COMMITTEE PRINT 

113th Congress No. 3 

A Ceremony 

Unveiling the Portrait 

of 

THE HONORABLE 

HOWARD P. ‘‘BUCK’’ McKEON 

A Representative in Congress from the Twenty-fifth District of California 

January 3, 1993–January 6, 2015 

Elected to One Hundred Third Congress and Succeeding Congresses 

Chairman of the Committee on Armed Services, 2011–2014 

PROCEEDINGS 

before the 

COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES 

U.S. House of Representatives 

September 18, 2014 

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WASHINGTON : 2015 

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A Ceremony 

Unveiling the Portrait 

of 

THE HONORABLE 

HOWARD P. ‘‘BUCK’’ McKEON 

COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES 

U.S. House of Representatives 

Thursday, September 18, 2014 

[ iii ] 
[ iv ] 

THE PORTRAIT 

The portrait of Chairman McKeon was rendered by artist Bradley 

Stevens in oil on linen canvas. It measures 54 inches high by 38 

inches wide and is presented in a gold leaf frame. 
[ v ] 

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 

U.S. Representative Howard P. ‘‘Buck’’ McKeon is a champion of 

strong national defense, easing the national debt, providing tax relief 

to families and small businesses, protecting seniors’ rights, and improving education. 

McKeon was selected by his peers to serve as chairman of the House 

Committee on Armed Services in the 112th Congress, and again for 

the 113th Congress. He was first named ranking member of the committee in June 2009. 

His priorities for the committee include: ensuring that our troops 

deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq, and around the world have the equipment, resources, authorities, training, and time they need to successfully complete their missions and return home; building upon the 

Armed Services Committee’s strong bipartisan tradition of providing 

our warfighters and their families with the resources and support they 

need; and investing in the capabilities and force structure needed to 

protect the United States from tomorrow’s threats, while mandating fiscal responsibility, accountability, and transparency from the Department of Defense. 

As chairman of the Armed Services Committee, McKeon is fighting 

to strengthen our military and invest in a force postured to meet the 

challenges of the 21st century, while working to provide the necessary 

resources for America’s sons and daughters in Afghanistan and Iraq. 

He has also led efforts to keep terrorist detainees off of U.S. soil, boost 

funding for missile defense, and restore the tradition of passing defense authorization bills devoid of controversial social items. 

Additionally, McKeon has worked tirelessly to bridge the gap between industry and military leaders in order to ensure that our warfighters on the ground continue to receive the support they need and 

deserve. 

McKeon has regularly worked to bolster missile defense programs, 

support funding for the F–22, and provide enhancements to effective, 

lighter-weight body armor and mine-resistant vehicles. He has supported veteran resource programs for counseling, vocational training, 

and college education. 

From his very first term in Congress, McKeon stood as a leader for 

our most vital weapons systems, leading the fight to increase the Air 

Force’s number of B–2s. 
[ vi ] 

Prior to serving as the lead Republican on the House Committee on 

Armed Services, McKeon was the top Republican on the Education and 

the Workforce Committee for close to 3 years, where he advanced conservative policies supporting school choice, teacher quality and accountability, and higher education access and affordability. 

In early 2006, McKeon ran the committee as chairman, replacing 

Representative John Boehner (R–OH), who stepped down after becoming House Majority Leader. 

Prior to leading the full committee, McKeon headed the House Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness, which held jurisdiction 

over issues such as higher education, technology in education, teacher 

training, job training, and welfare reform. In this role, McKeon helped 

negotiate the formula that resulted in interest rates for the Federal student loan program dropping to their lowest level in 38 years. McKeon 

still serves as a senior member of the Education and the Workforce 

Committee. 

His leadership in cutting Federal spending and reducing taxes also 

has been noted by several national organizations, including the National Taxpayers Union and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. In addition to his official committees, McKeon is also co-chairman of the Congressional Unmanned Systems Caucus. As founder of the caucus, 

McKeon is helping to educate Members of Congress and the public on 

the strategic, tactical, and scientific value of unmanned aerial systems 

(UAS). McKeon actively supports further development of UAS and 

hopes to more effectively engage the civilian aviation community on 

UAS use and safety. 

McKeon was born September 9, 1938, in Los Angeles. He grew up 

in Tujunga, California, and graduated from Verdugo Hills High School 

in 1956. McKeon went on to attend Brigham Young University for 2 

years, at which time he chose to put his studies on hold to serve a 21⁄2- 

year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

After returning from his mission, McKeon took a hiatus from his 

studies. During this time, he married his wife, Patricia, started a family, 

and began his career as a businessman in the Santa Clarita Valley, located in the northern part of Los Angeles County. 

He was soon involved in his community through such organizations 

as the Boy Scouts, Little League, the Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial 

Hospital Board, the Chamber of Commerce, and serving as founding 

chairman of the Valencia National Bank. 

It was three decades later that McKeon returned to college and 

earned his bachelor’s degree in 1985, together with his eldest daughter. It is for this reason that McKeon is often praised by adult literacy 

groups. Later, in 2002, he received an honorary doctorate of humane 

letters from Strayer University. 
[ vii ] 

Before coming to Congress in 1993, McKeon served on the William 

S. Hart Union High School District Board of Trustees from 1978 to 

1987. During that time, the city of Santa Clarita was incorporated and 

its citizens selected McKeon as a member of the City Council. 

