COMMITTEE PRINT 

112th Congress No. 5 

A Ceremony 

Unveiling the Portrait 

of 

THE HONORABLE 

IKE SKELTON 

A Representative in Congress from the Fourth District of Missouri 

January 3, 1977–January 5, 2011 

Elected to Ninety-Fifth Congress and Succeeding Congresses 

Chairman of the Committee on Armed Services, 2007–2011 

PROCEEDINGS 

before the 

COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES 

U.S. House of Representatives 

March 5, 2012 

U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 

WASHINGTON : 2012 

73–567

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, 

http://bookstore.gpo.gov. For more information, contact the GPO Customer Contact Center, 

U.S. Government Printing Office. Phone 202–512–1800, or 866–512–1800 (toll-free). E-mail, gpo@custhelp.com. 

A Ceremony 

Unveiling the Portrait 

of 

THE HONORABLE 

IKE SKELTON 

COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES 

U.S. House of Representatives 

Monday, March 5, 2012 

[ iii ] 
[ iv ] 

THE PORTRAIT 

The portrait of Mr. Skelton was rendered by artist Gavin Glakas. 
[ v ] 

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 

Congressman Ike Skelton (D–MO) represented Missouri’s Fourth 

Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1977 

to 2011. 

A leader in the House on defense issues, Skelton was appointed to 

the House Committee on Armed Services in 1981. He served as chairman of the Subcommittee on Military Forces and Personnel from 1993 

to 1994, and as the subcommittee’s ranking member from 1995 to 

1998. After serving as the full committee’s ranking member from 1998 

to 2006, Skelton held the gavel as chairman of the Committee on 

Armed Services from 2007 to 2011. 

Skelton was a key player in the passage of the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1986. A champion for Professional Military Education, Skelton chaired a House Panel on Military 

Education in 1987 and 1988, and was known as Congress’ chief advocate for better strategic thinking and improvements in the military’s intermediate and senior level educational programs. During his time on 

the committee, Skelton warned against further cuts in the defense 

budget and focused on efforts to improve military pay, health care, and 

quality of life for service members and their families. He also was instrumental in the enactment of the Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Act of 2009, which overhauled the defense procurement process. 

Missouri’s Fourth Congressional District is home to Fort Leonard 

Wood, Whiteman Air Force Base, and the Missouri National Guard Ike 

Skelton Training Site. Skelton played a vital role in the creation of the 

Maneuver Support Center at Fort Leonard Wood, and in bringing the 

U.S. Army Engineer, Chemical, and Military Police Schools to that 

post. He also helped to secure many new missions for Whiteman Air 

Force Base, including the B–2 Stealth Bomber and the MQ–1 Predator 

control mission. 

Reflecting his longtime interest in military affairs and military history, Skelton developed his own National Security Book List, a compilation of books Skelton recommends as required reading to all officers 

in the Armed Forces, to Members of Congress, and to those interested 

in national security issues. He is the author of Whispers of Warriors: Essays on the New Joint Era, published by the National Defense University 

Press, a compilation of 12 articles written by Skelton that were previously published in military journals, including Aerospace Power Journal, 
[ vi ] 

Joint Force Quarterly, Military Review, Naval War College Review, Parameters, 

and Strategic Forum. 

A native of Lexington, Missouri, Skelton is a graduate of Wentworth 

Military Academy and the University of Missouri at Columbia where he 

received A.B. and L.L.B. degrees. He was named as a member of Phi 

Beta Kappa and the Law Review. Prior to his election to Congress in 

1976, Skelton served as Lafayette County Prosecuting Attorney and as 

a Missouri State Senator. From 1961 to 1976, he was a partner in the 

law firm of Bradley, Skelton, and Schelp in Lexington, Missouri. 

In 2011, Skelton became a partner in the Husch Blackwell law firm, 

which has offices across the United States, including Kansas City, Missouri, and Washington, DC. He is a member of the American Battle 

Monuments Commission, an advisor to the Center for New American 

Security, a distinguished professor at the National Defense University, 

and a trustee of the Harry S. Truman Library Foundation. 

Skelton is an Eagle Scout, a member of Sigma Chi social fraternity, 

a Lions Club member, and a former elder of the First Christian 

Church in Lexington. He and his late wife Susan Anding Skelton have 

three sons and five grandchildren. In 2009, he married Patricia Martin 

Skelton, also of Lexington, Missouri. 
[ vii ] 

THE ARTIST 

Gavin Glakas 

Gavin Glakas grew up in Bethesda, Maryland, and studied at Washington University in St. Louis and the Slade School of Fine Art in London. 

Following graduation, Glakas spent a year and a half working on 

Capitol Hill for Senator Harry Reid. He had planned to go to law 

school, but after an 8-month illness culminating in the removal of a 

tumor from his lung at the age of 24, he decided to pursue his lifelong 

ambition of a career as an artist. 

Glakas began showing his work in galleries almost immediately and 

has won numerous honors for his artwork, including awards from the 

Portrait Society of America and the Butler Institute of American Art. 

His paintings have been featured in American Art Collector, International 

Artist, and Art Business News magazines and exhibited at museums and 

galleries throughout the country. 

Glakas’ portraits hang in the United States Capitol, Georgetown University, the Ratner Museum, and the Society of the Four Arts Museum 

in Palm Beach, as well as numerous private collections. 

The artist lives in Washington, DC, where he paints full-time and also 

teaches figure painting and drawing at the Yellow Barn Studio in Glen 

Echo, Maryland. 

