Congressional Record—Senate S6490
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S6490 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE June 26, 2006 Established in 1866, the U.S. Army U.S. Army Command and General Staff gious Freedom Act of 1998, which was Corps of Engineers’ Philadelphia Dis- College. His military decorations in- sponsored by Representative FRANK trict encompasses the 13,000-square- clude the Defense Meritorious Service WOLF and Senator JOSEPH LIEBERMAN mile Delaware River Basin and the At- Medal, the Army Meritorious Service and Don Nickles, and was signed into lantic coast from New Jersey’s Medal, four oak leaf clusters, the Army law by President Clinton. Palden Manasquan Inlet to the Delaware- Commendation Medal, three oak leaf Gyatso was also awarded the 1998 John Maryland line. Within its boundaries clusters, the Army Achievement Medal Humphrey Freedom Award of the are more than 8 million people in east- and the Army Superior Unit Award. International Centre for Human Rights ern Pennsylvania, western and south- After turning over the command of and Democratic Development. ern New Jersey, most of Delaware, New the Philadelphia District to LTC Gwen The courage and dedication to free- York’s Catskills region and part of Baker on July 7, 2006, Lieutenant Colo- dom which Palden Gyatso has dem- northeastern Maryland. It also in- nel Ruch will move on to Fort Hood, onstrated serve as a powerful inspira- cludes two State capitals—Trenton, TX, as division engineer of the Army’s tion to everyone.∑ NJ, and Dover, DE—and the Delaware 1st Cavalry Division. f River ports complex from Philadelphia I rise today to congratulate Lieuten- and Camden, NJ, to Wilmington, DE. ant Colonel Ruch for a distinguished TRIBUTE TO BG JAMES D. HITTLE Just in the First State alone, Lieu- career and to offer my special thanks ∑ Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, during tenant Colonel Ruch’s accomplish- for his enthusiasm, competence and ef- most of our lives, we encounter an indi- ments during his 2-year tour of duty fectiveness in serving the State of vidual who lived a remarkably fine per- have been impressive. They include Delaware and the Greater Philadelphia sonal and professional life. Such is the completion of major storm damage re- Region. case of BG James D. Hittle, USMCR, duction projects at Rehoboth Beach, We will miss him in the Delaware whose anniversary of his death, June Dewey Beach and Fenwick Island, con- Valley and on the Delmarva Peninsula. 15, recently passed. General Hittle’s siderable progress on a new $70 million We wish him and his family all the best death received very little press cov- air freight terminal complex at Dover in the years to come, including, as we erage at the time, and I would like to Air Force Base, partnership in a prom- say in the Navy, ‘‘Fair winds and a fol- share with my colleagues what this ising program to restore oyster popu- lowing sea.’’∑ man achieved in his life time in the lations in the Delaware Bay, com- f words of a former Commandant of the mencement of a long-awaited project TRIBUTE TO PALDEN GYATSO Marine Corps, GEN P.X. Kelley, USMC to reduce flood damages in the town of ∑ Mr. DAYTON. Mr. President today, (Ret.) Elsmere, development of a trail con- in honor of the International Day in I ask that the eulogy given by Gen- cept plan to provide recreational op- Support of Victims of Torture, one of eral Kelley be printed in the CONGRES- portunities along the Chesapeake and my Minnesota constituents, Michael SIONAL RECORD. Delaware Canal, and even removal of Pittman, has asked that I recognize Ti- The material follows. an old abandoned shipwreck from the betan monk Palden Gyatso. historic Christina River—not to men- A TRIBUTE TO BGEN JAMES D. HITTLE, USMC Palden Gyatso was born in a Tibetan (RET) tion a host of other successful projects village in 1922 and became a Buddhist in New Jersey, New York and Pennsyl- (By Gen Paul X. Kelley, USMC (Ret)) monk by age 10. In 1959, during the Chi- BGen James Donald Hittle—devout Chris- vania, or the fact that all this was car- nese invasion and occupation of Tibet, ried out while many of his Philadelphia tian—great American—Marine officer—gen- Mr. Gyatso was jailed for protesting tleman and gentle man—loving husband— district employees were deployed to Af- along with thousands of religious Ti- caring father—always a friend indeed! ghanistan and Iraq or helping out down betans. Mr. Gyatso spent more than 30 Commissioned a Marine second lieutenant south after the Nation’s worst-ever years of his life in prisons and labor in 1937, Don Hittle was a ‘‘plank owner’’ hurricane season. camps, where he was a victim to reli- when MajGen Holland Smith activated the Commissioned as a second lieutenant gious and class oppression. He