Congressional Record—Senate S
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January 5, 1996 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð SENATE S 101 ADMIRAL ARLEIGH A. BURKE ited with sinking one cruiser, nine destroy- American service men and women are ers, one submarine and nine smaller ships, as also the victims of these indiscrimi- · Mr. MOYNIHAN. Mr. President, our well as downing approximately 30 aircraft. Nation has lost one of its most distin- nate killers. It is no surprise that the Later, Mr. Burke became a chief of staff to first American casualty in Bosnia was guished Naval heros, Adm. Arleigh A. Vice Adm. Marc A. Mitscher, whose carrier Burke. Had World War II continued be- task forces attacked the Japanese at Iwo from a landmine. There are 3 to 5 mil- yond September 2, 1945, I might have Jima, Okinawa and Tokyo. Mr. Burke was lion landmines there, hidden under served in the Pacific under ``31 knot aboard the flagship Bunker Hill and later the snow and mud. After our troops leave, Burke,'' as he was nicknamed for his Enterprise when they were hit by Japanese millions will remain for years, taking exploits against the Japanese. Admiral suicide planes off Okinawa. their toll among the civilian popu- In 1949, during interservice disputes that lation. Few people know that land- Burke was awarded 13 decorations, in- followed the unification of the armed forces, mines caused a third of the American cluding the Distinguished Service Mr. Burke fell into disfavor with some offi- deaths in Vietnam, a quarter of the Medal, the Navy Cross, the Legion of cials of the Truman Administration by head- American deaths in the Persian Gulf Merit, the Silver Star, and our Na- ing a group of high Navy officers that cam- war, and over a quarter of American tion's highest civilian honor, the Medal paigned for supercarriers and against a stra- deaths in Somalia. of Freedom. In 1991, for the first time tegic reliance on the Air Force's B±36 bomb- ers. Landmines are a global humanitarian in Navy history, the man for whom catastrophe, but humans are not the a shipÐU.S.S. Arleigh BurkeÐwas His role in what was called the Admiral's revolt seemed to scuttle his chances for pro- only victims. Any living creature, wild named was on hand to see her commis- motion. But his name went back on the lists or domestic, that weighs as much as a sioned. a year later, when he became a rear admiral, small dog, is a potential landmine vic- Mr. President, I ask that the obitu- and in 1951, he became a member of the allied tim. There have been many instances ary of Arleigh A. Burke from the New cease-fire commission in Korea for six when a family lost its only means of York Times of January 2, 1996, be in- months. livelihood when a cow or water buffalo In 1955, he was selected by Eisenhower over cluded in the RECORD. stepped on a landmine, but there are The obituary follows: 92 more senior officers to be Chief of Naval Operations. In that post, he advocated a bal- undoubtedly countless other instances [From the New York Times, Jan. 2, 1996] anced and versatile fleet, new antisubmarine of wild animals that have died from ARLEIGH A. BURKE DIES AT 94; NAVAL HERO technology, the development of Polaris sub- mines. Virtually any animal that trig- OF WORLD WAR II marines and other nuclear systems, and new gers a mine suffers terrible injuries and (By Robert D. McFadden) aircraft designs. He served three two-year dies from loss of blood. Adm. Arleigh A. Burke, a battle-decorated terms, but insisted on retiring in 1961, when Mr. President, this may seem unim- Chief of Naval Operations whose combat ex- President John F. Kennedy offered him a portant, but it is not. Landmines are ploits against Japanese naval forces in the fourth term. insidious because they indiscrimi- Arleigh Albert Burke was born on a farm South Pacific made him the Navy's most nately kill and maim the innocent, and celebrated destroyer squadron commander of near Boulder, Colo., on Oct. 19, 1901. his par- ents were of Swedish and Pennsylvania that includes animals as well as people. World War II, died yesterday at Bethesda There have even been reports that the Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Md. He was 94 Dutch stock, his paternal grandfather having and lived in Fairfax, Va. changed the name from Bjorkegren. He grad- Pentagon is considering using sheep to Admiral Burke, who retired in 1961 after 42 uated from the United States Naval Acad- clear mines, by sending them into years in the Navy, including a record six- emy in 1923, and after five years of sea duty, minefields to trigger the mines. Not year tenure as the Chief of