[ ix ] 

SPECIAL DONOR APPRECIATION 

American Maritime Officers Services 

APL Limited 

BAE Systems 

Bleeding Edge 

Bradley and Bradley 

David Woods Kemper Foundation 

DRS Technologies 

EADS North America 

General Atomics 

General Dynamics 

General Electric 

Gephardt Group Government Affairs 

Honeywell International 

Husch Blackwell 

Lockheed Martin Corporation 

Maersk 

Masters, Mates & Pilots Union 

National Association of Uniformed Services 

Northrop Grumman Corporation 

Parsons Corporation 

Raytheon Corporation 

Rockwell Collins Inc. 

SAIC Inc. 

Seafarers International Union 

The Boeing Company 

TriWest Healthcare Alliance 
[ x ] 

SPECIAL DONOR APPRECIATION 

Mr. & Mrs. Charles L. Aylward, Jr. 

Mr. Stephen Bough 

Mr. Marshall Brachman 

Mr. & Mrs. Joe Carmichael 

Senator & Mrs. Harold Caskey 

Mr. & Mrs. Andy Dalton 

Mr. James Davidson 

Mr. & Mrs. J. Kent Emison 

The Honorable Martin Frost 

Mr. Sidney Guller 

Mr. & Mrs. Sam F. Hamra 

Mr. & Mrs. Wayne Hermandorfer 

Mr. & Mrs. Harvey L. Kaplan 

Mr. Jay Killeen 

The S. Lee Kling Family—Rosie, Lee, & Allen 

Mr. & Mrs. James Kozlowski 

Mr. Kenneth B. McClain 

The James B. Nutter Family 

Mr. Phillip P. Scaglia 

Mr. & Mrs. Larry Sexton 

Mr. Michael Sheehy 

Mr. & Mrs. David L. Steward, Sr. 

Mr. & Mrs. William C. Tempel 

Father John H. Wandless 

Mr. & Mrs. Robert L. Welling 

Mr. & Mrs. Timothy F. Wiliger 
[ xi ] 

PORTRAIT COMMITTEE 

Mr. Jack Pollard, Co-chair 

Mr. Terry Turner, Co-chair 

Ms. Lara Battles 

Mr. Robert Hagedorn 

Mr. Russell Orban 

Mrs. Tami Plofchan 

SPECIAL ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

Mr. Bob Simmons 

Mr. Paul Arcangeli 

Mr. Bob Cochran 

The Honorable Erin Conaton 

Ms. Farar Elliott 

Ms. Whitney Frost 

Mr. Jim Schweiter 

[ xiii ] 

P R O G R A M 

345 Cannon House Office Building, 

6:30 P.M., March 5, 2012 

MASTERS OF CEREMONIES: 

Mr. Jack Pollard 

Chief of Staff to the Honorable Ike Skelton, 1983 to 1998 

Mr. Terry Turner 

INVOCATION: 

The Honorable Emanuel Cleaver II 

REMARKS: 

The Honorable Howard P. ‘‘Buck’’ McKeon 

Chairman, House Committee on Armed Services 

The Honorable Adam Smith 

Ranking Member, House Committee on Armed Services 

The Honorable Jo Ann Emerson 

Representative from Missouri 

The Honorable Gene Taylor 

Representative from Mississippi 

The Honorable Steny Hoyer 

House Democratic Whip 

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi 

House Democratic Leader 

INTRODUCTION OF THE ARTIST: 

Mr. Gavin Glakas 

ACCEPTANCE OF THE PORTRAIT: 

House Fine Arts Board 

UNVEILING OF THE PORTRAIT: 

Mrs. Patty Skelton 

REMARKS: 

The Honorable Ike Skelton 

[ 1 ] 

Unveiling Ceremony of Portrait of 

THE HONORABLE 

IKE SKELTON 

MONDAY, MARCH 5, 2012 

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES, Washington, DC. 

Mr. POLLARD. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the 

unveiling of the official portrait of Chairman Ike Skelton. 

I am Jack Pollard. In addition to being a former member of Chairman Skelton’s staff, I have the honor of serving as co-chair of the Ike 

Skelton Portrait Committee. The other co-chair is Terry Turner, and 

our plans were that we would share the master of ceremonies duties 

for tonight’s event. But after returning from 4 days in Arizona late last 

night, Terry was summoned to a meeting in the Maritime Trades Department of the AFL–CIO in Florida beginning today, so early this 

morning he boarded the plane to Florida. And you have to admire his 

willingness to take one for the team. 

There are many people involved in preparing an official portrait and 

planning an unveiling reception. If I tried to thank them all, we would 

be here all night, and I would leave somebody out. However, many of 

those who deserve thanks are listed in the program, which I hope you 

got on your way in. 

As many of you know, official portraits of committee chairmen are 

not financed with public funds, but rather through the generosity of 

various organizations and individuals. The corporations, labor unions, 

and individuals who have donated, or have pledged to donate, to Ike’s 

portrait are listed in our program. 

We will hear from some outstanding guest speakers leading up to the 

unveiling of the portrait, but first I will ask Congressman Emanuel 

Cleaver II, Ike’s friend and former colleague in the Missouri delegation, to deliver the invocation. 

Congressman Cleaver. 

[Applause.] 

INVOCATION BY HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER II 

Mr. CLEAVER. Good evening. 

If you experience the vastness of this crowd, there are two things 

that should come to your mind: One, the love and respect that we all 
[ 2 ] 

have, and those who couldn’t get in this room, for Ike Skelton. And 

number two, you should not say anything negative about anybody from 

Missouri. There is a great chance that somebody from Missouri is 

standing next to you. 

Let us pray. 

Almighty God, Lord of mercies, we come to You this evening in 

thanksgiving. We bless Your name and give You thanks for allowing Ike 

Skelton, Your servant and Your son, to pass this way. Your love has so 

touched Isaac Newton Skelton that the roots of his human existence 

have grown deep in the soil of service to his community and to his 

Nation. 

