNER. In that period of time I was but a mere radioman third class. Aboard a battleship, about the only thing lower than a radioman third class is a bull ensign out of Annapolis. If the Admiral were here, he would recall those days. Ensigns on battleships were almost down in the bilge area. Nevertheless, he was privileged to serve with that distinguished ship in a series of engagements.
I have also found a record of his second Distinguished Service Medal. It is interesting. I am searching for the first because it is likely that was in my period of tenure when a radioman third class had become Secretary of the Navy, because this one covers the period of June 1975 through December of 1978.
I want to read these remarks, signed by the then Secretary of the Navy:
For exceptionally meritorious service to the Government of the United States--
Rear Adm. James W. Nance, U.S. Navy--
while serving as the Assistant Vice Chief of Naval Operations/Director of Naval Administration from June 1975 through December 1978.
In directing the efforts of the vast human and physical resources of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Rear Admiral Nance displayed the highest order of leadership, superb managerial acumen, and unexcelled initiative.
The same qualities, Mr. President, I say to the chairman of the committee, that he exhibited on the Foreign Relations Committee. Isn't it interesting, these many years prior thereto, he was recognized for those qualities?
His keen foresight and perception coupled with an extensive knowledge of Navy organization were significantly instrumental in successfully guiding the reorganization of several major realignment programs.
Did he not do some reorganization for you, Mr. Chairman?
Utilizing dynamic leadership, keen administrative ability, and steadfast perseverance, Rear Admiral Nance managed the Navy's massive organizational network in a noteworthy manner, thereby enhancing the shore establishment's support to the fleet. Additionally, he personally initiated and implemented important improvements in both procedural and institutional aspects of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations and, by personal attention, example, and vigorous advocacy, he provided positive leadership in the area of Equal Employment Opportunity.
Rear Admiral Nance's distinctive accomplishments, unparalleled effectiveness, managerial expertise, and tenacious devotion to duty reflected great credit upon himself and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the very detailed briefing that goes behind this, the Navy's highest noncombat award, for which he received two. I hope to complete my research about the first.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
Summary of Action
Rear Admiral James W. Nance distinguished himself by exceptionally meritorious service to the United States in a position of great responsibility as Assistant Vice Chief of Naval Operations/Director of Naval Administration (AVCNO/DNA) from June 1975 thru December 1978. As the principal advisor and executive to the Vice Chief of Naval Operations (VCNO) and the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) for all organizational matters embracing the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV), and for all organizational echelons under the command of the CNO, he has demonstrated the highest degree of astute planning, detailed knowledge, exceptional managerial skill, and the ability to identify requirements that would compete for support in an increasingly austere fiscal and personnel resource environment. In this broad area encompassing more than 1250 shore activities, plus all the operating forces of the U.S. Navy, Rear Admiral Nance initiated and implemented many innovative improvements which significantly enhanced the Navy's capability and ability to support CNO in carrying out his mission. Astutely aware of the operational and material expenditures for the operation of the navy and the complex requirements of Mission and Program Sponsors in the OPNAV organization, Rear Admiral Nance was able to relate organizational changes to ongoing efforts, and to estimate potential costs and effectiveness with respect to the total navy effort and management decision at hand. He arbitrated among the various OPNAV sponsors and technical managers in order to develop a convincing and balanced program for the VCNO and CNO. As the focal point for all organizational matters Rear Admiral Nance demonstrated the highest degree of patience, objectivity, sound judgment, integrity and skill in both persuasion and application. These traits, coupled with a superior management ability, enabled him to overcome problems and maintain the proper perspective during frustrating times. All of these qualities Rear Admiral Nance has in abundance, and they have been demonstrated time and again during his tenure as AVCNO/DNA.
Rear Admiral Nance initiated and implemented vital improvements in both the policy and procedural aspects regarding proposals for the establishment, disestablishment, and modification of shore activities and of fleet activities of the Operating Forces. Rear Admiral Nance has displayed a flair for discovering organizational inconsistencies. In each instance he instinctively recommends the best solution. In these recommendations he exhibits a uniqueness in looking at each proposal from the whole Department of the Navy standpoint and not a more restrictive and narrow aspect of program sponsors. His efforts in maintaining strict compliance to the Secretary of Defense (SECDEF), Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV), and the direction and decisions regarding the reduction of operational expenditures and for providing better utilization of limited manpower resources, while still maintaining the highest degree of effectiveness and efficiency, have contributed significantly to the United States Navy.
Directly responsible for the management of an annual budget of approximately 400 million dollars, over 16,000 military and civilian personnel, and approximately 200 commands within the CNO claimancy, Rear Admiral Nance has demonstrated unique abilities in management of these resources. Constantly aware of the worldwide inflation and its adverse effects on the CNO claimancy and the national priorities, Rear Admiral Nance fostered and encouraged strong leadership, professional skills, and force in fiscal and personnel management. Whether involving the more than 125 activities for which the CNO provides direct Operation and Maintenance Navy (O&MN) appropriation financial support or the more than 90 activities for which the CNO is the civilian manpower claimant, Rear Admiral Nance consistently and aggressively sought improvements in all areas. Included in activities supported in the CNO claimancy are such diversified commands as CINCPAC, CINCLANT, SEATO Military Headquarters, MAAG China, all the Navy Sections in the MAACs in South America and Europe, USN Member SHAPE Headquarters, Naval Observatory, all the District Commandants, COMUSJAPAN, Commander Iceland Defense Force, most of the major Naval Support Activities in CONUS, all Legal Service Offices worldwide, NAP Washington, COMOPTEVFOR, Board of Inspection and Survey, the Vice President's quarters and Presidential helicopters, just to name a few.
Rear Admiral Nance set realistic standards for the management and administrative performance of these field commands and activities in such areas as management policies, procedures and controls, organizational structure, position structure, staffing and delegation, management systems and related management practices. In these areas, and while servicing as resource and executive manager for the CNO, he made significant contributions. Since the aforementioned activities under the CNO claimancy are unique in that they have no Systems Command or Bureau sponsorship and are administered centrally under the CNO, they prove to be a major undertaking. Management of these activities is further complicated by the diverse programs represented in their missions. Through Admiral Nance's direction and leadership, the quality and level of services has been enhanced, and services in such areas as property maintenance, personnel services, and services to tenant commands have been greatly improved even though funds and personnel have been reduced over the years. As an example of the concern for real property facilities, during Fiscal Years 1976 through 1978 the CNO claimancy allocated resources for the maintenance and repair of real property in a proportion to its backlog of maintenance and repair that exceeded by over 50% the same ration for the entire Navy shore establishment supported by the O&MN appropriation.
