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Testimony of 

Emmett Paige, Jr. 

Lieutenant General 

United States Army (Retired) 

Before the 

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

Subcommittee on Benefits 

April 30, 2003 

Chairman Brown, Congressman Renzi, Congressman Smith, Congressman Evans, Congressman Manzullo, Congressman Beauprez, Congressman Michaud, Congressman filner and Congresswoman Hooley, other members of the Subcommittee on Benefits, and the Distinguished U.S. House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, I want to thank you for inviting this old soldier to be here today and to give you my views for the record on H.R. 1460 and H.R.1712. 

For the record, I am not here representing any agency, or organization that has received or will receive a federal grant or contract relative to the subject matter of testimony. I am here representing myself and those deserving military personnel and veterans who cannot be here this morning. I do not now seek, and will never accept, any grants or contracts for my support of the subject matter of this testimony. 

Included herewith is my biography. I am here this morning based on the years of experience and background reflected in this biography: 

Honorable Emmett Paige, Jr.                                                                      

Vice President, Operations – DoD/Intel Services 

As VP, DoD/Intel Services, General Paige provides oversight to all Department of Defense and Intelligence activities for LMIT. 

Lieutenant General (Retired) Emmett Paige, Jr., has had an extraordinary career since he enlisted in the US Army in August 1947, dropping out of high school at the age of 16 to do so. After spending approximately five (5) years as an enlisted soldier he was accepted to and completed the Signal Corps Officers Candidate School at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey In July 1952, and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant. 

During his career as an officer, General Paige served in various Signal units to include the 40th and 41st Signal Construction Battalions, the 9th Signal Battalion, 9th Infantry Division where he served as the S-3. He served in the 57th Signal Company at Yongsan, Korea where he was responsible for all of the fixed plant communications serving the United Nations Command, U.S. Forces Korea, and Eighth Army Headquarters. One of General Paige’s most challenging military jobs was as the Project Manager of the Integrated WideBand Communications System during the Vietnam conflict using commercial off-the-shelf equipment installed in South Vietnam and Thailand. It was the largest communications system ever installed in a combat environment, and the first major system engineered, designed, and installed to meet the Defense Communications System Standards. During the Vietnam War, he commanded the 361st Signal Battalion in Vietnam, and later commanded the 11th Signal Group at Ft. Huachuca, AZ. He served two tours with the Defense Communications Agency.

 In 1976, he was promoted to Brigadier General and given command of both the US Army Communications-Electronics Engineering and Installation Agency at Ft. Huachuca, Arizona and the US Army Communications Systems Agency at Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey. He was also appointed Project Manager, Defense Communications Systems, Army. 

General Paige promoted to Major General in 1979 and assumed command of the US Army Communications Research and Development Command at Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey. In 1981, he assumed command of the US Army Electronics Research and Development Command in Adelphi, MD. 

General Paige was promoted to Lieutenant General in June1984 and assumed command of the US Army Information Systems Command, a worldwide organization of 42,000 Soldiers and Civilians headquartered at Ft. Huachuca, AZ; he remained in this assignment until his retirement in June 1988.   

While in the Army, General Paige received the Distinguished Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Legion of Merit with two oak leaf clusters, the Bronze Star for Meritorious Service, the Meritorious Service Medal and the Army Commendation Medal. 

Following his retirement from the Army in 1988, General Paige became the President and Chief Operating Officer of OAO Corporation, an Aerospace Engineering and Information Systems Company in Greenbelt, MD. 

President Clinton nominated General Paige for the position of Assistant Secretary of Defense for Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence and he was confirmed by Congress, in May 1993. He held this position until May 1997, when he returned to his previous job as the President and Chief Operating Officer of OAO Corporation. 

General Paige has an undergraduate degree from the University of Maryland University College and received his Masters degree from the Penn State University. He has been awarded an honorary Doctor of Law degree from Tougaloo College, Tougaloo, MS, an honorary Doctorate from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and an honorary Doctorate of Science Degree, Honoris Causa from Clarkson University. Both the University of Maryland University College and Penn State have honored General Paige as a Distinguished Alumnus. Penn State also selected him as an Alumni Fellow in 1993. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College, Class of 1974. 