Everliving and evergiving God, You made us a part of what You are 

doing in this world. And it is worth saying, O God, to You, that You 

are doing a lot, and that Your servant, Ike has given meaning to the 

life of Ike Skelton. And may the offering that he has brought to You 

through his service provide blessings even to unborn generations of 

Americans. Bless him and his family. 

And O, God, as I sign off this prayer, I ask that You allow us to understand, as this portrait is unveiled, that those who serve deserve. 

Amen. 

Mr. POLLARD. It is always a pleasure for me to be able to introduce 

our first guest speaker, who, in addition to his remarks, has an important official function to perform tonight. He and his staff have done 

so much to make this event a success. Let me introduce the current 

chairman of the House Committee on Armed Services, Congressman 

Buck McKeon of California. 

[Applause.] 

REMARKS OF HON. HOWARD P. ‘‘BUCK’’ McKEON 

Chairman, Committee on Armed Services 

The CHAIRMAN. I have been to a few of these before, and I have 

never seen such a huge turnout. And one of them was for me. 

Ike, we don’t need any words. This is an honor to you, all the people 

that are here to celebrate your—as Duncan called it—hanging. It is 

great to be here. 

The old committee chairman looks like he is still a kid. 

Mr. DELLUMS. Thank you. 

The CHAIRMAN. And I saw Duncan here. Duncan is back there. 

Ralph Hall. Who is that behind you there, Ralph? 

You know, I probably met Ike almost 20 years ago when I first came 

to Congress, but my first real recollection of him is one year we stayed 

here for the Fourth of July celebration, and we sat right next to Ike 

and his family, my wife and I. It was the only time we have stayed for 

the Fourth of July celebration, though, the fantastic show that they 

held out on the Mall and the fireworks and everything. And it poured. 
[ 3 ] 

I mean, it really poured, the whole time. We had our umbrellas, and 

we were taking turns, you know, putting water down each other’s 

necks, backs. And I saw Ike relate to his children and grandchildren, 

and I was really impressed. 

And then as I got this job, I became the ranking member when John 

McHugh became the Secretary of the Army, and I got to work with Ike 

as my chairman, and my respect for him grew. I mean, I already 

thought he was a great man, but I got to travel with him around the 

world on a couple different CODELs. The guy is so humble that he 

always was concerned about everybody else. He never worried about 

himself. And that was just so impressive. 

And when we would meet with leaders of other countries, military 

leaders or privates, it didn’t matter. He treated everybody the same, 

with great dignity, with great respect. And everywhere we went, they 

loved him. 

And I was so impressed by he always had the right things to say. You 

know, I don’t know when he ever took the time to study. I guess he 

spent a lot of his time before he came here, because his knowledge 

of history and of the military—he gave me a book, a list of books to 

read, 50 books. I think I have read two of them. 

But my association with Ike, with him as chairman and me as ranking member, was way too short. Not really, just kidding. But I was 

thinking he would be the ranking member. And it was a very interesting election. Almost the whole top row. You know, it could happen 

again in a few months. The country is really, you know, kind of upset 

with all of us around here right now. I heard somebody interviewed 

say that—I think it was Paul Ryan on TV. They said, ‘‘You know, you 

are down to 10 percent.’’ He said, ‘‘It couldn’t be. I don’t think we 

are that high.’’ 

Anyway, my friend, my chairman of the Committee on Armed Services for the last 4 years, it is just an honor to be here and, as chairman 

of the committee, to accept this portrait of Ike. It will be hanging in 

our committee room tomorrow morning for our hearing. And, Ike, it 

is just great to be able to call you friend, somebody I will always look 

up to. Thank you. 

[Applause.] 

Mr. POLLARD. The House Committee on Armed Services has a welldeserved reputation for bipartisanship, which has continued under the 

leadership of Chairman McKeon and our next speaker. Please welcome 

another former colleague of Ike’s on the House Committee on Armed 

Services, the current ranking member, Congressman Adam Smith of 

Washington. 

[Applause.] 
[ 4 ] 

REMARKS OF HON. ADAM SMITH 

Ranking Member, Committee on Armed Services 

Mr. SMITH. Thank you. It is a great honor to be here. I came to Congress 15 years ago now and the pleasure of serving on the Committee 

on Armed Services, and I could not have had a better Member to look 

up to than Ike Skelton for that entire time. When I first got here, actually Mr. Dellums was the ranking member, who set a great example, 

and Mr. Skelton picked that up and kept going with it. 

If you are a new Member of Congress, if there are any in the crowd 

or people who have been here, and you want to know, how do you 

do this job, you can look at the way Ike Skelton did this job, and you 

can understand exactly what it means to be a public servant. More than 

anything, Ike cares about people, and he did his job that way. He always knew, whatever the issues, whatever was going on, you treat people decently, and you take care of them. And Ike did that on the committee as the ranking member and as the chairman with incredible dignity, an example that we should all follow. 

I guess the two things I remember most about Ike from his service 

is, number one, it was always about the troops. I traveled with Ike a 

lot. I never traveled with anyone who was laserlike focused on how are 

you taking care of the troops? Whether serving overseas, serving here, 

retired, active duty, Guard, or Reserve, I can honestly say during my 

time in Congress, there is no greater champion of the men and women 

who serve this country and the armed services than Ike Skelton. 

The second thing is he made this committee stick to its bipartisan 

roots. Now, he wasn’t alone in that; a lot of folks behind me and a 

lot of folks out in the audience did that. It is a tradition that is carried 

on from chair and ranking member, throughout my entire time here. 

But as some of you might be aware, as Buck alluded to with the approval rating and everything, it is not always easy to maintain bipartisanship. Although you may not be aware of this, we have our differences as parties. They crop up every once in a while. So you have 

to be a very, very strong leader, and you have to prioritize bipartisanship to make it work, and Ike did that time and time again. 

