Remarks at the
Swearing-In Ceremony for William L. Ball III as Secretary of the Navy
The President. Before we begin, I'd
like to ask Rear Admiral John McNamara, United States Navy Chief of Chaplains,
to say a prayer.
[At
this point, a prayer was offered.]
The President. Please, be seated.
We're all gathered here to welcome into the Office of Secretary of the Navy as
my representative on Capitol Hill an outstanding public servant who has won the
respect of the leaders of both parties and to whom I've repeatedly turned for
help and advice for the past 2 years: Will Ball.
You
know, sometimes you find that someone else has put things in a way you just
can't improve upon. When Senator Talmadge introduced
Will to the Senate Armed Services Committee, he said, ``One prerequisite for
the Secretary of the Navy is character. Will Ball has
character in abundance.'' And he added, ``The second
prerequisite is patriotism, which Will Ball also has in abundance.'' Well, I
second that all the way. Will takes over the Navy at a critical time. The
defense budget has now been cut for 4 consecutive years. And yet we must
maintain the gains this administration has made in rebuilding our naval and
military capabilities. The good ship -- or the 600-ship Navy remains our goal.
Will's job will be to skipper our naval forces through some troubled waters,
while keeping our Navy and Marine Corps team second to none.
Every
good captain is concerned about the welfare of the men and women under his
command. Will served 3 years aboard ship. He's had his sea legs for years, and
he knows what matters to those who swab the decks, land on the shores, man the
guns, fly the planes, live in the subs, and sail the oceans of the world in the
cause of freedom. Keeping reenlistments high and the quality of our recruits
the best it's ever been will be Will's other big assignment. That's never been
easy, given the demands on our people who must deploy at sea for long periods
of time and be separated from their families. This is but one of the challenges
unique to the Navy facing our new Secretary, and I'm confident he's the man for
the job. It's no secret that Will has a big job ahead
of him. But I have a feeling that Will is just the fellow to give up a -- or to
give a few up on the Hill a dose of that old-time religion. After all, he's the
son of a Baptist preacher, and I've seen he's a pretty good preacher himself
when he gets going. [Laughter]
That
puts me in mind of a story that they used to tell about someone who once had
his office just down the hall, back when this magnificent room belonged to the
Secretary of the Navy. It concerns Teddy Roosevelt, who, as you know, served
for a time as Assistant Secretary of the Navy. Well, you remember Teddy --
strong-willed, persuasive, and nothing could stop him. There used to be a story
about him, that after he died, he got to heaven. And on his first day in
heaven, he told Saint Peter, ``Your choir is weak,
inexcusably weak. You should reorganize it at once.'' And Saint Peter said,
``All right,'' and gave T.R. the job. ``Well,'' Teddy said, ``I'll need 10,000
sopranos, 10,000 altos, and 10,000 tenors.'' ``But what about the basses?''
asked Saint Peter. Teddy said, ``Don't worry about
that. I'll sing bass.'' [Laughter] A one-man bass section -- well, that's your
job now, Will.
Good
luck, and God bless you. And now we'll have the
swearing-in.
[At
this point, Secretary Ball was sworn in.]
Secretary
Ball. Thank you, Mr. President. You honor me and my family by your presence
here, and I shall be forever grateful to you for the privilege of serving on
your staff and for this great opportunity you have given me. I also want to
thank my new boss, Secretary [of Defense] Carlucci, for being here; my former
boss, Secretary [of State] Shultz, for being here; and the other members of the
Cabinet who could join us today. I especially appreciate the many Members of
Congress who have come down from the Hill on a very busy day to be with me in
this historic room to share this special moment. I want to express special
gratitude to Senator Howard Baker for his guidance and leadership and his
patience with me as Chief of Staff. And of course, I will forever owe a debt of
gratitude to
And
it was just 23 years ago that I received a message from another gentleman in
this room, when I was a senior in high school, and my mother called from home
and said I'd received a telegram. And she, as an inquisitive mother would want
to do, opened it, and it was a message from my senior
Senator saying that I had been accepted in the Navy's ROTC program. And it was
that message that began my forthcoming association with the Navy. One week ago,
that same senior Senator called me and told me that the Senate had just confirmed
me as Secretary of the Navy. And I don't know of any duty that a constituent
could ask a senior Senator to do more than that which Strom Thurmond has done
for me and for my family down through the years.
Mr.
President, on Monday I had occasion to visit the Coral Sea, the aircraft
carrier, and she's just returned from a 6-month deployment with the 6th Fleet
in the Mediterranean. On that great ship I was immediately able to see one of
the many legacies that you will leave to history. This particular legacy is
perhaps the one that matters most to those who serve at sea. It is indeed
written on the faces of those
I
am ready to assume my duties, Mr. President, and with the continued support and
assistance of the Congress, we on your Navy and Marine Corps team will remain
strong and prepared and will plan wisely for our future so that we can stay
that way. As you have time and again explained to the American people, it is
only by doing so that we can expect to preserve the peace and ultimately extend
the special gift that is freedom to people the world over. Thank you.
Note: The President
spoke at