Rear Admiral Nance assumed his duties at a time when a major reduction in force had been directed. Confronted with this directed reduction of 12% in manning in OPNAV he approached the task with a unique freshness which rallied the support of all concerned. Apportioning these reductions to the varied offices within the OPNAV would be no small task. He personally conferred with each of the Deputy Chiefs of Naval Operations (DCNOs) and the Directors of Major Staff Offices (DMSOs) reviewing their mission and staffing. Gaining immeasurable information and knowledge of each of these complex organizations provided him with much of the data he required preliminary to directing reductions. The knowledge gained during this tremendous and time consuming effort and his years of experience enabled him to determine those areas where critical manning deficiencies were already developing as a result of the many reductions already applied to OPNAV and those areas where a reduction could be imposed. The application of his knowledge made it possible to develop a presentation which obtained the SECNAV's support for an effort to stem the shrinking of the OPNAV staff and permit the staff to meet its responsibilities. The required reduction was effected with minimal disruption and was superbly balanced among military and civilian positions. In subsequent years additional personnel reduction actions were directed. Rear Admiral Nance, after reviewing the OPNAV staff, its requirements and the requirements of the SECDEP, established an OPNAV Support Activity. This component organization satisfied SECDEP's requirements for the reduction of Navy Department Headquarters since those personnel not involved in Navy-wide policy making were assigned thereto. This fresh approach developed by Rear Admiral Nance prevented the crippling of the OPNAV staff's capability to perform its mission.
Mr. WARNER. But the interesting thing is the direct parallels between, Mr. Chairman, what he performed in the Navy in 1974 and what he performed in the Senate in 1994. When I spoke of him as ensign, I heard on the floor of the Senate a little chuckle from a former ensign who is over there now preparing to address the Senate. I am sure he might expand a little bit on the relationship between an ensign and the higher officers. I see him busily going over his notes over there.
But I say to my distinguished colleague from Massachusetts, we should conclude these remarks by saying: An officer and a gentleman--a phrase known in the U.S. Navy. My distinguished colleague from Massachusetts earned that title, as did Admiral Nance.
I thank the Chair and thank my distinguished colleagues.
I ask unanimous consent that the Distinguished Service Medal citation be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
The Secretary of the Navy,
Washington, DC.
The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Medal to Rear Admiral James W. Nance, United States Navy for service as set forth in the following citation: For exceptionally meritorious service to the Government of the United States in duties of great responsibility from January 1970 to January 1972, while serving with the Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as Deputy Director for Operations, National Military Command Center, Operations Directorate, and as Chief of the Studies, Analysis, and Gaming Agency.
As Deputy Director for Operations, Rear Admiral Nance was responsible for monitoring the worldwide political/military situation on an around-the-clock basis, acting as personal representative for the Secretary of Defense; the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff; the Director, Joint Staff; and the Director for Operations. He was particularly adept in handling the many events, incidents, and sensitive operations of national interest involving the highest governmental authorities.
In his capacity as Chief of the Studies, Analysis, and Gaming Agency, Rear Admiral Nance masterfully directed studies and simulations prepared to analyze strategic and general purpose force capabilities relevant to national security decision-making at the highest level.
By his outstanding leadership, superior judgment, and inspiring devotion to duty, Rear Admiral Nance reflected great credit upon himself and the Organization of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
For the President,
John H. Chafee,
Secretary of the Navy.
Mr. DODD addressed the Chair.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair recognizes the Senator from Connecticut.
Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I join my colleagues in expressing our condolences to the Nance family. As Senator Helms has pointed out, there are a number of them gathered today in the Senate gallery to hear these tributes.
I cannot help but think what Bud Nance would think about a lot of this language out here. I imagine that I would see a twinkling in his eye. He might think we are getting excessive--to describe it politely. I do not think you can get excessive when talking about someone of the human quality that Bud Nance possessed.
The reason you are seeing this bipartisan demonstration here today is because I never knew what Bud Nance's politics were. I had my suspicions because he was working with the chairman of the committee, but I never detected an ounce of partisanship in any approach he ever made to a Member of this body or members of the staff on either side of the aisle.
It is a great tribute to his human qualities that he saw issues as they were--either right or wrong--or ways in which to get a job done to move a bill forward. Throughout that process, which too often brings out acrimony in people, Bud Nance seemed to attract the better angels in all of us. And it is that wonderful quality that he possessed that I admired so much. I came to really respect and enjoy this man's wonderful company over too brief a period of time.
We lost a great friend and a wonderful member of the Senate family a few days ago. Many of us knew Bud Nance simply as ``the admiral.'' He was 77 years young. That is not a polite expression. Up until his last illness, he had great vitality. And I admired him. Less than a week before he passed away, I saw him here in the staff gallery. I went over and talked to him. I admired his tenacity. In spite of all that he was going through at the hospital, transfusions and all the rest, he remained determined to be here and determined to be involved.
It is a great lesson for all of us that we should live life to the fullest. He certainly did. The loyalty that many members of the Senate and the staff, many of whom are here today, felt toward Bud Nance should be noted as well.
Both sides of the aisle respected Bud Nance enormously. We were extremely fond of him personally. All of us who had the honor of knowing him are deeply saddened to hear of his passing. I express my condolences to his wife and children and grandchildren as well.
As has been noted, he was the staff director of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He took over the stewardship of the committee in 1991. He was summoned out of retirement, as has been noted over and over again here by the chairman of the committee. It is not the first time that the admiral had worked for the Foreign Relations Committee.