It was during the council’s first meeting that its members selected 

McKeon as Santa Clarita’s first mayor. During his tenure on the City 

Council, Santa Clarita expanded its parks and safety programs, increased the size of the police force, and earned a reputation as one 

of the safest cities in America. 

The McKeons have 6 children, 30 living grandchildren, and one 

great grandchild. They live in Santa Clarita, California. 

[ ix ] 

THE ARTIST 

Bradley Stevens 

Raised in Westport, Connecticut, Bradley Stevens came to Washington, DC, to attend George Washington University, where he earned 

a Bachelor of Fine Arts and Masters of Fine Arts. In addition to his 

art studies, Stevens spent 5 years copying several hundred Old Master 

paintings at the National Gallery of Art. He taught drawing and portrait painting as an adjunct professor at his alma mater and Georgetown University for 18 years. 

In his career of over 30 years, Stevens has forged a reputation as one 

of America’s leading realist painters. His style is contemporary realism—rooted in classical training, yet boldly depicting the modern 

world with his penetrating eye. Stevens is unique among his contemporaries for his exceptional achievements in three domains of representational art: portraiture, landscapes, and figurative cityscapes. He 

frequently works on commission and many of these are large-scale 

paintings for public and corporate spaces. 

Stevens has painted the portraits of luminaries and leaders in the 

fields of education, business, medicine, law, science, philanthropy, and 

politics. His stellar list of patrons includes Governor Mark Warner of 

Virginia; Vernon E. Jordan, Jr. (National Portrait Gallery collection); 

the family of Senator John D. Rockefeller IV; Glenn L. Martin, cofounder of Martin Marietta; C. Michael Armstrong, chairman of Johns 

Hopkins Hospital; Senator Jennings Randolph of West Virginia; and 

Bruce Wasserstein, chairman and CEO of Lazard. 

Stevens was commissioned by the U.S. Senate to paint an original 

historical mural commemorating the Connecticut Compromise of 1787 

for the Senate Reception Room in the Capitol. 

Stevens has reproduced historical portraits for the White House, U.S. 

Department of State, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Embassy in 

Paris, National Portrait Gallery, and Monticello. In 2002, the Smithsonian Institution commissioned him to reproduce Gilbert Stuart’s 

Lansdowne portrait of George Washington for the museum in Mount 

Vernon. 

Stevens’ landscapes and figurative cityscapes are found in the collections of America’s preeminent corporations, associations, and professional firms, including AARP; Carr America; CSX; Cushman & Wakefield; Fannie Mae; Gannett; Holland & Knight; McGuire Woods Battle 
[ x ] 

& Boothe LLP; Verizon; Wheat First Butcher & Singer; Williams & 

Connolly LLP; and Wiley Rein & Fielding LLP. 

By invitation of the U.S. Department of State, Stevens is a participant 

in the Art in Embassies Program, which places the work of renowned 

American artists in their embassies around the world. 

Stevens and his artist wife live and work in their home in the Virginia countryside, near Washington, DC. He is represented by galleries 

in Washington, DC; Charlottesville; New York; and Boston. 
[ xi ] 

SPECIAL APPRECIATION 

Airbus Group, Inc. 

Association of Private Sector Colleges & Universities 

AT&T Services, Inc. 

BAE Systems 

Emergent BioSolutions 

GE Aviation 

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. 

General Dynamics 

Honeywell 

Lockheed Martin Corporation 

Northrop Grumman Corporation 

Oshkosh Defense 

Raytheon 

Rolls-Royce North America 

Science Applications International Corporation 

SpaceX 

The Boeing Company 
[ xii ] 

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO 

Ms. Harmony Allen 

Ms. Sid Ashworth 

Mr. Bob Cochran 

Mr. Larry Duncan 

Mr. Mat Dunn 

Dr. Mark Esper 

Mr. Ed Fortunato 

Mr. Guy Hicks 

Ms. Lesley Kalan 

Mr. Jay Killeen 

Mr. Jay Kimmitt 

Mr. Tim McGivern 

Mr. and Mrs. William Nixon 

The Honorable Ed Pease 

The Honorable Jon Porter 

Mr. Peter Prowitt 

Mr. Doug Ritter 

Mr. Bart Roper 

Ms. Nicole Sarouphim 

Mr. Alan Tennille 

Mr. Mark Valente III 

Mr. Mike Waclawski 

Ms. Candace Wagner 

Mr. Greg Walters 
[ xiii ] 

CHAIRMAN, PORTRAIT COMMITTEE 

Mr. Robert A. Cochran, Chief of Staff, 1993–2012 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

Mr. Bradley Stevens, Artist 

Ms. Farar Elliott, House Curator 

Mr. Paul McGuire, U.S. Capitol Historical Society 

[ xv ] 

P R O G R A M 

2168 Rayburn House Office Building, 

6:00 P.M., September 18, 2014 

MASTER OF CEREMONIES: 

Mr. Robert L. Simmons II 

Republican Staff Director, House Committee on Armed Services, 2005– 

Present 

INVOCATION: 

Mr. William Nixon 

REMARKS: 

The Honorable John Boehner 

Speaker of the House 

The Honorable Kevin McCarthy 

House Majority Leader 

The Honorable Mac Thornberry 

Vice Chairman, House Committee on Armed Services 

The Honorable Chuck Hagel 

Secretary of Defense 

Mr. Robert Cochran 

Chief of Staff, 1993–2012 

Mr. Robert L. Simmons II 

INTRODUCTION OF THE ARTIST: 

Mr. Bradley Stevens 

UNVEILING OF THE PORTRAIT: 

Mrs. Patricia McKeon 

REMARKS: 

The Honorable Howard P. ‘‘Buck’’ McKeon 

[ 1 ] 

Unveiling Ceremony of Portrait of 

THE HONORABLE 

HOWARD P. ‘‘BUCK’’ McKEON 

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2014 

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

Mr. SIMMONS. Welcome. 