And I think that all those of us who serve on the Committee on 

Armed Services, I think have one thing in common: We think it is the 

greatest committee in Congress. And it is people like Ike Skelton who 

made it that way. It has been just an incredible honor to serve with 

him and to have him as a mentor. He personifies what public service 

is all about. And like I said, he understood how important our military 

was and, more important than anything, the men and women who 

served it. 

And I am honored that Ike would give me a couple minutes to say 

a few words. And I look forward tomorrow morning to look up and 
[ 5 ] 

seeing his portrait down in our Committee on Armed Services. It is 

great to see him. And congratulations, Ike. Thank you so much for all 

you have done for this country. 

[Applause.] 

Mr. POLLARD. Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson of Missouri was Ike’s 

colleague in the Missouri delegation for 16 years. They represented adjoining districts and worked together to do so much for Missouri. But 

the real reason she is here is she has been Ike’s longtime personal 

friend. 

Congresswoman Emerson. 

[Applause.] 

REMARKS OF HON. JO ANN EMERSON 

Representative from Missouri 

Mrs. EMERSON. I miss Ike, and I know so many of you all do, too. 

I miss his presence and his companionship in this House of Representatives. 

You know, I have lots of stories that I could tell about Ike. I don’t 

think I should tell but a couple. During the time that my late husband 

was in Congress, he and Ike became dear, dear, dear friends, and Bill 

used to drive Ike in to work almost every single day. And when I used 

to live out in McLean, I would bring Ike in, too, many, many times. 

And I will never forget—and, Ike, I don’t know if you remember this, 

but remember when President Bush was calling me on the phone—we 

were on the George Washington Parkway. Of course I shouldn’t have 

been talking on my cell phone. But I get this call, and it is from the 

White House, and I said, ‘‘Ike, oh, my gosh, I know the President is 

calling me about this particular issue, and I am going to have to tell 

him no.’’ And he goes, ‘‘Okay. Calm down.’’ He said, ‘‘Calm down. 

Just be very direct, and be very honest, and be very gracious, and it 

will be fine.’’ And I was panicked because it would have been the first 

time that I actually had to tell the President no. 

But anyway, so he dials me, and I answered the phone. ‘‘Hi Mr. 

President. How are you?’’ ‘‘Fine.’’ Chitchat. And then he says, ‘‘Well, 

I was just calling you about Medicare D.’’ And it is not important 

whether or not people voted for it or not. But anyway, and he said, 

‘‘I just wanted to tell you that I really need your help.’’ And I said, 

‘‘Well, Mr. President, I love you, my family loves you, but I can’t help 

you now.’’ And Ike is going, ‘‘Yeah, yeah, that is the right way to say 

it.’’ But he saved me because I really would have stumbled around. 

And so it was really interesting because the President was lovely about 

it and said, ‘‘Okay, well, thanks anyway. Bye.’’ I got a phone call later 

from somebody on the staff who was not as gracious. 

But I have to tell you one other fun story about Ike. I was driving 

him home. This is many years ago, back when President Clinton was 
[ 6 ] 

still in office. And I was talking about how one of the legislative guys 

was up seeing me and, I guess, the small group of us who would be 

considered moderate Republicans. We were back really in favor at that 

particular time in our lives. 

So I was telling Ike about this meeting I had with White House staff. 

He goes, ‘‘Really?’’ He said, ‘‘You know, I have never met with any of 

President Clinton’s legislative staff.’’ And I am saying, ‘‘Really?’’ And 

he goes, ‘‘Yeah.’’ And I said, ‘‘Okay. Well, let me set up a meeting for 

you.’’ And I am thinking, wait a second. But, yeah, it was an interesting 

time. So he got his meeting, and everything was great. 

But needless to say, it was for me very sad when I knew that I wasn’t 

going to be able to continue serving with Ike. On those drives back 

and forth, I mean, that is precious time that I had that other people 

wouldn’t have had. 

And I learned so much from Ike, particularly about history. And I 

realize that all of the history teachers I had had in high school and 

professors in college couldn’t teach me a thing, but I learned an awful 

lot from Ike both from his personal experience and from his historical 

knowledge. 

And, Ike, I am sorry. I have not gotten through any of the books 

on your top 50 list, but I want to tell you this portrait, which we will 

get to see in just a moment, is going to mean an awful lot to so many 

of us. It will be a significant presence in the committee room. And I 

am so grateful for your friendship, Ike, and for the leadership that you 

have really shown me and so many others. And I hope that the many 

lessons that you have imparted to us are remembered for a long, long 

time. Thanks. 

[Applause.] 

Mr. POLLARD. Now, I was actually in Ike’s office when he invited our 

next guest speaker to speak at tonight’s unveiling. And the response 

was, ‘‘I am honored. I will be there.’’ Not ‘‘maybe,’’ not ‘‘let me check 

my schedule.’’ And he has made a great sacrifice to be with us today 

because, as you can see, he has on a coat and tie and regular shoes. 

Please welcome back Congressman Gene Taylor. 

[Applause.] 

REMARKS OF HON. GENE TAYLOR 

Representative from Mississippi 

Mr. TAYLOR. You forgot to mention the socks. 

I tell you, I am absolutely honored to be here. I am honored to be 

in the presence of some of our former chairmen. I was lucky enough 

to serve with six great chairmen. And I think it is a great honor that 

both of the living former chairmen are here tonight. 

Thank you for being here with us, Ron. 

