[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 13] [Senate] [Pages 18776-18777] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]TRIBUTE TO GENERAL PETER W. CHIARELLI Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, on behalf of myself and my Army Caucus cochair, the senior Senator from Oklahoma, Mr. Jim Inhofe, I rise to congratulate GEN Peter W. Chiarelli, the 32nd Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, on his monumental contributions to our national security over the course of his distinguished 39-year career. Throughout his career, General Chiarelli has been the consummate soldier's soldier. His career is distinguished by excellence in command of troops from platoon to corps. General Chiarelli is known for his having an open mind and for his candor while addressing the issues affecting the Army today. He is a tremendous advocate for soldiers both within the Pentagon and here on Capitol Hill. His advice, counsel, and friendship have been very valuable to us as Army Caucus cochairs, and he will be sorely missed. Who he is today though began being shaped many years ago. After his graduation from Seattle University in 1972, Pete married his sweetheart, Beth, went to the Basic Course, and reported to his first assignment in the 9th Infantry Division at Fort Lewis, WA. After his time there, the Army offered him a job teaching at West Point, where he taught cadets in the distinguished Social Science Department. In 1985, he graduated from the Naval Command and Staff College and returned to leading soldiers, this time in Germany with the 3rd Armored Division--the same division in which his father, also Pete Chiarelli, earned the Silver Star for heroism and a battlefield commission in 1945 as a tanker in World War II. It seems that character runs in the Chiarelli family. While in Germany, General Chiarelli showed his battlefield prowess--under his guidance, the U.S. tank crews won NATO's [[Page 18777]] distinguished Canadian Army Trophy for the nation with the best tankers. After his success in Germany, he moved back to Washington in 1990, where took command of the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, in the 9th Infantry Division. Following his time in command of the 2nd Battalion, he was sent to the prestigious National War College here in Washington, DC, and then to the 1st Cavalry Division at Fort Hood, TX, to serve as the operations officer. He continued to impress his peers and his superiors and was selected to return to his home State of Washington to command the 3rd Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division at Fort Lewis. In 1998, following his successful brigade command, he was hand- selected to be the executive officer to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe in Belgium, where he served for 2 years before heading back to the 1st Cavalry Division to be the assistant division commander in 2000. When the Nation was attacked on September 11, 2001, then- Brigadier General Chiarelli was serving in the Pentagon on the Army staff, where he played a key role in mobilizing Army forces for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was promoted to major general in 2003 and assumed command of the 1st Cavalry Division. Over the next several years, General Chiarelli would spend the majority of his time deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He served in Baghdad from 2003 to 2005 as the commander of Multi-National Division--Baghdad. At this time, Baghdad served as the center of gravity for Operation Iraqi Freedom. General Chiarelli was given the difficult task of maintaining order in this sprawling city of 7 million people. During his command, General Chiarelli was instrumental in developing several innovations that contributed to our success in Iraq. Chief among these were job-creating civil service projects. His commitment to using ``money as a weapons system'' brought stability and saved the lives of Americans and Iraqis alike. In 2006, General Chiarelli was given command of all troops in Iraq, totaling 160,000 at that time. As the commander of the Multi-National Corps-Iraq, he continued to innovate, pushing his troops to adopt practices that protected the populace even as they destroyed the insurgent networks. His time as the commander of day-to-day operations in Iraq was, perhaps, the most difficult period of our operations there, but General Chiarelli's performance garnered the highest praise of then-Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. After 5 years in Iraq, General Chiarelli earned his fourth star and was selected as the 32nd Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, an honor that speaks to the confidence that his superiors and peers had in his abilities. As the ``Vice,'' General Chiarelli is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Army staff and its responsibility to man and equip the world's greatest Army. In this capacity, he has excelled on many fronts. He has been the military's principal advocate for caring for our veterans with psychological health issues such as post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury. These ``invisible wounds'' affect thousands of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines, who have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. His 2010 report entitled ``Health Promotion, Risk Reduction, Suicide Prevention'' was an effective call to action for leaders at the tactical level within the Army. This transparent and forthright self-evaluation of the Army's small-unit leadership contained 45 hard-hitting pages of conclusions and recommendations, and we have been pleased with the general's progress at following up with those. As the Nation focuses on deficit reduction and budget cuts, General Chiarelli has been an important voice urging leaders to carefully consider the options. In testimony before both Chambers of Congress, he has advocated measured, strategy-based decisions that would meet budgetary needs, while maintaining a force that balances end-strength and capabilities. Throughout all this important work, General Chiarelli is widely recognized as one of the most genuine and personable senior leaders in the military. One widely repeated anecdote is applicable here. While at a dinner at the White House in February 2011, General Chiarelli was passing behind another distinguished guest who, having seen his uniform pants and nothing more, asked him to refill her wine glass. The woman almost immediately recognized her error and was understandably mortified. Rather than be angry or embarrassed, General Chiarelli, as the second-ranking officer in the most powerful Army in the world, graciously filled the glass. That speaks a lot about the character of the officer about whom we are speaking today. Mr. President, we both extend our heartfelt thanks to GEN Pete Chiarelli, to his wife Beth, and to his children and their families for their lifetime of service to the Nation. Words cannot characterize properly the extraordinary character of General Chiarelli's accomplishments. The Nation thanks him and wishes him success and happiness in all his future endeavors. ____________________