Back in 1979 and 1980, he had served as a special consultant to the minority staff on the SALT II deliberations. Over the years, many Senators consulted with him on matters related to strategic arms treaties. He was truly an expert in this area. When his wonderful friend, his lifelong friend, and our friend, Jesse Helms, called him up in 1991, seeking his help in reorganizing the committee, the admiral did what he had always done--he showed up ready for duty. He had retired to Virginia sometime before, but he could not say no. He accepted the challenge; and we are all the better because of it. In fact, he was excited to take on another challenge.
Some of you may know that the admiral had initially refused to take any salary. This is something of which not many Americans are aware. But there are people around here who do work because they believe in the work they are doing. Admiral Nance was one of those individuals. He insisted he should not be paid lest someone think there was an appearance of impropriety. Of course that never crossed anyone's mind. The words ``impropriety'' and ``Bud Nance'' just would not fit in the same sentence, page, or book. He was a person of impeccable integrity.
Eventually, the two friends had to compromise, as I am told, on minimal, symbolic compensation in order to comply with Federal laws. Bud Nance would also not want to be in violation of Federal laws. So there was a symbolic compensation that became Bud's salary.
At any rate, Senator Helms and the admiral belonged to a mutual admiration society. All of us became associate members of this wonderful friendship that these two individuals shared. Bud Nance had an excellent relationship with the chairman, as all of us know, based on their deep loyalty to one another, deep appreciation of each other's talents, abilities and sense of character, and deep friendship that goes back to childhood.
We make friends in our lives through the various phases of our travels in this world, but there is no friendship that is more enduring or more deeply appreciated than one that begins in childhood and carries on through life. That does not happen often, but when it does it is a unique relationship.
The fact that Bud Nance and my great friend, Jesse Helms, had this friendship at the young age of 4 or 5 years of age that lasted to Bud's passing says wonderful things about both of these individuals that they sustained that friendship over these many, many years.
For me personally, I say to the chairman, every day it was a pleasure to work with Admiral Nance. He was candid. He was straightforward. He always tried to do what he believed was in the best interest of our country. He was truly a patriot. That word too often is used to describe too many people, but in this case it happily applies to Bud Nance.
He was 77 years old and a veteran of several distinguished careers. And he was tapped by Senator Helms to take over the helm of the committee. Of course, he had a wonderful and distinguished career in the Navy, as was noted by the Senator, and others. He grew up in North Carolina, attended North Carolina State, enrolled in the U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Naval War College, and specialized in world governments and strategic planning. He earned a master's degree at George Washington University. He had many wonderful accomplishments. But the most important quality of all was he was just a wonderful human being, and all of our lives are enriched because he was a part of our lives. We are going to miss him.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair recognizes the majority leader.
Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from Connecticut for his very kind and heartfelt comments. I know Senator Helms appreciates it very much also.
In case it hasn't been announced, I want all Senators to be aware that Admiral Nance's graveside services will be at Arlington National Cemetery at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, tomorrow. For any Senators who would like to be there and participate, I am sure it will be a beautiful and appropriate ceremony.
I served 4 years as a staff member on the House side, working for the chairman of the Rules Committee. Now I have served 26 years in the House and the Senate. I have a very enduring appreciation for the importance and the loyalty, the dedication and the fine service that we receive from our staffs, both in this Chamber, in our committee work, and on our personal staffs.
Admiral Nance was one of those unique staff members, though, who had a very close personal relationship, beyond a normal staff relationship, with the chairman of the committee, but also with a lot of Senators. When I first came to the Senate, I found myself more than once back in the back room seeking the advice and counsel of Admiral Nance, and he always took the time to try to explain the situation and try to make clear what was in the country's best national interests. And so I feel a personal sense of loss.
When you go through life and then you sort of get to the end of your road and you look back, I think there are really at least three things you hope for: a good name, good friends, and, hopefully, a little good fortune. But very important on that list is good friends.
I have had the privilege of having some great friends, going back to my childhood days at Duck Hill, MS, people I still stay in touch with from high school and college years. We still get together. In less than 2 weeks, we are all going to be together at the marriage of my daughter. My friends from high school and college will be there. I know that when you are in the greatest need of comforting, the greatest need of counsel, there are few friends that you turn to.
So we have had this unique relationship with Rear Admiral James W.
``Bud'' Nance and our beloved chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, the senior Senator from North California. He was born in Monroe, NC--most folks probably have never heard of it, or certainly have never been there--a small town, one block from the home of Jesse Helms. I wonder how many blocks there are in Monroe--probably not many. But this son of the South from North Carolina went to the Naval Academy, a 1944 graduate. He was a gunnery officer on the U.S.S. North Carolina at Iwo Jima. He was a combat pilot in Korea and Vietnam. He was a test pilot. He was commander of the U.S.S. Raleigh, a cruiser, and commander of the U.S.S. Forrestal, one of our great carriers in history.
I had the pleasure one time of landing on the deck of that carrier. It was a tremendous experience. My attitude ever since has been: I have done that. I don't want to do it anymore.
To be commander of that great vessel is the height of success in many people's lives. But he went beyond that. He went on to be Deputy National Security Adviser in the Reagan administration. And then, of course, for the last 6 years, he was staff director of the Foreign Relations Committee.
His wife, Mary Lyda, and their two sons--I know Phil--are grateful to have had this man as husband and father. We all have been enriched and are better off because of his service to our country and to this institution and to his friend.
Bud Nance, sailor, public servant, patriot. God rest his soul.
I yield the floor, Mr. President.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Massachusetts is recognized.
Mr. KERRY. I thank the Chair.
Mr. President, with sadness but with great pride, I join my colleagues today to mark the passing of a remarkably patriotic and--I think everyone would agree--extraordinarily committed public servant.
Rear Admiral James ``Bud'' Nance devoted his entire life to serving his country, to public service. That was made up, as we have heard, of a remarkable 35 years in the U.S. Navy, 2 years as Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs under President Reagan, and then, as we heard our colleagues recount today, great years of service here in the Senate, years where all of us know he didn't have to serve. He could have chosen any number of other courses for his life, but right up until the end, he stood watch.
He earned, as we have heard, two Distinguished Service Medals in all of the campaigns that were listed by my colleagues. One of the things for which I personally--and I am sure Senator McCain will join me--
express the greatest respect was his service as skipper, commander of the U.S.S. Forrestal, which our colleague, Senator McCain, has very close ties to. I served one of my tours of duty in Vietnam at the Gulf of Tonkin, as we did a lot of search and rescue work with pilots and occasionally were doing guard duty right behind the carrier, so I became intimately familiar with carrier operations.