General Paige is Chairman of the Board of Directors of GTECH Corporation; Member of the Board of Directors, LinkPlus Corporation; Board of Visitors, University of Maryland Clark College of Engineering; Board of Visitors, University of Maryland, University College; Board of Visitors, University of Maryland College Park, College of Education; Board of Directors, University of Maryland College Park Foundation; Board of Directors, Lau Technologies; Board of Directors, AFCEA International; Board of Directors; National Capital Area Council, Boy Scouts of America; Board of Directors, Community Learning & Information Network (CLIN); Advisory Board, George Mason University, IT&Engineering; Director, Greater Washington Board of Trade; Board of Directors, KenCast Corporation; Commissioner, Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC); Board of Directors, National Science Center, Inc.; and Board of Directors, Prince George’s Community College Foundation; and a Member of the Division on Engineering & Physical Sciences, National  Research Council. 

General Paige has received numerous awards from both the military and the civil sector. The following are but a few of those awards:  Information Week Magazine selected him as the Chief Information Officer of the Year in 1987; in 1988, the Armed Forces Communications-Electronics Association presented General Paige the Distinguished Service Medal; the Data Processing Management Association selected him for the coveted Distinguished Information Sciences Award for outstanding service and contributions internationally to advancements in the field of Information Sciences; University of Maryland, Baltimore County selected him as Engineer of the Year in February 1995; he was given the Black Engineers Lifetime Achievement Award in February 1995; he also received the Visionary Award of the Year from Communications Week in January 1996 for his major contribution to the future of digital communications in a networked society; and he was the recipient of the prestigious Armed Forces Communications and Electronic Associations prestigious David Sarnoff Award in June 1996. He is a member of the National Capitol Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America and was awarded the Silver Beaver Award for Distinguished Service to Youth in June 1997. 

He is married to the former Gloria McClary and has three children, Michael, Sandra and Anthony. 

It is appropriate that I begin by thanking all of you for your efforts in support of our military people of all the services to include the coast guard, both active and retired, and particularly your support of our sick and disabled veterans and their families. It is extremely important to our military people and veterans that each of you representing the people of our great nation support us not only during the wars but after the war is over and our service in uniform in defense of America is completed. 

The track record of our government to include Congress, DoD, and the Executive Branch leaves a lot to be desired. The issue of health care for our retirees and their families, and for our veterans is shameful as we “waffle” and fail to live up to the promises to provide healthcare. I often hear of the lack of timely medical service to our veterans due to the lack of staffing and support services at our veterans hospitals. I clearly understand that veterans health service is not the subject of this hearing and the legislation being proposed, but it is very important for me to never miss an opportunity to increase the awareness of people like you who really care and can carry a baton to meet the promises of medical care to our veterans. 

As a commander on active duty only the death of one of my troops hurt more than having one of them be discharged because of permanent injury and be transitioned from a army hospital to a veterans’ hospital where it appeared that they became only a person with a name and social security number and no one really cared about them any longer.  

Understaffing of our veterans hospitals is not a recent problem, it just continues to grow. We can do better. We can make a difference. 

It is never too late to right the wrongs. It is never too late to improve on the economic and educational opportunities that are made available to our veterans. Most will not need to exploit the benefits that are included in H.R. 1460 the Veterans Entrepreneurship Act of 2003, H.R 1712 the Veterans Federal Procurement Opportunity Act of 2003   and H.R.1716, the Veterans Earn and Learn Act. However, these three bills will be beneficial to qualified disabled veterans. They will open doors that would not otherwise be opened. 

Let there be absolutely no doubt as to why this old soldier is here this morning. I am here to plead for your support of H.R. 1460, H.R. 1712 and H.R. 1716. I also want to again thank all of you for serving on the Committee on Veteran’s Affairs, and the Subcommittee on Benefits. I am here to beg you to continue to do everything you can to improve the lives of our veterans so that our young men and women will continue to go wherever the politicians decide that they must go to fight for and defend the freedoms of our great country and know that we will care for them and their families. 

The cost of these bills is insignificant and the economic impact that qualified disabled veterans can have on our economy in terms of jobs in their communities and indeed in all of America can be very significant. Our disabled veterans need all of the help they can get, and we need to demonstrate that their service, and their efforts are appreciated. We should demonstrate to our military people that we will not walk away and leave them on the corners begging as their only way of surviving once they are discharged from the veterans hospitals. 

Today there are many disabled veterans in the homeless shelters all over our great country. I often wonder if we have done all that we could to help them rehabilitate themselves and become proud and contributing members of our society.  

I believe that the proposed legislation which is the subject of this hearing will increase the possibilities that we will enable some disabled veterans to help themselves and help their communities.  

So again, I plead for and beg for your total support of this legislation and all of our veterans. 

Thanks for giving me the time to say a few words this morning 

May God continue to bless you, our veteran’s and our great country.