And, Duncan, if you are still here, thank you for a great job. 
[ 7 ] 

I went and visited with the staff today, trying to put my remarks together, and asked them a simple question: ‘‘Can you ever remember 

a single time that Ike Skelton said ‘I’?’’ Because if you think about it, 

in all the years that I have known him, up until August of 2005, it was 

always ‘‘Susie and I.’’ And now after Susie’s death, it is ‘‘Patty and I.’’ 

But here is a man responsible for a $500 billion budget who never 

once said, ‘‘I want.’’ It was always, ‘‘What is best for the troops? What 

do the men and women in uniform need? What is it that we can explain to the American people that this is in their best interest?’’ 

Ike hosted a meeting with Stephen Ambrose one day. He was up in 

town looking for money for the D-Day Museum, and he went around 

the room. And finally, Ike had his chance to ask him a question. He 

said, ‘‘Dr. Ambrose, what was it that was different about the American 

GI?’’ And Stephen Ambrose looked at him and he said, ‘‘When the 

Japanese came into a town, terrible things were going to happen. 

Women were going to get raped. Kids were going to get bayoneted. 

Old people were going to be murdered. The same thing with the 

Nazis. But when the GIs came into a town, things were going to be 

okay.’’ 

For the decades that he served on the committee, when people went 

to Ike with a problem, whether it was one trooper who deserved a Purple Heart, a unit that needed a piece of equipment, a ship that needed 

to be built, an airplane that needed to be built, health care for—first 

for our retirees and then for guardsmen and reservists, when you knew 

if you made a decent case to Ike Skelton, things were going to be okay. 

He was going to make it right. 

So, Ike, for your many, many years of service to our country, but, 

most of all, for making things okay for the men and women in uniform, thank you and God bless you. 

[Applause.] 

Mr. POLLARD. No one should be in the unenviable position of following remarks by Congressman Taylor, but our next guest speaker is 

one of the few who is up to the task. We are honored to have with 

us the distinguished Democratic Whip, Congressman Steny Hoyer of 

Maryland. 

[Applause.] 

REMARKS OF HON. STENY HOYER 

House Democratic Whip 

Mr. HOYER. Thank you very much, Jack. 

At 17, he attended the inauguration of Harry S. Truman. Truman, 

as all of you know, is not here tonight, but if he were, he would be 

saying to all of us, ‘‘Well done, my friend from Missouri. Well done.’’ 

He would be proud of our friend. 

I am sure Gavin Glakas is here. 
[ 8 ] 

You had an extraordinarily difficult task. sir. The quality of the character of Ike Skelton. The visage, I am sure you got right. I haven’t seen 

the portrait, and I am convinced that you will get the character right 

as well. 

Ike Skelton is my brother. He and I are Sigma Chis. And we have 

one other Sigma Chi in the audience. Missouri has been well served. 

I love Ike Skelton. And I want to observe that I am so pleased that one 

of Missouri’s favorite sons is here to honor Ike as well, our friend, the 

former Democratic leader and my candidate for President a couple of 

times, Dick Gephardt from Missouri. 

[Applause.] 

Mr. HOYER. Ike, I carry around our little card here that is the Jordan 

Standard. There were seven founders of Sigma Chi, and Jordan was 

one of the founders, and he wrote a standard of what they were looking for in people to ask them to join together in this fraternity. There 

are seven standards: A man of good character. How extraordinarily well 

Ike Skelton and the four generations of Skeltons who are Sigma Chis 

complied with that requirement. 

A student of fair ability. Now, Ike went a little overboard with respect 

to that, and he became a Phi Beta Kappa. There weren’t a lot of us 

in that category. 

With ambitious purpose. But Gene Taylor said it right: His ambitious 

purpose was not for Ike Skelton; it was for his country and the troops 

who kept it free. 

Always, as Gene Taylor said, a congenial disposition. My, how they 

got it right on Ike Skelton. Never an angry word, always a listening ear, 

always an understanding heart. 

Possessed of good morals. In a time when the country is very concerned about its government—not in terms of partisanship, but just its 

government—Ike Skelton has been an example of honesty, integrity, 

patriotism, compassion, and service. 

Having a high sense of honor. My, how well that describes my friend 

Ike Skelton. 

And a deep sense of personal responsibility. 

That is what the brothers of Sigma Chi were looking for when they 

voted to accept Ike into their company. None of them could possibly 

understand how their brother Ike Skelton would so extraordinarily well 

represent those standards. 

Ike, you have served our country well. You were blessed with Susan 

and now blessed with Patty. Thank you. Thank you. A great American, 

Ike Skelton. 

[Applause.] 

Mr. POLLARD. It is now time for our final guest speaker. She has the 

distinction of having been the highest ranking woman in the history 

of the United States Government. It is my honor and privilege to intro-
[ 9 ] 

duce the current Democratic Leader, former Speaker, Nancy Pelosi of 

California. 

[Applause.] 

REMARKS OF HON. NANCY PELOSI 

House Democratic Leader 

Ms. PELOSI. Good evening, everyone. We always seem to have a little 

problem with the acoustics in Cannon, and I hope that you have heard 

everything that has been said about this great man. 

It is an honor for all of us, Mr. Chairman, to be with you this 

evening, to be with you and Patty and your family for the unveiling of 

your portrait. It is a real testament, an eloquent statement of friendship 

and respect and admiration that so many people are here tonight. In 

fact, we outgrew the Armed Services room. Two former chairmen, Mr. 

Dellums and Mr. Hunter—there he is, Duncan Hunter—and so many 

members of the Missouri delegation, including our esteemed former 

Democratic Leader of the House. 

The current chairman of the committee spoke so beautifully about 

your bipartisanship, as did our ranking member as well, Mr. Smith. So 

it is an honor for me to join them, to join Mr. Hoyer and others, in 

singing your praises. 

