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Obama described McHugh as “uniquely qualified to
lead” the Army.
“John is a distinguished public servant who will
help keep us safe and keep our sacred trust with our
soldiers and their families,” he told the White House
press corps. “He is committed to keeping America’s
Army the best-trained, the best-equipped, the bestled
force the world has ever seen. He will ensure that
our soldiers are trained and equipped to meet the full
spectrum of challenges and threats of our time.”
The president continued, “John understands
personally and deeply the sacrifices soldiers and their
families make every day. He brings patriotism and a
pragmatism that has won him respect on both sides of
the aisle.”
Fellow UC alumnus and former congressional colleague
Sherwood Boehlert ’61 opined, “No one could
be more deserving of this heavy responsibility at this
critical juncture.”
McHugh was first elected to the House in 1992
after serving in local and state government positions,
including four terms in the New York State Senate,
since 1971. He has earned bipartisan praise as a leader
in the country’s national defense policy. He is the
former ranking member of the House Armed Services
Committee and its Subcommittee on Military Personnel.
He is the longtime co-chair of the House Army
Caucus, and served four years as a member of the
House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
As well, he is a member and former chair of the Board
of Visitors of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
Tradition. Opportunity. Transformation.®
Recently, he championed the landmark Weapons Systems
Acquisition Reform Act, which reformed how the
U.S. contracts and purchases major weapons systems.
His 23rd Congressional district in northern New
York is home to Fort Drum, headquarters of the
Army’s 10th Mountain Division, which has seen multiple
deployments to both Iraq and Afghanistan in the
past eight years.
While the Watertown, NY native describes vacating
his seat in Congress and the responsibilities with
which his constituents have entrusted him for the
past 17 years as a difficult sacrifice, the move to the
Pentagon represents a rare opportunity and one close
to his heart.
His parents both served in the Army during
World War II. As a congressman, he has worked
tirelessly to advocate for and expand Fort Drum, and
fought against several proposals that it be closed or
transferred as a cost-saving measure. Since the start of
the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he has made several
trips overseas to meet with American troops and military
leaders.
“I grew up in the shadows of Fort Drum, and for the
last 20 years I’ve worked in concert with those men
and women of the communities around that great
facility in support of the men and women of the 10th
Mountain Division,” said McHugh. “For all the special
feelings we have for all of the military, I’ve always held
the Army somewhat apart.”
Sherwood Boehlert ’61 Awarded Prestigious Fellowship
UC alumnus and retired congressman Sherwood Boehlert ’61 has been named a Woodrow
Wilson Visiting Fellow. He joins the roster of nearly 100 distinguished professionals in fields
ranging from journalism to business to health policy to diplomacy. Fellows include Pulitzer
Prize winners, Fortune 25 officers, and Supreme Court justices.
The Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellows program brings prominent artists, diplomats, journalists,
business leaders, and other nonacademic professionals to campuses across the country for
classes, seminars, workshops, lectures, and informal discussions. The program, created in 1973,
is administered by the Council of Independent Colleges in Washington, D.C.
Boehlert retired from Congress in 2006 after representing New York’s 24th congressional
district since he was first elected in 1982.
pioneer 13 fall 2009