I think anybody who has ever been on a carrier, those 5,000-person floating cities, understands the extraordinary leadership skills that are necessary to keep everybody in those close quarters working at the pace they work under--the intense, stressful combat situation in which they work. It is a remarkable tribute to this man that he rose to that level and, indeed, performed those responsibilities with such distinction.
I first met him, obviously, when he came here, in 1991, and he became the Republican staff director for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Believe me, it became evident very quickly how fast he was going to be sort of the glue that helped to bring people together and keep them together. Everybody here will remember the great smile, the constant twinkle in his eye, and the wonderful kind of calm that he had about him. Literally, I think 5 days or 6 days before he passed away, clearly without any inkling on our part that that might happen so suddenly, we were down in Senate Foreign Relations room 116 dealing with a number of issues. I went over to sit beside him and seek his counsel on something. As was his manner, he sort of patted me on the knee in a calm way and said: I think we can take care of that; we can take care of that.
That is the way he worked. He enjoyed the give and take. He loved the responsibility. He loved the Senate. And most of all, he clearly loved his country which he served so diligently.
Not only did he have the confidence and friendship--a very, very special friendship--with Senator Helms, but he also approached the job with pure professionalism, with fierce determination, and great skill. Surely he was always committed to advancing the values and belief system--such a strong value system and belief system--of Senator Helms. Their priorities were the same. But he also was every bit as committed to working out even the most contentious issues on a bipartisan basis.
I consider myself privileged to have worked very closely with Admiral Nance when Senator Helms was a member of the Senate POW-MIA committee, which I then chaired. I will always be grateful to him for his very steady support during that difficult and highly emotional time. He understood the importance of dealing with that issue head-on, regardless of partisanship or political consideration, and understood as well as anybody, because of his years of service, the need to begin to heal the wounds of war that still divided this country.
His participation with Senator Helms and the work of that committee was a great service to this country. The admiral and I also worked closely together during the 6 years that I was privileged to have the responsibility as chairman, and then ranking member, of the International Operations Subcommittee for the State Department authorization bill. I know that Bud Nance believed it was more than just another bill. To him, it was a reflection of our priorities in a global strategic sense, which he understood so well. So it wasn't just a substantive issue to him; it was also an institutional issue, and he cared about that. He cared about the Senate prerogatives, he cared about the committee priorities and prerogatives, and he shared that concern with all of us.
Although we found much to agree on, we obviously sometimes disagreed. But, boy, I can tell you it was never with anything except the deepest sense of respect and understanding for the substance of another person's position. Even throughout those disagreements, I always knew I could talk to Bud Nance and he was going to give me a fair hearing, and, working with Senator Helms, he was going to do his best to resolve those differences.
We all know the degree to which Bud Nance was a devoted public servant. But of greater meaning and of greater consequence to him, surely, Bud Nance was a devoted husband and father. We have heard others talk of the wonderful marriage that he had to Mary Lyda for 53 years. Together they had four children. I simply want to take this opportunity to extend my condolences to them and to their families for their loss.
It is also very hard to think about Bud Nance without obviously thinking about the special relationship he had with his closest friend and our colleague, Senator Helms. I will always fondly remember the many stories that Senator Helms shared with us in the Foreign Relations Committee and here on the floor about two young tykes growing up within streets of each other and spending literally their lives together, even when they weren't together. No one could ever doubt the strength of the bond between them or the personal loyalty they felt toward one another over so many years. This was really a rare friendship. That it has a marvelous endurance is a tribute to both Bud Nance and Jesse Helms, not just as public servants or as partners in a public endeavor, but as private people, as human beings.
Modern politics is not kind to personal lives, to private lives. It is sometimes easy to lose sight of the importance of those friendships in this city, and that is why I think it is so important, in part, to recognize the full measure of the friendship they shared.
I don't remember all of the words, but there is a wonderful poem by William Butler Yates that speaks about the glory man shares here on Earth, but in the end he calls on us to hope that every individual would say: And so my glory was I had such friends. Really, that is glory in itself, that he had a friend like Bud Nance.
Mr. President, this is a city marked by transients. People come and people go. But Adm. Bud Nance was forever proud that his service here was, in many ways, neither ephemeral or transient. It was a tireless service to the country, the Senate, stellar leadership in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and lifelong devotion to country. It defines patriotism. He will be greatly missed, but he will also be remembered very fondly by all of us who knew him and remembered him as a good man who made no secret of his love of family, love of friends, and love of country. He epitomized the best of what can come from our Nation's capital and from the country itself, as well as the best of what our foreign policy can be. We will miss him today, but so much more so, we honor his legacy and his memory.
Mr. HELMS addressed the Chair.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Carolina is recognized.
Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, I thank the Senator. I am touched by all of these remarks. I hope the Chair will recognize Senator McCain next. But before he does, I want to make a point that Bud Nance said many times how much he admired Senator McCain's father. With that, I hope the Chair will recognize Senator McCain.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Arizona is recognized.
Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I thank my dear friend from North Carolina for the love and friendship he bestowed on Bud Nance for many, many years. It is a rare thing--the relationship that existed between my dear friend from North Carolina and Adm. Bud Nance. It was a relationship characterized by mutual respect, political courage, and love and affection, which is, as the previous speaker mentioned, somewhat rare in this town--although not as rare as some would think.
Bud Nance was not only a friend of my father's, he also served under my grandfather in World War II. Mr. President, there is a book that has been No. 1 on the best seller list for a long time. The title of that book is ``The Greatest Generation,'' written by Tom Brokaw, a man known to all of us. It is one of the more moving books I have read in a long time. It chronicles the personal experiences of those of the generation that fought and won World War II and, indeed, did make the world safe for democracy. It contains very moving stories. The impact of those stories gives us a renewed and indeed, perhaps, an unappreciated recognition of the service and sacrifice of that generation, what they went through, what they achieved, and the reality that they really did make not only the world safe for democracy, but make it possible for future generations to live much better lives in a broad variety of ways.