And thank you all for coming. Speaker Boehner, Leader McCarthy, 

Vice Chairman Thornberry, Armed Services Committee members, 

Members of Congress, we are honored to have you all here tonight. 

We would also like to recognize members of Chairman McKeon’s 

family who are with us. 

Sir, I would take the time to introduce them all, but I think we 

would be here all night. 

I would also like to recognize the other part of Chairman McKeon’s 

family, the HASC [House Armed Services Committee] and personal 

staff who have stuck with you all these many years, sir, and are proud 

to call you boss. 

There is an old line that you can tell a man’s character by how many 

people show up for his boot roundup. Well, this isn’t quite a boot 

roundup, and I am sorry to say, there are no free cowboy boots tonight. But in a way it is a form of a goodbye. This is our last day of 

session before the election and the last day before the lame duck. And 

looking into this crowded room, it is an honest testament to the high 

esteem that we all have for our chairman. 

At this time, I would like to introduce the chairman’s longtime 

friend and a leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 

Mr. Bill Nixon, for his invocation. 

INVOCATION BY MR. WILLIAM NIXON 

Mr. NIXON. Our Father who art in Heaven, as we bow our heads in 

gratitude before thee on this beautiful day, we are mindful of the blessings that you have given us to live in this great Nation, this land of 

the free, this land of opportunity and hope. We are grateful for the 

leadership that you have given us, for the doctrines, for the guidance, 

the opportunities we have to excel here. 

We are grateful for those who have sacrificed so much for this great 

Nation, for those who continue to sacrifice in harm’s way and distant 
[ 2 ] 

lands. Be with and strengthen them. Let them be mindful of the fact 

that we as a Nation stand behind them, that we love them, that we appreciate their sacrifice. 

We are mindful of our leaders and ask that thy might bless them, 

strengthen them, give them the resolve they need to guide and direct 

the affairs of state, to be more than just those who pass laws but those 

who are the moral ideal of what we can become. 

Please bless us as a people that we will focus on strengthening ourselves and self-reliance, that we will work hard seeking to give more 

than we take, that we will be mindful of those who are less fortunate 

but always be about strengthening and building upon the blessings we 

have received. 

We are grateful for all of these things and mindful at this time as 

we celebrate the life of a man who has given so much in the service 

of the country, Chairman Howard ‘‘Buck’’ McKeon. Be with his family, 

particularly in this transition of their lives, that thy spirit might be with 

them, that thy might be mindful of their future endeavors and that, 

in all things, this great and noble man will remain in the fight. 

And we say these things, in the name of thy son, Jesus Christ. 

Amen. 

Mr. SIMMONS. Thank you, Bill. We appreciate that. 

And now it is actually a great personal honor to be able to introduce 

the next person’s remarks, the Speaker of the House, Speaker 

Boehner. 

[Applause.] 

REMARKS OF HON. JOHN BOEHNER 

Speaker of the House 

Speaker BOEHNER. Well, let me just welcome all of you, and thank 

you for being here for Buck. 

For those of you in the back room making all that noise, as Elizabeth 

Taylor told her fifth husband, Don’t worry, honey, I won’t be here 

long. 

[Laughter.] 

Speaker BOEHNER. It is my honor as the Speaker of the House to 

accept this portrait into the House collection. That is one of those official things we have to say. 

But I am here tonight because Buck is my friend. And Buck came 

here 22 years ago and we were on the Education and the Workforce 

Committee together in the minority, having fun with George Miller—— 

[Laughter.] 

Speaker BOEHNER. God bless you, George. 

But most of you don’t know that George and I actually have a great 

relationship, as he does with Buck. 
[ 3 ] 

But, you know, everybody gets to know Buck because he is such a 

nice guy. And around here, we get some nice guys, and then we have 

some others. 

[Laughter.] 

Speaker BOEHNER. But Buck would work hard. He would work with 

both sides of the aisle, never play games with anybody. 

And, in 2004 or 2005, I don’t know, somewhere around there, Buck 

and some other Members had decided that we were going to have a 

group to help me become the majority leader at some point. And so 

I knew why Buck was in the room, because I was the chairman of the 

committee, and if I got elected majority leader—— 

[Laughter.] 

Speaker BOEHNER. But you all know Buck, you know, he is much 

more pure of heart than that. 

But Buck did take my place as chairman of the committee. While I 

was on the committee and I was chairman, Buck was my right-hand 

guy. And so it was not a hard decision as to who was going to be my 

replacement. And then it wasn’t that much longer after that, that the 

chairmanship over at the Armed Services Committee came up. And 

Buck really wanted to do this. And, frankly, it was some stiff competition. And but, you know, Buck is my friend, simple as that. 

