Senator Hails Joint Chiefs Chairman's Midwestern Roots.

• Author: Book, Elizabeth G.

Freshman Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, made comments welcoming fellow Midwesterner Gen. Richard B. Myers as the 15th chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Because Myers hails from Kansas, some hope he will work to avert base closures in Kansas and Nebraska. In a statement, Nelson complimented Myers' military record while also ribbing him on his home state, invoking some famous Kansas-Nebraska state rivalry.

Gen. Myers, according to Nelson, has an "exemplary record of service and credentials [which] give him a unique insight into how the military works and what challenges it will face in the future.

"Gen. Myers is the first Air Force general to serve...