Bud Nance was of the greatest generation and he was one of the greatest Americans to serve in the greatest generation. In fact, his service spanned three wars, and in all of them he served with distinction and courage.
I believe that Bud Nance epitomized in the Senate all the best we see in people who serve the Nation. Unfailingly courteous, always considerate to others, he took into consideration with equal weight and gravity the views of those on the other side of the aisle. And although perhaps in disagreement, he always treated those views with the respect and consideration they deserved.
Obviously, as has been mentioned, the relationship between the two men was remarkable and unusual. But it was also remarkable and unusual that, in all the years that I saw Bud Nance here, never once did I see him lose patience with anyone. His courtesy was unfailing, and, frankly, he represented what we know of as the greatest generation in more ways than just having served in combat and risked his life for his country in three wars.
Mr. President, when I think of Bud Nance, as I always have, as we not only mourn his passing but celebrate his life, I could not help but be reminded of what is one of my favorite poems, written by Robert Louis Stevenson, who also had an incredibly unusual life of adventure, with great and vast experiences and great contributions. Robert Louis Stevenson wrote a poem that he wrote for his own epitaph called
``Requiem,'' which I believe also fits our dear friend, Bud Nance.
The poem is a very simple one:
Under the wide and starry sky.
Dig the grave and let me lie.
Glad did I live and gladly die.
And I laid me down with a will.
This be the verse you gave for me:
Here he lies where he longed to be;
Home is a sailor, home from the sea.
And the hunter home from the hill.
Mr. President, I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair recognizes the Senator from Minnesota.
Mr. WELLSTONE. Mr. President, I say to my colleague from North Carolina, I was thinking to myself that one of the things that rarely gets written about regarding politics, and it is almost the thing I have enjoyed the most about being a Senator, is the kind of friendships that develop here.
Senator Helms and I are not exactly in agreement on most issues, and Admiral Nance and I weren't in agreement on most issues, but I tell you something, I came to love that man and I will never forget him. I agree with what everybody has said about his impact on the Senate.
I think it started a couple of years ago; I would be walking with a bad knee and Bud would ask me how I was doing. We would start talking, and then we would talk more. It came to the point, Senator Helms, where I just decided--I never had a chance to know the admiral in the same way Senator Helms knew him as a dear friend, or the way some of my other colleagues have known him over the years--I just reached the conclusion that this was a man I really believed in. I hope and pray he felt the same way about me.
I think he represented the very best of treating people well, the best of being willing to stand up for what you believe in, the best of patriotism, the best of public service. As far as I am concerned, there are certain people you meet whom you never forget. They are with you for the rest of your life. I celebrate this man's life. In all the work I will get a chance to do as a Senator or as a teacher, or whatever I do, I will always try--I will never succeed--to live up to Bud's example.
Mr. MOYNIHAN. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to Rear Admiral James W. Nance, a gentleman and a patriot. I will leave it to others to talk about Bud's accomplishments in the Navy, at the White House, in the private sector and in academia, and here in the Senate. They are legion. I wish to highlight the central role he played in assisting the Commission on Protecting and Reducing Government Secrecy, which I chaired. Senator Helms was a Commission Member. Bud understood the importance of keeping some secrets. But he also understood that excessive secrecy is a mode of regulation. The most pernicious mode, really, since we don't know what we don't know. It is a fitting tribute to Bud, his wisdom, and his talents that the Commission unanimously issued its report containing recommendations for protecting and reducing government secrecy.
Bud battled his illness gallantly, which is no surprise. His death from that illness is no surprise, either, but it hurts nonetheless. We who were privileged to know Bud will miss him. The country will miss him.
He and I were frequent correspondents. His last letter to me, from last October, is characteristics. He wrote,
As I mentioned in a discussion we had several months ago, I have myelodysplasia, or smoldering leukemia. I have had all the experimental treatments they do out at NIH without success. At present, I am living on transfusions. This problem does not worry me in the slightest because I have had 77 wonderful years and have had the privilege of knowing some of the great people of my time.
Not the slightest tinge of self-pity, remorse, regret, or bitterness. He was confident in his faith and comfortable in his accomplishments. Rather, he was concerned about the imminent dangers our country faced in the Balkans and elsewhere:
What does bother me, Senator, is I am extremely worried about our country. In 1939, I did not register for the draft for World War II. The reason I did not register was because they already had me . . . Everywhere we look around the world things are bad--Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, India/Pakistan (nuclear testing), North Korea, Latin America is stewing in drugs, et. al. We should remember what Charles DeGaulle said, ``There are no friends in international politics.'' We have countries that respect us; countries that fear us; and countries that hold us in contempt. I see too many cases where we are held in contempt. We have to do better internationally.
Bud wrote to me, with his characteristic modesty, ``In the roughly 60 years that I have been with the government in both the executive and legislative branches I have always tried to make our country a little safer and a little better.'' This, rhetoricians will tell you, is understatement. If I may paraphrase General Robert E. Lee, Bud did his duty in all things. He could not do more. And it's obvious he never wished to do less.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair recognizes the Senator from North Carolina, Mr. Edwards.
Mr. EDWARDS. Thank you, Senator Helms, for allowing me to speak today in a tribute to an extraordinary North Carolinian, Adm. Bud Nance.
I found Senator McCain's poem very moving and very touching. I know Bud Nance was an extraordinary friend to my senior Senator, who has been an extraordinary friend to me since I have been here in the Senate. They grew up together. I think they were born a couple of blocks away from each other, over in Monroe, NC, and even a couple of months apart, if I am not mistaken.
The things that Bud Nance did with his life are the things we would strive for all of our children to do. He spent his life in service of this country. Having attended the Naval Academy, having gone on to rise to prominence as an admiral in the Navy, having served on the U.S.S. North Carolina, and then, after retirement, when most people would go on to spend time with their family and children, he went to his second career, which was working for his great lifelong friend, Senator Helms, on the Foreign Relations Committee.
While I did not know Bud Nance intimately the way the Senators who have spoken knew him, I have to say, whenever I went to Senator Helms for advice--which seemed to be often--on issues of foreign relations, the very first thing he would say to me is, you need to talk to Bud Nance. I know how much he relied and depended on Bud Nance.