Steny mentioned that 63 years ago, you traveled from Missouri, from 

Lexington, Missouri, to the United States Capitol to see President 

Harry Truman inaugurated for his second term. That day President 

Truman spoke about the importance of leading with humility. Leading 

with humility would come to define this young man’s career in public 

service, because that young man was Ike Skelton, who embodied Midwestern humility and patriotic leadership throughout his 34 years in 

the House of Representatives. 

In 1962, President Truman himself would personally urge Ike to run 

for Congress. Though it took 14 years for Ike to take the President’s 

advice, when he ran, he won, in 1976. He did so with the endorsement 

of Mrs. Bess Truman. 

Congressman Skelton’s highest inspiration in Congress was to be the 

chairman of the House Committee on Armed Services, and how proud 

we all were, and happy, the day he took the gavel of the committee. 

He knew that protecting the American people is our first responsibility. 

We take that oath of office to protect and defend, and he helped us 

honor that responsibility every day he was here, especially as chairman. 

He worked against what he called the chasm between those who protect our freedoms and those who are being protected. Our troops were 

first in his mind. My colleague from Mississippi, Mr. Taylor, has addressed that. As all of us who served with him knew, those troops were 

first and foremost officially, professionally for him. But he was very excited about his family, their service to our country, and their barbecue 
[ 10 ] 

sauce, which I have in my kitchen. As a reminder, I could use a little 

more, Ike. 

But back to our men and women in uniform, including his own children, Ike always treated our men and women in uniform as if they 

were sons and daughters to him. Indeed, again, his own son, Ike, Jr., 

is a Navy captain and Jim an Army colonel. 

Others have spoken about traveling with Ike, and I had that privilege. And it is true, when our troops saw him, they knew they saw their 

champion. And we have traveled abroad with him, visited our troops 

in theater, visited them them in hospitals, in Germany, wherever. But 

I will never forget a trip that I took with Ike—it has to be a decade 

ago—to his own district, to Fort Leonard Wood, to Camp Whiteman. 

And there we met the pilots, we met the soldiers, we met everyone. But 

we met the community. They turned out by the hundreds for a community luncheon, a tradition there in friendship to the Army base and 

Camp Whiteman. 

And we know how respected Ike Skelton is in the Congress. We 

know the esteem in which he is held by everyone who served with him. 

It was wonderful to see the esteem in which he was held in his own 

district at that base because they knew the man had arrived. He came. 

It was just really remarkable to see how universally respected he was. 

He knew almost everybody on a first-name basis. He took great pride 

in what he was able to do for the base. I don’t think any of them were 

earmarks or anything like that. But nevertheless, whatever it was, he 

made a tremendous difference. 

I don’t know how they do it in Armed Services, but it was magical. 

And our troops then were—they were flying into the theater every day, 

weren’t they, Ike, at that time? They were flying in and coming right 

back to Missouri within 24 hours, 48 hours. So they were in danger, 

but they were thrilled to see Ike Skelton. 

So I know that I speak for all of our Members of Congress. And we 

have acknowledged our chairman. I want to acknowledge some of the 

women here: Susan Davis, Madeleine Bordallo, some of the women 

members of his committee who are here to pay their respects to him 

as well. 

I know in this case, Ralph Hall, my friend, that I can speak for 

Democrats and Republicans alike when I say that it has been an honor 

for each and every one of us to call Ike Skelton colleague, and a privilege for some of us to call him and Patty dear friends. 

Congratulations on a well-deserved honor, Ike Skelton. Congratulations. Thank you. 

[Applause.] 
[ 11 ] 

INTRODUCTION OF THE ARTIST 

Mr. POLLARD. There could have been no artist more appropriate to 

paint Ike’s official portrait than Gavin Glakas. We have all known about 

Gavin since 1983, when his uncle Tommy Glakas began a long career 

on Ike’s staff as a military legislative assistant and later as Democratic 

staff director on the House Committee on Armed Services. 

Gavin is a native of the Washington, DC, area, but he had the good 

judgment to pursue his higher education in the State of Missouri at 

Washington University in St. Louis, where he received a bachelor of 

arts with a major in history and a minor in painting. I would have said 

‘‘great judgment’’ if Gavin had just chosen to pursue his education at 

a location about 120 miles west of St. Louis. 

Like many of us here tonight, Gavin worked on Capitol Hill as a legislative correspondent for Senator Harry Reid. But unlike most of us, 

certainly me, he had a gift. After a serious illness, he decided to develop that gift and pursue his goal of becoming an artist on a full-time 

basis. He studied at the Slade School of Fine Art in London, England, 

and at the Art League in Alexandria, Virginia. And as his portraits and 

other paintings have been exhibited, his reputation has grown. His portrait subjects include Mrs. Harry Reid, which hangs in Senator Reid’s 

office; and former CIA Director George Tenet, also an uncle, for 

Georgetown University. 

The official portrait of Chairman Ike Skelton will be Gavin’s first 

portrait to be displayed in the U.S. House of Representatives. I predict 

that it will not be the last. I am happy we have finally reached the end 

of this portrait process, but I will miss Gavin. I think I speak for everyone on the portrait committee and for Ike when I say that he has been 

a delight to work with. We wish him continued success in his life and 

his career. 

Ladies and gentlemen, Gavin Glakas. 

[Applause.] 

Mr. GLAKAS. Thank you. 

Thank you, Ike. 

Mr. POLLARD. For one time in his life, Congressman Cleaver had it 

wrong. You probably weren’t standing next to necessarily a Missourian; 

you were probably standing next to a member of the Skelton or Martin 

family. And Ike has asked that I recognize those members of the family 

that are here. Two of Ike’s sons are here with their families: Colonel 

Jim Skelton and Anita Skelton with their daughters Sarah and Abigail. 

[Applause.] 

Mr. POLLARD. Page and Caroline Skelton, their son Page, Jr. 