I get to go to a lot of these retirement parties; staff, Members, they 

are leaving. And, you know, you hate to see people go, but it is part 

of what happens around here. And I will just say this: You know, we 

have got important jobs. We get to put our fingerprints on the course 

of history. Whether we are staff or Members, we get to play a role. But 

when you step back and think about the most rewarding part of what 

we do as Members, it is that we get to meet people that we would have 

never met, other than the fact that we have been elected to Congress. 

People in our own districts. In my case, I travel all over the country, 

meet people all over the country. But you get to meet and work with 

people right here on both sides of the aisle. And the friendships and 

the relationships that you develop, they are endless. But they are meaningful, and frankly, it is the most meaningful part of this. 

Buck—now, you all know me, I am holding it together. 

[Laughter.] 

Speaker BOEHNER. You all know. You are my friend. You are my 

buddy. Congratulations. 

[Applause.] 

Mr. SIMMONS. It is my pleasure now to introduce Majority Leader 

McCarthy. 

[Applause.] 
[ 4 ] 

REMARKS OF HON. KEVIN McCARTHY 

House Majority Leader 

Mr. MCCARTHY. Thank you very much. 

And I, too, will be brief. I know we have got votes. You would think 

I could control that. 

[Laughter.] 

Mr. MCCARTHY. You know what is most interesting here, I walked 

precincts with Buck McKeon to win his first congressional race. He was 

just down the way, and he was the district over from me, and I was 

just a volunteer. But I watched a guy that was a small business owner. 

If you could ever imagine, in southern California, they decided to put 

a city together. They created a city late in life, and who did they put 

there, Buck McKeon. This was a guy that understood how to put something together with thousands of people starting out—infrastructure 

and all. 

This race was a close race. It wasn’t decided until a number of days 

afterwards. I walked those precincts because I knew that was the type 

of man that we wanted to go to Washington, one that not only knew 

small business and also government, he was a man of faith, a man that 

understood what he believed, and it propelled throughout his family 

as well. 

Well, I never thought I would ever get to serve with him, but when 

I decided to run, he was the first person to call me and say, I will be 

there. And lots of times we serve with Members that have adjoining districts, and most of the time, they don’t like each other. You all 

know—— 

[Laughter.] 

Mr. MCCARTHY. We do all of our meetings together. And it has been 

a great honor because he has been a great mentor. 

Now, we have a big privilege to become Members of Congress. But 

how few Members of Congress are going to be able to say they were 

chairman of two committees? Think about that. Chosen by his peers 

and by his leadership. That is a great testament to this man. And then 

when you think about what he has worked on, his true passion has always been about the common defense of his country. 

But, just yesterday, it was his amendment that was passed that he 

worked with the Administration. And he doesn’t sit back and say, I will 

just take whatever you ask for. He said, you know what? We do need 

to move forward and we do need to train, but I think there needs to 

be greater accountability. So he wrote an amendment that was a little 

different, that took both sides. And his last amendment was one of the 

most bipartisan votes on the floor, but also, that last amendment that 

he passed not only protects America but will change the direction of 

this world. That is the type of man you all are getting. 
[ 5 ] 

So I just thank you for making me be a small part, and I never 

dreamed walking those precincts that I would be able to be here today 

and say thank you for all the work you have done. 

I do want to thank Patricia and all the six kids and I don’t know 

how many grandkids. 

[Laughter.] 

Mrs. MCKEON. Thirty. That would be 30, Kevin. 

Mr. MCCARTHY. Every Christmas, that is the card we wait for. 

[Applause.] 

Mr. SIMMONS. Now, our next guest is somebody that on the HASC 

staff we know real well and have had the privilege to work with, the 

vice chairman of the committee, Mac Thornberry. 

[Applause.] 

REMARKS OF HON. MAC THORNBERRY 

Vice Chairman, House Committee on Armed Services 

Mr. THORNBERRY. Well, I think I can speak on this occasion for all 

members of the Armed Services Committee on both sides of the aisle 

when I say that we very much appreciate the fairness, the respectfulness, and the good humor with which Buck has always chaired our 

committee. 

I haven’t seen the picture yet, but I hope it has a big smile on his 

face because he always has a big smile on his face. 

[Laughter.] 

Mr. THORNBERRY. However intense the debate and however emotional people get, he always has that even temper, that big smile. That 

is exactly the way any good chairman should be. 

He has also always been interested in members and staff, and I think 

the compassion he showed as we have lost two key members of the 

staff, pretty close together here, has really been remarkable. 

And talking about the family, I got to tell you all, you can’t have a 

conversation with Buck that lasts more than 3 or 4 minutes before he 

starts talking about a child, a grandchild, or Patricia. If you have 30 

grandchildren—— 

[Laughter.] 

Mr. THORNBERRY. But it is really clear that family is at the center of 

his life and also that family is a big part of what motivates him in the 

job he does every day to protect the country. That really comes 

through. And I know you all are proud of that. 

Circumstances have meant that Buck has had to chair this committee 

during difficult budget times and also in a very volatile environment. 

But he has always, as you all well know, forcefully spoken up for the 

men and women who serve our country and also for a strong national 

defense, and that is a pretty impressive legacy for any of us to leave. 
[ 6 ] 

Last thing I want to say is this: I just had the opportunity to shake 

hands with President Reagan a couple of times. I didn’t know him, but 

you know, the way I knew him was through the media, like all of us. 

