Floor SpeechCeremonial2026-04-16

RECOGNIZING COMMANDANT JAMES EMORY MACE

TaxesDefenseTechnologyVeteransInfrastructure

Context

On 2026-04-16, Representative Joe Wilson (R-SC-2) delivered a floor speech titled "RECOGNIZING COMMANDANT JAMES EMORY MACE" in the House. The speech addressed taxes and also covered defense, technology.

Full Text

RECOGNIZING COMMANDANT JAMES EMORY MACE

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 67 (Thursday, April 16, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 67 (Thursday, April 16, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E337] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] RECOGNIZING COMMANDANT JAMES EMORY MACE ______ HON. JOE WILSON of south carolina in the house of representatives Thursday, April 16, 2026 Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, Carolinians are grateful to express appreciation for the life of Commandant James Emory Mace, Sr., of Hampton County. He not only served our Nation as a decorated Army Officer but was the beloved father of Congresswoman Nancy Mace. I include in the Record the following obituary provided by The Citadel Alumni Association: J. Emory Mace, Sr., '63 James Emory Mace, Sr., of Mount Pleasant, the decorated Army officer who led The Citadel through a dramatic transition from an all-male institution to a co-ed military college, has died. He was 85. Mace, a Vietnam War veteran, was among the most decorated graduates in The Citadel's history. He served as the school's commandant from 1997 to 2005--a period marked by cultural upheaval, internal reforms and national scrutiny. Mace took over the role in February 1997, months after the first woman, Shannon Faulkner, enrolled at the formerly all- male military college following a protracted legal battle that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. While Faulkner's stay was brief, his daughter, now-U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, would eventually succeed in becoming the school's first female graduate. She confirmed his death on the night of April 14. A cause was not immediately announced. ``Rest in peace, Dad. I love you and I'll see you again,'' she wrote on social media the following morning. As commandant, Mace moved quickly to reshape cadet life. Known for his blunt, disciplined leadership style, he implemented sweeping reforms: prohibiting harassment during meals and study periods, eliminating sophomore rank authority over freshmen, banning physical contact with first-year cadets, limiting ``knob knowledge'' requirements and shortening the military orientation period. In 1997, cadets lived by a new Citadel creed written by Mace. It read, in part: ``I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor and high esprit de corps of The Citadel and the South Carolina Corps of Cadets . . . Under no circumstances will I ever embarrass The Citadel and the South Carolina Corps of Cadets.'' The changes marked a significant shift in the school's culture as it worked to integrate women into a traditionally rigid system, including his daughter. He would hold the role as third-in-command at the school for eight years. When he told the school's board of visitors he was stepping down, he said he had accomplished what he came to do--help men and women cadets coexist at the college. ``I feel I made a small difference in the life of The Citadel,'' Mace said in 2005 when announcing his retirement. That year, when state lawmakers recognized Mace for his contributions at the state's military college, the resolution noted that under his leadership some 95 women had graduated from the Corps of Cadets. The year Mace retired as commandant, the 1,900-member body included about 120 women. Born in Hampton County, Mace attended The Citadel and earned the nickname ``Bulldog.'' He graduated in 1963. He became something of a living legend. In her memoir, Nancy Mace wrote that her father built a near-mythic reputation at The Citadel for his extreme backwoods antics, including poaching alligators to pay for school and using them to intimidate freshmen. In one story, he allegedly threw a live alligator into a cadet's room to make a point about discipline, while in another, he chained a gator to the parade field overnight, leaving officers scrambling to remove it the next morning. The stories, she wrote, cemented his image as both feared and legendary among cadets. The persona he cultivated as a cadet was later reinforced by his record in combat. ____________________

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RECOGNIZING COMMANDANT JAMES EMORY MACE Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 67 (Thursday, April 16, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 67 (Thursday, April 16, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E337] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] RECOGNIZING COMMANDANT JAMES EMORY MACE ______ HON. JOE WILSON of south carolina in the house of representatives Thursday, April 16, 2026 Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, Carolinians are grateful to express appreciation for the life of Commandant James Emory Mace, Sr., of Hampton County. He not only served our Nation as a decorated Army Officer but was the beloved father of Congresswoman Nancy Mace. I include in the Record the following obituary provided by The Citadel Alumni Association: J. Emory Mace, Sr., '63 James Emory Mace, Sr., of Mount Pleasant, the decorated Army officer who led The Citadel through a dramatic transition from an all-male institution to a co-ed military college, has died. He was 85. Mace, a Vietnam War veteran, was among the most decorated graduates in The Citadel's history. He served as the school's commandant from 1997 to 2005--a period marked by cultural upheaval, internal reforms and national scrutiny. Mace took over the role in February 1997, months after the first woman, Shannon Faulkner, enrolled at the formerly all- male military college following a protracted legal battle that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. While Faulkner's stay was brief, his daughter, now-U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, would eventually succeed in becoming the school's first female graduate. She confirmed his death on the night of April 14. A cause was not immediately announced. ``Rest in peace, Dad. I love you and I'll see you again,'' she wrote on social media the following morning. As commandant, Mace moved quickly to reshape cadet life. Known for his blunt, disciplined leadership style, he implemented sweeping reforms: prohibiting harassment during meals and study periods, eliminating sophomore rank authority over freshmen, banning physical contact with first-year cadets, limiting ``knob knowledge'' requirements and shortening the military orientation period. In 1997, cadets lived by a new Citadel creed written by Mace. It read, in part: ``I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor and high esprit de corps of The Citadel and the South Carolina Corps of Cadets . . . Under no circumstances will I ever embarrass The Citadel and the South Carolina Corps of Cadets.'' The changes marked a significant shift in the school's culture as it worked to integrate women into a traditionally rigid system, including his daughter. He would hold the role as third-in-command at the school for eight years. When he told the school's board of visitors he was stepping down, he said he had accomplished what he came to do--help men and women cadets coexist at the college. ``I feel I made a small difference in the life of The Citadel,'' Mace said in 2005 when announcing his retirement. That year, when state lawmakers recognized Mace for his contributions at the state's military college, the resolution noted that under his leadership some 95 women had graduated from the Corps of Cadets. The year Mace retired as commandant, the 1,900-member body included about 120 women. Born in Hampton County, Mace attended The Citadel and earned the nickname ``Bulldog.'' He graduated in 1963. He became something of a living legend. In her memoir, Nancy Mace wrote that her father built a near-mythic reputation at The Citadel for his extreme backwoods antics, including poaching alligators to pay for school and using them to intimidate freshmen. In one story, he allegedly threw a live alligator into a cadet's room to make a point about discipline, while in another, he chained a gator to the parade field overnight, leaving officers scrambling to remove it the next morning. The stories, she wrote, cemented his image as both feared and legendary among cadets. The persona he cultivated as a cadet was later reinforced by his record in combat. ____________________