Naval Operations earned a degree in chemical engineering at only would this fail to detonate all the in the Administration of President Dwight the University of Michigan in 1931. mines, but anyone who has seen the D. Eisenhower, died of complications of He was an inspector at a naval gun factory horrifying injuries landmines cause pneumonia, said a Navy spokesman, Lieut. in Washington when World War II broke out. He immediately applied for sea duty, but his would be repulsed by the sacrifice of Comdr. Ed Austin. defenseless animals that way. In a career that took him from Annapolis application was not granted until 1943, when he was sent to command destroyers in the Mr. President, landmines are causing to Washington via the high seas, Admiral a humanitarian catastrophe. Even if Burke, a stocky pipe smoker with an easy Solomons. For his ensuing exploits, he was smile, served in battleships and aircraft car- awarded 13 decorations, including the Distin- not a single new mine were laid the 100 riers, was a member of the United Nations guished Service Medal, the Navy Cross, the million unexploded mines in the truce negotiations team in the Korean War Legion of Merit and the Silver Star. ground would go on killing for decades. and in Washington became a strong advocate In January 1977, he was awarded the na- We must do all we can to locate and re- of a powerful nuclear fleet for the Navy, in- tion's highest civilian honor, the Medal of move them. I have sponsored legisla- Freedom, by President Gerald R. Ford. In cluding its missile-launching Polaris sub- tion to appropriate funds to improve marines. 1984, the Navy named a class of missile- launching destroyers for him. And in 1991, it the technology for doing that, and to But he was best known as ``31 Knot help support mine clearing efforts Burke,'' a nickname supplied by Admiral launched the U.S.S. Arleigh Burke, an $864 William F. Halsey, for his exploits as the million destroyer, and for the first time in around the world. Those funds are commander of Squadron 23, a pack of eight Navy history, the man for whom a ship was being used. It is not enough, not nearly destroyers that staged high-speed torpedo at- named was on hand to see her commissioned. enough, but it is a start. tacks that devastated enemy warships in the Mr. Burke is survived by his wife, the To those who care about innocent Solomon Islands in late 1943 and early 1944. former Roberta (Bobbi) Gorsuch, to whom he life, whether human or non-human, ``Stand aside! Stand aside! I'm coming was married for 72 years.· landmines are a scourge that must be through at 31 knots,'' Mr. Burke, then a Cap- f rid from the world. Ultimately, the tain, radioed darkened American troop LANDMINES: A DEADLY PERIL TO only way to do that is to ban them al- transports as his squadron, named Little together.· Beavers for a comic-strip character, steamed ALL THE WORLD'S CREATURES f up the slot at boiler-bursting speed to attack · Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I have a Japanese task force off Bougainville on the often spoken of the danger landmines A SPECIAL HOLIDAY SEASON IN night of Nov. 1, 1943. pose to civilians and combatants NEW YORK In a widely heralded action, the squadron around the world. There are an esti- covered the landing of thousands of Amer- · Mr. D'AMATO. Mr. President, I rise ican troops while attacking enemy vessels mated 100 million of these hidden kill- today to celebrate the true spirit of the and aircraft. When the battle of Empress Au- ers in over 60 countries, each one wait- holiday season and pay special tribute gusta Bay ended the next day, the Japanese ing to explode from the pressure of a to Trans World Airlines (TWA) for its toll was horrendous. A cruiser and four de- footstep. generosity in helping to make Christ- stroyers lay on the bottom, and two cruisers The State Department estimates mas a truly special time for one of my and a pair of destroyers had limped away that 26,000 people are killed or maimed constituents, Mr. Mouris Astafanous. heavily damaged. by landmines annually. That is 72 peo- To have a chance of survival, doctors Later that month, the squadron engaged ple each day, or one every 22 minutes. another Japanese task force off Cape St. told Mr. Astafanous that he would need George, New Ireland, and sank three destroy- The overwhelming majority are inno- a bone marrow transplant. Tests had ers without taking a hit. In 22 engagements cent civilians, who if they are lucky indicated that his sister, Ms. Wedad from November 1943 to February 1944, the enough to survive face a lifetime of Astafanous of Cairo, Egypt, met the in- Navy said, Capt.