I might add, aside from the fact that I am so proud of Bud Nance as a North Carolinian, I have another connection with him, which is that my father-in-law, Vince Anania, who was a captain in the Navy, went to the Naval Academy and was a classmate of Bud Nance at the Naval Academy. My father-in-law was a career naval aviator, a man for whom I have great love, admiration, and respect, and he held Bud Nance in enormous esteem and friendship, having gone to school with him, having known him over the years.
I have to say, this man's career speaks for itself. The fact that he is held in such high esteem by Capt. Vince Anania, whom I love, admire and respect, just about says it all. I think this man was an extraordinary man who gave extraordinary service to his country. We have lost a great American.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair recognizes the senior Senator from North Carolina.
Mr. HELMS. I ask unanimous consent that any further remarks by other Senators today or subsequent to today relative to Bud Nance be printed in tandem with the remarks that will already appear.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair recognizes the Senator from Nebraska.
Mr. HAGEL. Mr. President, to my friend and distinguished colleague, the senior Senator from North Carolina, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I offer my sympathy, my condolences. I have expressed those sentiments to Senator Helms in writing and face-to-
face.
I have heard the eloquence of many of my colleagues here this morning, expressing themselves about how they feel about a very special American. The only weakness that has been presented here is that most of them have been Navy. Having been an Army sergeant in Vietnam in 1968, I, too, have some sense of appreciation for a Navy admiral. Of course, when I was in Vietnam as an Army sergeant, I didn't know any admirals, but I got to know this admiral rather well.
I wish to share a quick story that the Senator from North Carolina may not know about Bud Nance. Two weeks after I was elected to the Senate from Nebraska in 1996, I received a call from Admiral Nance. It had gotten around back here that I was interested in serving on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee. Admiral Nance first congratulated me on my victory and then said the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee would be willing to even take an Army veteran--if it came to that--but wanted me to know that he was at my disposal to help me and assist me in any way with the staff that I was assembling, whether I joined the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee or not.
We had a long talk--as I recall about 45 minutes--about our country, about service to our country, military, foreign relations. After that 45-minute conversation, I walked out of my office in Omaha and said to the person who is now my chief of staff: I am going to seek a seat on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee if for no other reason than Bud Nance.
Bud Nance and I talked about that occasionally, and that relationship built. For me, it was a very important part of my service on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee and in this body.
I recall 4 months into my first year in the Senate at a hearing Senator Helms was presiding over--and I know this will come as a surprise to some Members on the floor--one of our colleagues had an awful lot to say that day and was not inhibited by time or bashful about how much he wished to contribute on this particular subject. As one of our colleagues went on and on and on, Admiral Nance leaned forward and said, ``Senator,'' and I turned and I said, ``Yes, Admiral Nance.'' He said, ``I want you to observe something.'' He smiled and winked and looked down and then said, ``Senator, remember, you need not be eternal to be immortal.''
I don't think that was an original, but it was at that time effective and framed the issue in rather simple Bud Nance eloquence that the Senator has come to know for so many years.
Of course we will all miss him; not only for what he represented--and maybe, more than anything, what he represented was a role model. Each of us who has the privilege of serving our country should always understand that the greatest responsibility we have is to be as good a role model as we possibly can. For his staff, as you know so well, Mr. Chairman, you who loved this man, who adored this man--not because he was a friendly man, but he guided them and he helped them; he was tough when he needed to be tough--for all those staff members who served with Admiral Nance, I wish to say thank you on their behalf, since they do not have the privilege of being on the floor of the Senate this morning, acknowledging his service. And on behalf of this Army veteran, very junior Senator, I wish to thank Admiral Nance. For you, Bud Nance, wherever you are: We will miss you, Admiral.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair recognizes the Senator from North Carolina.
Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, I think I have never heard such eloquence in my 27 years in the Senate. It was a glory to me just to sit here and hear the evaluations of a man whom I have known and loved all my life.
Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, I wanted to just add a note of sympathy and condolence, but also, on this day, a note of admiration for Admiral Nance's public service. As I said one day on the floor when we were talking about the late Scott Bates, there are many people who serve this country, and work in this Senate especially, who do so in ways that are not obvious to people on the outside, but in ways that are critically important to the workings of the Senate and the construction of good public policy in America.
I did not know Admiral Nance well. I knew him to see him. I, on several occasions, approached him with some questions about policy issues that I knew the committee was working on, that I knew he was involved in with Senator Helms. On each occasion, he answered my queries with patience and with a great deal of understanding. I walked away thinking to myself, this is a person who really knows these issues, both from experience and just a general knowledge from a wide range of interests and issues. It reminded me again, then, with him, as it has with so many others, of the wonderful service given the Senate by so many people on our staffs. But he was different. He was by all accounts, of all those who had many more dealings with him than I had, a person who brought to this Senate a very substantial background and a very special kind of knowledge about these issues in foreign affairs.
So I want to add my voice today to the expressions of gratitude for his public service. Yes, condolence over his passing and sympathy to his family and loved ones, but especially, at the same time, to say thank you to Admiral Nance for lending himself in service to his country in such a noble way and especially thank you to him for being of service to his country here in the Senate with Senator Helms for so many years.
I yield the floor.
Mr. GRAMS. Mr. President, I take this opportunity to join many of my colleagues this morning in saying just how grateful I am that I had the chance to work with ``the Admiral.'' When I call Bud Nance ``the Admiral,'' I do so on purpose, because when a Senator referred to ``the Admiral,'' of course you never had to question which one. We all knew that Member was talking about--of course, Admiral Nance.
The Admiral was a great man, a true American hero. He survived over 150 Japanese suicide bomber attacks during World War II. He became a Navy test pilot, which was dangerous work. In one of the 10-men units in which he served, five pilots died in crashes. So we know he was not only brave but also blessed.
Later he commanded the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Forrestal and served as deputy assistant to the President for national security affairs under Ronald Reagan.
Chairman Helms and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee benefited from his intense patriotism and vast experience. We are all very lucky that he was willing to serve his country in this way, continuing his lifelong commitment to the defense of our Nation's interests.