But I will tell you, and I have never told Buck this, there had been 

a number of occasions when he will say something, and what he says 

or the way he says it, I see Ronald Reagan. And I think it is more than 

just being California. 

[Laughter.] 

Mr. THORNBERRY. I think it is more than just, you know, the strong 

national defense. I think there is a basic, deep decency, a deep-seated 

love of this country that comes through a lot of times when he talks. 

And so, to me, that is really the essence of Buck McKeon. And so 

every time in the future those of us on Armed Services Committee look 

up and see this picture, that is what we are going to think about. 

[Applause.] 

Mr. SIMMONS. And now it is, again, my great pleasure to introduce 

somebody that the chairman and the Armed Services Committee work 

very closely with, great pleasure to introduce our Secretary of Defense, 

Secretary Chuck Hagel. 

[Applause.] 

REMARKS OF HON. CHUCK HAGEL 

Secretary of Defense 

Secretary HAGEL. Thank you. 

Buck, I think Mac just announced your candidacy for President. 

[Laughter.] 

Secretary HAGEL. I am privileged to be part of that. President Obama 

will be glad he is retiring. 

[Laughter.] 

Secretary HAGEL. I came to see the pretty new picture, really. 

Well, first, I am particularly pleased that you let me in. A former 

United States Senator, I know, has no credibility over here. 

[Laughter.] 

Secretary HAGEL. In fact, as Secretary of Defense, I know I have very 

little credibility. But you let me in anyway, and I am glad you did because the words that have been spoken here tonight by the Speaker, 

the majority leader, vice chairman of the committee, ring so true and 

everybody in this room knows it. 

In all my years of different jobs and the privilege I have had to work 

in different capacities in public service, it is rare to have an opportunity to work with someone like Buck McKeon. The words that have 

been used: fair, always mindful of others, whether that is personal relationships, professional relationships. He has strong opinions and feelings, as he should. I think that is an obligation and a responsibility for 

all elected Members to let people know where they stand. 
[ 7 ] 

But he has always allowed everyone their time to make their case, 

and he has done it in a way that we would all benefit from in this town 

if we would take a little more of the Buck McKeon school of personal 

conduct and take a little bit of his decency and apply that to everything 

we do in our professional lives. 

I will miss you, Buck, personally. I can tell you the Department of 

Defense and the men and women all over this country who serve our 

Nation with such distinction and selflessness will miss you greatly, 

which you have represented, how you have led and the courage you 

have shown and always sticking up for our military all over the world 

has not gone unnoticed. 

I know, though, that like the responsibility of any great leader, you 

build a team behind you. And I know that Mac and others in this room 

on the Armed Services Committee will follow in your wake and that 

may be the most significant contribution you will have made in your 

public service, is building a team, a team that not only can follow your 

leadership but you have represented a certain model and a standard 

that you have given everyone, all of us, which we will always be grateful 

for. 

So, Patricia, to your family, to the thousands and thousands of 

McKeons all over—— 

[Laughter.] 

Secretary HAGEL. I know how proud you all are of your father, your 

grandfather, I don’t know great grandfather yet. But I know, Patricia, 

what you have meant to Buck and to your family and how you have 

given him such support and courage and love over these years, and he 

knows it more and better and deeper than anyone. 

Thank you for the privilege to be here tonight to participate in honoring Buck McKeon. 

[Applause.] 

Mr. SIMMONS. Thank you. 

Now I would like to ask Mr. McKeon’s former chief of staff and longtime friend, Bob Cochran, please come forward. 

[Applause.] 

REMARKS OF ROBERT COCHRAN 

Chief of Staff, 1993–2012 

Mr. COCHRAN. You know, it is amazing. I stand before here and I 

look at all your kids and I know what an inspiration they are and how 

family plays such an important role. 

And as was said before, and certainly, Patricia, you are Buck’s inspiration. You are the one that energizes him, each and every day, and 

that is something that I got to see as his former chief of staff for 20 

years, day in and day out. 
[ 8 ] 

You know, I can’t say enough about what Buck means to myself, but 

also I speak on behalf of the staff. I know Bob, in terms of the professional staff on the Armed Services Committee, but also the personal 

staff and the many people that you have influenced and you have affected in such a positive way. Your leadership, your guidance; you are 

not only a boss but you are a mentor, and that was the thing that you 

always set out from day one. 

I can remember in that first term when you had this book ‘‘I Can,’’ 

and you sat down chapter by chapter and you went through it, and 

what you were trying to achieve is you were trying to make all of us 

raise the bar to become more active and more engaged. And, for that, 

I thank you personally in terms of what you provided me all those years 

as chief of staff. 

I just can’t say enough. An honorable man, a man of integrity, the 

smile on your face. Now, I will get a smile out of these kids when I 

say, now, sometimes I walked into the room and there was this straight 

face. You could always tell the body language. But you knew, Bob, I 

need to talk to you. And that serious tone. But I will tell you what, the 

things that we got to experience from your presidency of freshman 

class, from the time that you were chairman of the Higher Ed Subcommittee, to the full committee chair on Education and the Workforce Committee, to the ranking member and then chairman of the 

Armed Services Committee, it has been a great ride and I know you 

have enjoyed it. 

And this is a very distinguished event with a lot of distinguished 

guests to be a part of this. So I am just very honored and privileged 

that I could be here and serve a part of this. 