was tor- 1st Marine Division for World War II—was G– in the Corps of Engineers in 1986, Lieu- tured by various methods, which in- 4 for the 3d Marine Division under MajGen tenant Colonel Ruch began his military Graves Erskine on Guam and at Iwo Jima— cluded being beaten with a club ridden and after the war commanded 2d Battalion, career with the 7th Engineer Battalion, with nails, shocked by an electric 5th Infantry Division, Mechanized, at 7th Marines in the occupation of North probe, which scarred his tongue and China. Fort Polk, LA, as a platoon leader and caused his teeth to fall out, whipped After serving his Corps for 23 years, Don company executive officer. Follow-on while being forced to pull an iron plow, Hittle’s future life could easily qualify him assignments included liaison officer and starved. as a quintessential ‘‘Renaissance Man.’’ and company commander with the 2nd Despite these inhumane conditions He was Director of National Security and Engineer Battalion, 2nd Infantry Divi- and cruel tortures, Palden Gyatso was Foreign Affairs for the Veterans of Foreign sion at Camp Castle, Republic of Korea, able to survive with remarkable cour- Wars, syndicated columnist for Copley News and the Live Fire Engineer Trainer for age and resilience. During his torture Service, commentator for Mutual Broad- the National Training Center at Fort casting System, Special Counsel for both the sessions, he would practice a technique Senate and House Armed Services Commit- Irwin, CA. He then worked as an oper- he learned while studying at a Bud- tees, a founder and Director of the DC Na- ations officer in the Pittsburgh Dis- dhist monastery, the practice of tional Bank, Assistant Secretary of the Navy trict, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, tonglen, which is a method for con- for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, Senior before moving on to Fort Riley, KS, as necting with suffering and awakening Vice President for Pan American Airways, S3 of the 1st Engineer Battalion, and compassion. He would receive the consultant to the President of the Overseas then of the 937th Engineer Group, Com- anger and hatred of his torturer and Private Investment Corporation, advisor to bat. And just before coming to Phila- would exchange it with love and com- several Secretaries of the Navy and Com- delphia, Lieutenant Colonel Ruch mandants of the Marine Corps—and the list passion. goes on and on and on. served with Supreme Headquarters Al- During his imprisonment, Palden Col Don Hittle came into my life during lied Powers Europe, Belgium, as the Gyatso drew inspiration from elder the summer of 1956 when MajGen Jim senior staff officer for NATO Infra- prisoners, who told him that if he were Riseley dragged me kicking and screaming structure in Crisis Response Operations ever to escape, he should take action to from a cushy tour in what was then the Ter- dealing with operations in Afghanistan stop the torture. He has done exactly ritory of Hawaii to the labyrinthian cor- and in the Balkans. that: He has traveled to Europe and ridors of Headquarters Marine Corps. As Lieutenant Colonel Ruch holds a North America over 25 times and has many of those here today will recall, this bachelor of science in geo-environ- written a book to tell his story. He has was the long, hot summer of Ribbon Creek, mental science from Shippensburg Uni- and Don Hittle was Legislative Assistant to also testified before the U.N. Commis- Randolph McCall Pate, our 21st Com- versity and a master’s in engineering sion on Human Rights in Geneva and mandant. I was a young eager, starry-eyed management from St. Martin’s College. before the U.S. Congress. captain, very naive in the arcane world at He is a graduate of the Engineer Officer Palden Gyatso’s testimony helped se- the Seat of Government—but I was soon to Basic and Advanced Courses and of the cure passage of the International Reli- learn. My first lesson was negative one—that VerDate Mar 15 2010 00:02 Feb 06, 2014 Jkt 081600 PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\2006SENATE\S26JN6.REC S26JN6 mmaher on DSKCGSP4G1 with SOCIALSECURITY June 26, 2006 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S6491 a junior officer should never ask the Legisla- In closing, let me remind you that Don EXECUTIVE MESSAGES REFERRED tive Assistant to the Commandant for a de- lived by two simple words—words which have scription of his duties and responsibilities. given inspiration to our Corps for over 200 As in executive session the Presiding With that said, I did notice that every time years—Semper Fidelis—always faithful. Officer laid before the Senate messages Col Hittle came charging into Gen Riseley’s Don Hittle was always: from the President of the United office he closed the door behind him.