Let me say something else about the Admiral. He was a modest man, a very simple man, and he certainly would not want all of this fuss about his accomplishments over a very long life. But Admiral Nance was a Navy man and, of course, loved to tell stories. In his memory, I want to relate an anecdote about the Admiral which reflects his straightforward nature and, above all, his sense of humor.
This happened before my time in the Senate, but it is one of those stories that gets repeated by members of the Foreign Relations Committee. I share it with everyone today because if any of you did not have the pleasure of knowing Bud Nance, you will have a better understanding of why he was so beloved by everybody with whom he worked.
It occurred in the summer of 1992 when Admiral Nance was the minority staff director of the Foreign Relations Committee and he had requested a document from AID on funds for Nicaragua. The answer the Admiral got from AID was not in English with dollar amounts, but rather it came in Spanish with amounts in cordobas.
So the Admiral wrote back to AID saying he had three staff members who were Spanish speakers, but they were all busy, and since English was obviously not AID's official language, he wanted all communication from AID to the committee to be either in Russian or Hebrew during the month of August. But--here is the real kicker--the Admiral sent his response to AID through the proper channels on Foreign Relations Committee stationery, it was all very proper and official looking, except for one thing: He had a member of his staff draft it up in Hebrew. And that is the truth. I have a copy of the letter right here.
By the way, the only bit of English was, of course, his signature at the bottom of the letter: ``James W. Nance.'' According to the Admiral, he never heard back from AID on that matter, but he never received another foreign-language document without a translation as well.
So again, Mr. President, this is not just a time to mourn our loss, but I believe very strongly it is a time to celebrate the Admiral's life. He will be missed, but he will not be forgotten.
Thank you very much, Mr. President.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair recognizes the Senator from California.
Mrs. BOXER. Thank you very much, Mr. President.
I associate myself with the remarks that have been made all morning concerning the passing of Admiral Nance, and what a gentleman he was, and what a difficult thing it is for Senator Helms to lose a friend he has had since childhood.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, in 1941, Monroe, North Carolina, lost Bud Nance, a favorite home grown boy, who traveled north to the U.S. Naval Academy. Last week, we all suffered the loss of Admiral Nance to a different journey. He passed away after a life time of dedicated and successful service to his country. But, what most of us will recall beyond his distinguished record and credentials is the support and friendship Bud offered many of us, especially to Senator Helms.
Bud brought the quiet confidence and certain purpose he had gained from growing up in a close knit community to each challenge and task he faced. When he arrived to serve Senator Helms as chief of staff of the Foreign Relations Committee there were no shortages to the variety and complexity of those challenges. But, Bud had a gift for dissecting and analyzing complicated issues--whether personnel or policy--cutting with certainty to the heart of any matter, giving guidance then moving on to the next challenge. He saw each problem as an opportunity to support his friends and serve his country.
The many conversations I enjoyed with Bud flowed from our common reverence for the history and stories so familiar in the South. He represented the best of North Carolina traditions--he had that strong streak of country sense, yet was ever sentimental; his wisdom twinkled with humor. He brought these strengths to every discussion we had on a wide range of issues from arms control to foreign aid--he made a difference with Southern distinction.
Bud's loss will be felt most deeply by his life long and good friend,
``Jesse''. I thank him for sharing Bud with us for the past 8 years. The Senate and its Members are the richer for his contribution and service.
Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I join my colleagues in saying how much this Senate, and this nation, will miss Bud Nance. I want, as well, to offer my condolences to Admiral Nance's family, to Senator Helms on the loss of his childhood friend and staff member, and to Admiral Nance's colleagues at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Other Senators on both sides of the aisle have spoken of Admiral Nance's distinguished careers--in the Navy, the White House, and here in the Senate. He was, as they have said, a war hero, and a true patriot. Senior Naval officer. Commander of U.S. forces in Europe. National security advisor to two Presidents. Chief of Staff to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Senator Helms is his dearest and oldest friend in the Senate. But Admiral Nance leaves many friends here--on both sides of the aisle. He was a good and decent man. A man of great accomplishment and true humility. He was also a man of integrity. You knew, whenever you dealt with Admiral Nance, that you were dealing with a fair and open man. You knew if Bud Nance made a commitment, it would be kept. His word was his bond.
He was also an tireless worker. Most mornings, he arrived at the Capitol at 7 o'clock. He was still at his desk late into most nights. I don't know whether his work ethic was formed in the Navy, or earlier in life, but it was remarkable. And it never wavered, even during his last great battle with sickness and pain. Admiral Nance was a steady hand on the foreign relations Senate ship, just as he was in his command of the aircraft carrier Forrestal. He displayed courage and grace in his fight against illness.
The Senate is served every day by men and women of great dedication, commitment and industry who believe in the American system of government. Even among these exceptional people, Admiral Nance stood out. He will be missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Mary Lyda Faulk; their children, James Lee Nance, Mary Catherine Worth, Andrew Monroe Nance and Susan Elizabeth Nance, and their many grandchildren.
Mr. ASHCROFT. Mr. President, I rise today to join every member of this body in mourning the loss of Admiral James W. ``Bud'' Nance. His loss is felt especially among those Members and staff who worked closely with the Admiral on the Foreign Relations Committee. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, four children, and seven grandchildren.
The much-celebrated friendship between Admiral Nance and Senator Jesse Helms set the tone for the work of the Foreign Relations Committee. Few committee chairmen have known their staff directors since first grade. The level of trust between those two elevated the work of the Committee to a distinct level.
Born in 1921 in Monroe, North Carolina, Admiral Nance went on to graduate from the Naval Academy, fight in World War II, and serve 35 years in the U.S. Navy. That was all before he began his second career after 1979 in the Legislative and Executive branches of Government. In the Navy, the Admiral was a first rate aviator, involved in some of the more dangerous testing and developing programs for naval fighters. He served as Commanding Officer of the Attack Carrier Air Wing Eight aboard the U.S.S. Forrestal and later became the Commanding Officer of that aircraft carrier--a ship that had more sailors (5,000) than his hometown of Monroe, North Carolina.