I would also like to just say, thank you for the financial support from 

the donors that helped the Capitol Historical Society to make this 

event possible. We just thank you for that. 

So, with that, Buck, my friend, we appreciate everything that you 

have done, and you have really made a mark on this institution. Thank 

you. 

[Applause.] 

REMARKS OF ROBERT L. SIMMONS II 

Republican Staff Director, House Committee on Armed Services, 

2005–Present 

Mr. SIMMONS. Now I get to talk from the inside looking at Chairman 

McKeon. You know, we will long remember the accomplishments of 

Chairman McKeon, as Mac Thornberry said, in this tough time. 

I mean, you are tireless in leading the fight. 

Now, I never, ever, ever heard the chairman ask me, what is the politically correct or the political environment going to allow us to do? 

It was always, what is the right thing to do? And we never got down 
[ 9 ] 

to letting politics get in the way of the possible courses of action. And, 

for that, I will tell you the HASC staff will be forever in your debt for 

that leadership. 

But, you know, it is not really the measure of the man, really, at 

looking only at his accomplishments, because it is really why those 

things happen. And for my years here, being blessed to be able to 

serve on the Armed Services Committee and looking at other things 

I have done in my life, it is important to look at what you really are. 

And you and I have had some of these discussions, and it is the measure of a man in leadership is really what he does to create an environment of success for others. 

And, sir, that is actually what you have done. You have made it possible for so many Members and staff to be able to work for you and 

accomplish things that only come from servant leadership. And this is 

one guy that, no matter what, in any circumstance, it was always others 

before self. Always. And that is what opened up this committee to be 

able to accomplish so much. 

And we have talked about the Boy Scouts and everything else, and, 

sir, you are the epitome of what we all hope to be, and the HASC staff 

is greatly honored to have been able to work these years with you. It 

has been a great, great personal pleasure and ride. For that, we are 

all very thankful. Thank you. 

[Applause.] 

INTRODUCTION OF THE ARTIST 

Mr. SIMMONS. Now I would like to talk about and introduce our artist for the portrait. 

Mr. Bradley Stevens was raised in Westport, Connecticut. Came to 

Washington, DC, to study at George Washington University, where he 

earned his bachelor of fine arts and master of fine arts. In addition 

to his art study, Stevens spent 5 years copying several hundred Old 

Master paintings at the National Gallery of Art. He taught drawing and 

portrait painting as an adjunct professor at his alma mater and Georgetown University for 18 years. 

In his career of over 30 years, he has forged a reputation of one of 

America’s leading realist painters. His style is contemporary realism 

rooted in classical training, yet boldly depicting the modern world with 

his penetrating eye. Stevens is unique among his contemporaries for 

his exceptional achievements in three domains of representational art: 

portraiture, landscapes, and figurative cityscapes. He frequently works 

on commission, and many of these large-scale paintings are for public 

and corporate spaces. 

Stevens has painted the portraits of luminaries and leaders in the 

fields of education, business, medicine, law, science, philanthropy, and 

politics. This stellar list of patrons includes Governor Mark Warner of 
[ 10 ] 

Virginia; Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., in the National Portrait Gallery collection; the family of Senator John D. Rockefeller IV; Glenn L. Martin, 

the cofounder of Martin Marietta; C. Michael Armstrong, chairman of 

Johns Hopkins Hospital; Senator Jennings Randolph of West Virginia; 

and Bruce Wasserstein, chairman and CEO of Lazard. 

Stevens was commissioned by the United States Senate to paint an 

original historical mural commemorating the Connecticut Compromise 

of 1787 for the Senate Reception Room in the Capitol. 

Stevens has reproduced historical portraits for the White House, U.S. 

Department of State, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Embassy in 

Paris, the National Portrait Gallery, and at Monticello. 

By invitation of the U.S. Department of State, Stevens is a participant 

in the Art Embassy Program, which places the work of the renowned 

American artists in their embassies all around the world. 

Stevens and his wife, who was also an artist, live here and work in 

their home in the Virginia countryside near Washington, DC. He is 

represented by galleries in Washington, DC; Charlottesville; New York; 

and Boston. 

And we thank you very much and we look forward to seeing the 

fruits of your labor. 

At this time, I would like to invite Mrs. McKeon to please do the 

honors. 

[Whereupon, the portrait was unveiled.] 

[Applause.] 

Mr. SIMMONS. It is now my pleasure to introduce our chairman, 

Chairman Buck McKeon. 

[Applause.] 

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

Mr. MCKEON. Secretary, thank you for being here. That was a big 

surprise. 

Can you hear me? Do you want to? 

[Laughter.] 

Mr. MCKEON. Well, I think I already told the Secretary that I feel 

like this is my funeral. 

[Laughter.] 

Mr. MCKEON. I would like to ask all of you to show up there, say 

the same thing, and we will just be done with it. It is hard to improve 

on that. 

I have got a whole lot of stuff prepared right there, and you know 

that the thing that has kind of been with me all day today is, 77 years 

ago today my mom and dad got married, and a year later, I joined the 

family, and then four more brothers joined. And, you know, I did a 

fantastic job of selecting parents. 
[ 11 ] 

And then, the decision I probably have a little more to do with, I 

selected the best woman in the world as my wife. 

[Applause.] 

Mr. MCKEON. I didn’t get this from Boehner. 

[Laughter.] 