[Applause.] 

Mr. POLLARD. Now, not attending because he is stationed in Italy 

with the U.S. Navy, Ike’s oldest son, Navy Captain Ike Skelton, Elena 

Skelton, and their two boys, Alexander and Conor. 
[ 12 ] 

[Applause.] 

Mr. POLLARD. Ike’s brother and his family are here. I should say 

Ike’s younger brother and his family are here: John and Kathi Skelton, 

their son John Skelton and—two of their three sons. John Skelton is 

here, Major Steve Skelton, and Steve’s wife Amanda. 

[Applause.] 

Mr. POLLARD. And we also have Ike’s cousin and his wife, Dr. Earl 

and Francesca Skelton. 

[Applause.] 

Mr. POLLARD. From Patty’s family, we have four daughters, two sonsin-law, and three grandchildren: Julie Sheerman, Cathie Martin, Mary 

Kozlowski and Jim Kozlowski; Robin Hanley and John Hanley, and 

their children, Patty Hanley, Carly Hanley, and Jay Hanley. 

[Applause.] 

Mr. POLLARD. Now for the big moment. Patty, if you will take your 

position with Ike, and we will unveil this great portrait that Gavin painted. 

[Whereupon, the portrait was unveiled.] 

[Applause.] 

Mr. POLLARD. Well, that was the moment we all were waiting for, but 

now is the moment Ike has been waiting for. I get to recognize him 

for a few remarks. 

If we had a Hall of Fame for members of the House Committee on 

Armed Services, Ike Skelton would be in it, even if he had never had 

the opportunity to be chairman. His accomplishments, many of which 

are listed in our program, and all of the things our speakers said, they 

make that very clear. But there is no such Hall of Fame; all we have 

are these portraits you see on the wall in room 2118 in the Rayburn 

Building. And the rules are clear: You don’t get a portrait unless you 

have been chairman of the committee. So I am very thankful Ike was 

able to become chairman. Not only did our Nation get his leadership 

of this important committee for 4 years, but we also get to have this 

wonderful portrait to recognize his service. 

Those of us here tonight, those of us who worked for him or with 

him, indeed everyone who knows him, will long remember Ike and all 

that he has done. But now future generations will be able to see this 

portrait, and maybe they will ask, ‘‘Who is that? What did he do?’’ And 

the hope is that they will take the time to learn about this man, his 

remarkable career, and a life well lived. 

Ladies and gentlemen, the person we are all here tonight to honor, 

Ike Skelton. 

[Applause.] 
[ 13 ] 

REMARKS OF HON. IKE SKELTON 

Mr. SKELTON. Thank you, Jack, and ladies and gentlemen. The famous Roman orator once said that gratitude is the greatest of all virtues. And this evening I am so grateful for this singular honor of unveiling this portrait to the Committee on Armed Services. 

I thank my former colleagues, Emanuel Cleaver, Buck McKeon, 

Adam Smith, Jo Ann Emerson, Gene Taylor, Steny Hoyer, Speaker 

Pelosi—it is good to see my old friend Dick Gephardt, once again— 

for their overly generous remarks as well as for their friendship 

through the years. 

My brother John, who is with us here this evening, would agree with 

me that were our parents still with us, our mother would believe everything my colleagues said, and my father would be amused. 

And, Speaker Pelosi, our family will always be grateful to you for 

your thoughtfulness in planting a tree on the Capitol grounds in memory of my late wife Susie. 

[Applause.] 

Mr. SKELTON. To Jack Pollard, Terry Turner, and Tami Plofchan, 

thank you for your hard work in putting this event together and for 

overseeing this portrait from its inception. 

Patty and I are pleased to welcome each one of you to this memorable evening, friends from congressional days, neighbors from Missouri, and family. All of you are making this evening so remarkable to 

remember. 

The young artist Gavin Glakas did a superb job. And I told him initially that I wanted to resemble a movie star like Clark Gable of ‘‘Gone 

with the Wind’’ fame. And Gavin remarked that he would be pleased 

to put a moustache on the painting. That ended that conversation. I 

predict that years ahead, Gavin Glakas will have a lifetime’s worth of 

portraits throughout Washington. 

Gavin, thank you. 

Mr. GLAKAS. Thank you, sir. 

[Applause.] 

Mr. SKELTON. A special appreciation also goes to my Missouri neighbors who elected me to the House for 17 terms, to my dedicated and 

loyal personal staff, and to the incredibly able professional staff of the 

House Committee on Armed Services. It is daunting to realize that my 

portrait will be hanging with all of the outstanding chairmen of this 

committee who have served since the committee’s inception in 1947. 

I first joined the Committee on Armed Services in early 1981 thanks 

to my mentor and my friend, Missourian Dick Bolling from Kansas 

City. At that time our country’s military was reeling from the failed 

Desert One hostage rescue attempt in Iran. I visited some military installations and several ships, and found our military personnel to have 

low morale, and to be undertrained and underequipped. 
[ 14 ] 

During my years on the Committee on Armed Services, we did some 

good things. We provided excellent training and equipment, family 

housing, world-class ships and planes, and better personnel and vehicle 

protection. We passed the Montgomery GI bill. We increased the authority and stature of the Special Forces. We passed the GoldwaterNichols Act, which restructured the Joint Chiefs of Staff and required 

jointness across the services. We required the war colleges to increase 

their rigor and to instruct in jointness, and we reformed the acquisition system. 

Our committee was productive and helped our military to be the 

world’s finest. Our counterpart in the other body, the Senate Armed 

Services Committee, was an excellent partner in this endeavor, especially with the leadership of Sam Nunn, John Warner, Carl Levin, and 

John McCain. 