The Admiral concluded his naval career as Assistant Vice Chief of Naval Operations and Director of Naval Administration. He went on to serve as a staff member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1979-80 and Deputy Assistant for National Security Affairs under President Reagan. In that capacity, he was responsible for managing the entire staff of the National Security Council at the White House.
Admiral Nance returned specifically to naval aviation by running Boeing's Navy Systems program from 1983 to 1990. In 1991, he returned to the Foreign Relations Committee as Deputy Staff Director for the Minority and has served the last four years as Majority Staff Director for the Committee.
The Admiral's commitment to service can be seen throughout his life, and that was certainly the case in the four years that I worked with him as a Member of the Foreign Relations Committee. In assuming the position of Staff Director, Admiral Nance told Senator Helms he viewed the job as a service to his country and wanted no compensation. Senate rules required some level of compensation to be an official Senate employee, however, so Admiral Nance began his tenure with the exorbitant income of $3.36 a week. When Congress became bound by the laws of the land, Senator Helms was forced to raise Admiral Nance's salary to minimum wage.
We smile as we reflect on the Admiral's paltry salary, but what a selfless display of service that was to his country and this body. Earning the minimum wage was not a publicity stunt. Admiral Nance operated behind the scenes almost entirely. This man was truly motivated by gratitude to the United States.
Admiral Nance was a dedicated conservative, and his conservatism was rooted in respect for his fellow man and an unshakeable commitment to the best interests of his country. His partisanship was good-humored and balanced. The Admiral had a verse displayed prominently in his office from Ecclesiastes which read ``The heart of the wise inclines to the right, but the heart of the fool to the left.'' Whether as a formidable opponent or valued ally in the work of the Senate, Admiral Nance respected--and won the respect of--all members of the Foreign Relations Committee.
This man was a warrior his entire life, placing himself in harm's way for the good of his country. He died as he lived--he fought to the very end. Many Members of this body probably are not aware of the health difficulties he struggled with during his entire tenure as Staff Director of the Foreign Relations Committee. It would have been easy to walk away. There was a reason he stayed, though.
Admiral Nance was a true American. His life was a testament to the ideals which have made this country great. He believed in the United States of America. He believed in prudent and decisive American leadership in the world. He believed in what this country stood for and what it could accomplish.
As we reflect on his life in the coming days, may each of us gain a renewed sense of commitment to preserve the blessings of freedom which the Admiral defended. My sympathies are with the Admiral's wife Mary Lyda and their children. Mr. President, I yield the floor.
Mr. COVERDELL. Mr. President, I rise today to honor a great man and a great American who passed away last week. I had the privilege of working with and knowing Admiral James `Bud' Nance. His passing was a great loss for me personally, for the Senate, and most importantly, for our country.
In both his long and distinguished naval career and his work directing the activities of the Foreign Relations Committee, Bud set the highest standard in his selfless commitment to country and his loyalty to friends. His commanding presence, his decorum in all that he did, and his model of sacrifice and service is an inspiration for all who knew him.
While we are saddened by his passing, we rejoice in his memory and in the legacy of loyalty and service he left behind. Chairman Helms, my sympathy and condolences to you in the loss of this great friend. Our prayers and thoughts are also with the Admiral's wife and children.
Mr. President, I would like to conclude these brief remarks with a poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson, titled ``Great Men.'' It captures, far better than I could in my own words, Bud's commitment and service to this country.
Not gold, but only man can make
A people great and strong;Men who, for truth and honor's sake
Stand fast and suffer long.
Brave men who work while others sleep,
Who dare while others fly--They build a nation's pillars deep
And lift them to the sky.
Bud Nance was once of these great men who helped build our nation's pillars deep and lift them to the sky.
Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I join my colleagues and the entire Senate family in honoring the life and memory of Admiral James Nance, the former majority staff director for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. My deepest sympathies go out to Bud's wife, Mary, and to his four children and seven grandchildren.
I also want to express to my Chairman, Senator Helms, my sincerest condolences on the loss of his lifelong friend. He and Bud Nance, born just a few months apart, grew up a mere three blocks from each other in Monroe, North Carolina.
Bud Nance joined the Navy in 1941 and retired 38 years later as a rear admiral. He served this nation in active duty in three wars. During his service in World War II, he survived 162 Japanese air and kamikaze attacks. Over the course of his career, he served as a Navy test pilot, led an attack squadron and an air wing, and commanded the U.S.S. Raleigh and the aircraft carrier, Forrestal. After leaving the military in 1979, Admiral Nance served as assistant national security adviser until he joined the private sector as head of naval systems for Boeing.
In 1991, Senator Helms asked his old friend to bring his military knowledge and experience in world affairs to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Admiral Nance refused to take a salary and received only the minimum compensation allowed under federal law--$153 per year.
Bud Nance will be remembered in this body as a gracious and kind gentleman. When I joined the Foreign Relations Committee this year, Bud called to welcome me and my staff to the Committee. It was typical of Bud's courtesy and good manners.
Mr. President, in Bud Nance the Senate has lost a loyal public servant and the nation has lost a true patriot.
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I would like to add my voice to those of my colleagues who have risen today to talk about the remarkable service given this body, and our nation, by Admiral James W. Nance, majority staff director of the Foreign Relations Committee.
Although I am no longer on the Committee, I had the honor and pleasure of serving as a member of that Committee in the 105th Congress, and to come to know and admire ``The Admiral.''
In many ways, Admiral Nance was the living embodiment of what Tom Brokaw, in his recent book, has called ``The Greatest Generation.'' He had a distinguished career in the Navy, serving in combat in World War II, as a test pilot, and later as commander of the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Forrestal.
Following his Naval career, he served as deputy assistant to the President for National Security Affairs in the Reagan administration, and then joined his boyhood friend, the distinguished Senator from North Carolina, in offering his service, and his expertise, to the U.S. Senate as staff director for the Foreign Relations Committee.
His kindness to me--as a junior member of the minority party--in getting to know the ins and outs of the Committee was always appreciated, and his sage council and advice were always a welcome addition to the Committee's consideration of a range of pressing national security issues.
The Admiral will be sorely missed--but I join my colleagues in celebrating his life of service to the United States.
Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative assistant proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
Mr. GRASSLEY. I ask unanimous consent to speak for 5 minutes.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
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