Mr. MCKEON. I was born with it. I passed it on to my kids, but I am 

going to try to just get through this. 

I have been so blessed in my life, and this—to come here to see such 

great, wonderful people that I have had the opportunity to rub shoulders with and work with and learn from and benefit from—is a culmination. 

Years ago, when I was a missionary, I learned a poem, and it stuck 

with me all my life. I read it about the time I read ‘‘I Can.’’ First time. 

And it was, if I can remember, it was, 

Isn’t it strange that princes and kings, 

And clowns that caper in sawdust rings, 

And common folks like you and me, 

Are builders for eternity. 

To each is given a bag of tools, 

A shapeless mass, a set of rules; 

And each shall make ere life is flown, 

A stumbling block, or a stepping-stone. 

And you know, we are all in this together. We all do it together. And 

it has been fantastic. 

And there is a king, a great king that, as he was leaving his reign, 

he said to the people, Remember when you are in the service of your 

fellow men, you are only in the service of your God. That is what it 

is all about. 

And I could, man, I could go around the room. I could take hours. 

I will start with my kids: Tamara, number one; Howard, number two; 

John Matthew is not here; Kimberly, number four; David is not here. 

He was here last week for that tremendous honor that the military gave 

us; and then our baby, Tricia. 

Now I can start on the grandchildren. We have got Jenna. We have 

got Alyssa. We have got Daniel. Carlie. Carlie is all grown up. You 

know, somebody asks me, every time they hear we have 30 kids, can 

you name them? I said, sure, I just have to prep. 

And now we start on great grandchildren. Londyn. But I don’t know 

how to spell it. How would you spell it? 

Mrs. MCKEON. I don’t know. Ask him. 

UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER. L-o-n-d-y-n. 

Mr. MCKEON. See, the grandma knows. I could go on and on. If I 

started getting in—let me just say one thing. For a period of time, I 

had three Bobs: Bob Simmons, staff director, and most of you know 
[ 12 ] 

him; Bob Cochran, chief of staff with me for 20 years. He reminds me 

periodically, you know, that he was born the year I graduated high 

school. And Bob Haueter. I met them both together at the same time, 

so Bob, Bob, Bob. Bob, Bob, Bob. Bob. It was good because I am not 

good with names so I can just say, Hey, Bob. One of them would say, 

What? 

[Laughter.] 

Mr. MCKEON. And then, a couple years ago, Bob Haueter left; Bob 

Cochran left. I had to hire new people and I couldn’t find a Bob. 

[Laughter.] 

Mr. MCKEON. But I got Morris. Morris. That was, you know, about 

as far from Bob as you can get. 

Morris, raise your hand so people—he is from the district. He is my 

district director. 

[Applause.] 

Mr. MCKEON. Mr. Secretary, take off. I am going to go for another 

couple of hours. 

Secretary HAGEL. I know. I wanted to say, and I did forget this, and 

I can’t walk out of this room without saying it. 

President Obama wanted me to say thank you, congratulations, and 

he also very much appreciates your leadership, what you have done for 

this country. I sure as hell can’t go back to the White House and not 

tell you. 

[Laughter.] 

Mr. MCKEON. I took our interns for lunch the other day. We do that 

before they leave, and I let them ask me questions. One of them said, 

Have you ever met a President? Yeah. Yeah. I have had that opportunity. 

I forgot what I was going to say for the second hour. 

[Laughter.] 

Mr. MCKEON. Alan, yeah, I had to replace the other Bob, my chief 

of staff. Where is Alan? Alan has been so involved in all of this and 

in holding my hand, you know, as we plan to leave. And that is hard 

because he doesn’t have a job to go to. Of course, I don’t either. 

[Laughter.] 

Mr. MCKEON. But we will work it out. We will find a way to keep 

bread on the table. We will do that. 

Hey, let me—Bob, Alan, Morris, Bob, Bob, all of the staff that I have, 

Vic, all of the staff—I got chosen to be chairman of the Education 

Committee, and then you need a staff director. And I didn’t even think 

of asking Vic because he was making a fortune, and somebody said, 

you have got to ask Vic, because we had worked very closely together 

before he left committee. I said, geez, he is making so much money. 

No way he would come back and do this. I asked him, and he came 

back. And that was—he will never make up for that. I will never make 
[ 13 ] 

up for it, but I sure appreciate it, and it really helped me because 

Boehner took a lot of the staff with him, and we had to get the whole 

committee reorganized. 

Hi, Karen. Karen was our first, after Bob, hire. I could tell you a 

story about her, but she probably rather we don’t do that right now. 

[Laughter.] 

Mr. MCKEON. General, Commandant, standing over here, we are 

going out together. Bonnie’s probably a lot more happy about it, and 

he will get used to it. 

[Laughter.] 

Mr. MCKEON. But, you know, I didn’t even want to get started going 

on names because I know it would be a real big problem. Let me just 

say, this is such a fantastic experience. I have had, as I said, so many 

blessings, the opportunity of working with you. 

I mean, you know, I mentioned this last night in the bill, you know, 

government workers, a lot of times people say bad things about them, 

you know, they are on the public dole, blah, blah, that kind of stuff. 

And I said it last night, and I will say it again how much work you do, 

how much you are appreciated by me and by all of those that you associate with that know the work that you do. Thank you. Thank you 

again. 