In anticipation of this evening’s event, truly a milestone, I reflected 

on the good fortune and ironies of my life. I was a high school sophomore at Wentworth Military Academy in my hometown of Lexington, 

Missouri. It was my dream to attend West Point and to have an Army 

career. That dream was shattered later that year by a serious illness that 

landed me as a patient in Warm Springs, Georgia. The irony is that 

as a Member of the Congress, I nominated cadets to West Point, and 

I was on the committee that had West Point and the entire military 

within its jurisdiction. 

As a young teenager, I was fascinated with airplanes, and my first job 

was at the old Lexington airport. My duties included raking the dirt 

hangars; washing the airplanes, mostly Piper Cubs. My interest with airplanes continued as a Member of Congress, and I successfully urged 

the Air Force and Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger to station 

the new B–2 wing at an airport near my hometown of Lexington, 

Whiteman Air Force Base. 

After graduating from law school, I asked two people to sign my application to become a Missouri bar member, my lawyer father and the 

highly respected dean of the Lexington lawyers, Horace Blackwell. Horace Blackwell had a son, Menefee Blackwell, who was raised in Lexington and attended Wentworth Military Academy. Menefee went on to 

graduate from college and law school and began his practice in nearby 

Kansas City, in 1939. Along came the war, and he went off to the Army, 

returning as a major and having earned the Silver Star. He founded 

a Kansas City law firm, which has grown to a national law firm with 

offices here in Washington and across the country. It is with this firm, 

Husch Blackwell, that I am now a partner, ironically a firm that has 

its very roots in my hometown of Lexington, Missouri. 

Well, this is a proud moment and a humbling moment all rolled into 

one. This portrait could well be said to be my legacy. But the work 

goes on. The poem that came out of the First World War, ‘‘In Flanders 
[ 15 ] 

Fields,’’ contains the phrase, ‘‘We throw the torch; be yours to hold 

it high.’’ And the torch of national defense is thrown to Buck McKeon 

and Adam Smith and their colleagues, and I am confident that they 

will hold it high and make us proud. 

President Harry Truman would tell of the grave marker at Tombstone, Arizona, which read, ‘‘Here lies Jack Williams. He done his 

damnedest.’’ In the years ahead when all the names and all the faces 

on the Committee on Armed Services have changed, it is my sincere 

hope that some member of the committee, when looking upon this 

portrait, recalling the challenges of yesteryear, will say, ‘‘He done his 

damnedest.’’ 

Thank you. 

[Applause.] 

Mr. POLLARD. Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes our portrait unveiling ceremony; however, we have the room for a little while longer. 

The photographer is still here, and Ike has agreed to stay. I know I 

had to cut off the receiving line, so if any of you want a chance to try 

to get a picture with Ike and Patty or at least say hello, please feel free 

to do so. When you do leave, please be sure to pick up a print of the 

portrait, which will fit nicely inside your program. 

Thank you for being with us on this special occasion. 

[Whereupon, at 8 p.m., the portrait unveiling concluded.] 

[ 17 ] 

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES 

ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS

HOWARD P. ‘‘BUCK’’ MCKEON, California, Chairman 

ROSCOE G. BARTLETT, Maryland 

MAC THORNBERRY, Texas 

WALTER B. JONES, North Carolina 

W. TODD AKIN, Missouri 

J. RANDY FORBES, Virginia 

JEFF MILLER, Florida 

JOE WILSON, South Carolina 

FRANK A. LOBIONDO, New Jersey 

MICHAEL TURNER, Ohio 

JOHN KLINE, Minnesota 

MIKE ROGERS, Alabama 

TRENT FRANKS, Arizona 

BILL SHUSTER, Pennsylvania 

K. MICHAEL CONAWAY, Texas 

DOUG LAMBORN, Colorado 

ROB WITTMAN, Virginia 

DUNCAN HUNTER, California 

JOHN C. FLEMING, M.D., Louisiana 

MIKE COFFMAN, Colorado 

TOM ROONEY, Florida 

TODD RUSSELL PLATTS, Pennsylvania 

SCOTT RIGELL, Virginia 

CHRIS GIBSON, New York 

VICKY HARTZLER, Missouri 

JOE HECK, Nevada 

BOBBY SCHILLING, Illinois 

JON RUNYAN, New Jersey 

AUSTIN SCOTT, Georgia 

TIM GRIFFIN, Arkansas 

STEVEN PALAZZO, Mississippi 

ALLEN B. WEST, Florida 

MARTHA ROBY, Alabama 

MO BROOKS, Alabama 

TODD YOUNG, Indiana 

ADAM SMITH, Washington 

SILVESTRE REYES, Texas 

LORETTA SANCHEZ, California 

MIKE MCINTYRE, North Carolina 

ROBERT A. BRADY, Pennsylvania 

ROBERT ANDREWS, New Jersey 

SUSAN A. DAVIS, California 

JAMES R. LANGEVIN, Rhode Island 

RICK LARSEN, Washington 

JIM COOPER, Tennessee 

MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO, Guam 

JOE COURTNEY, Connecticut 

DAVE LOEBSACK, Iowa 

NIKI TSONGAS, Massachusetts 

CHELLIE PINGREE, Maine 

LARRY KISSELL, North Carolina 

MARTIN HEINRICH, New Mexico 

BILL OWENS, New York 

JOHN R. GARAMENDI, California 

MARK S. CRITZ, Pennsylvania 

TIM RYAN, Ohio 

C.A. DUTCH RUPPERSBERGER, Maryland 

HANK JOHNSON, Georgia 

BETTY SUTTON, Ohio 

COLLEEN HANABUSA, Hawaii 

KATHLEEN C. HOCHUL, New York 

JACKIE SPEIER, California 

ROBERT L. SIMMONS II, Staff Director