Members pretty much all had to leave to go vote. I figure missing 

a couple votes probably won’t hurt my election. 

[Laughter.] 

Mr. MCKEON. They are all things I have already voted for, and I 

know that I would have voted for them again, and they will pass. 

Thank you for being here. 

Bradley, Mac left to vote, he wanted a smile. We had a lot of discussion on that, and it was really hard for me to stand there and not 

smile. But we felt the defense of our Nation—and that is where that 

portrait is going to hang—is serious business. And you can go in Education and see a smile; a smile on that one, and then a serious one. 

And I think you did such a fantastic job with what you had to work 

with. 

[Laughter.] 

[Applause.] 

Mr. MCKEON. This guy, he worked a whole lot more than what he 

got paid, and any of you guys that are going to be chairman, you ought 

to remember that he is really good, and he really works at it, and he 

came and took a jillion pictures. We would pose. He first went out and 

studied the area and then he took all these pictures. Then he did charcoal—what happened to those? 

Mr. STEVENS. They are in my studio. 

[Laughter.] 

Mr. MCKEON. I want to talk to you about those. 
[ 14 ] 

We did four big charcoal drawings and then we picked out this, and 

then he got it almost complete and asked if we would come by and 

look at it. And I said, I asked you to make it like Robert Redford in 

his heyday. 

[Laughter.] 

Mr. MCKEON. But he is too honest, and he said, you know what, you 

want to make it so you can recognize the person. And I thought, what 

the heck, Robert Redford is aging, too, you know. 

[Laughter.] 

Mr. MCKEON. But fantastic job. And I really enjoyed our association, 

and the effort you put into this I think was really great. 

Did you prepare that speech? 

Mrs. MCKEON. Yes. 

Mr. MCKEON. Do you have it ready? 

Mrs. MCKEON. I do. So we were out on a date, and he said—I said, 

‘‘You are the one.’’ And he said, ‘‘The one what?’’ And I said, ‘‘The 

one that is going to marry me.’’ And he said, ‘‘When?’’ And I set a 

date. 

[Laughter.] 

Mr. MCKEON. It is called setting the hook. And man, am I glad she 

did, because the way I get around making decisions, I would probably 

still be thinking about it. 

But thank you all. Thank you for your friendship, your devotion to 

our Nation, for all that you have meant to us in so many different ways. 

And, Bob, thank you. 

But those who contributed the resources to make this possible, thank 

you, especially. I don’t know if there is any food left. If there is, I hope 

you will eat it. Enjoy yourselves. And no votes tomorrow. Thank you. 

[Applause.] 

[Whereupon, at 6:45 p.m., the presentation was concluded.] 
[ 15 ] 

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES 

ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS

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

MAC THORNBERRY, Texas 

WALTER B. JONES, North Carolina 

J. RANDY FORBES, Virginia 

JEFF MILLER, Florida 

JOE WILSON, South Carolina 

FRANK A. LOBIONDO, New Jersey 

ROB BISHOP, Utah 

MICHAEL R. TURNER, Ohio 

JOHN KLINE, Minnesota 

MIKE ROGERS, Alabama 

TRENT FRANKS, Arizona 

BILL SHUSTER, Pennsylvania 

K. MICHAEL CONAWAY, Texas 

DOUG LAMBORN, Colorado 

ROBERT J. WITTMAN, Virginia 

DUNCAN HUNTER, California 

JOHN FLEMING, Louisiana 

MIKE COFFMAN, Colorado 

E. SCOTT RIGELL, Virginia 

CHRISTOPHER P. GIBSON, New York 

VICKY HARTZLER, Missouri 

JOSEPH J. HECK, Nevada 

JON RUNYAN, New Jersey 

AUSTIN SCOTT, Georgia 

STEVEN M. PALAZZO, Mississippi 

MO BROOKS, Alabama 

RICHARD B. NUGENT, Florida 

KRISTI L. NOEM, South Dakota 

PAUL COOK, California 

JIM BRIDENSTINE, Oklahoma 

BRAD R. WENSTRUP, Ohio 

JACKIE WALORSKI, Indiana 

BRADLEY BYRNE, Alabama 

ADAM SMITH, Washington 

LORETTA SANCHEZ, California 

MIKE MCINTYRE, North Carolina 

ROBERT A. BRADY, Pennsylvania 

SUSAN A. DAVIS, California 

JAMES R. LANGEVIN, Rhode Island 

RICK LARSEN, Washington 

JIM COOPER, Tennessee 

MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO, Guam 

JOE COURTNEY, Connecticut 

DAVID LOEBSACK, Iowa 

NIKI TSONGAS, Massachusetts 

JOHN GARAMENDI, California 

HENRY C. ‘‘HANK’’ JOHNSON, JR., Georgia 

COLLEEN W. HANABUSA, Hawaii 

JACKIE SPEIER, California 

RON BARBER, Arizona 

ANDRE ́ CARSON, Indiana 

CAROL SHEA-PORTER, New Hampshire 

DANIEL B. MAFFEI, New York 

DEREK KILMER, Washington 

JOAQUIN CASTRO, Texas 

TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois 

SCOTT H. PETERS, California 

WILLIAM L. ENYART, Illinois 

PETE P. GALLEGO, Texas 

MARC A. VEASEY, Texas 

TULSI GABBARD, Hawaii 

ROBERT L. SIMMONS II, Staff Director