[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 41 (Monday, March 6, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3493-S3494]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


           DR. MIKE CAUDLE FINDS FOREIGN SOIL, COMMON GROUND

  Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, all of us think and talk a lot about 
priorities these days, and that it is good. And ever so often we read 
or hear about a special person with special priorities and principles. 
When we do, a sense of admiration wells up within us--and, in my own 
case, a sense of regret that I haven't done more than I have in terms 
of what my father used to call the Lord's work.
  I have reached the age, Mr. President, when far younger men and women 
than I are doing wonderful and remarkable things. Many of them I have 
met; some are like members of the family. One in particular came to 
mind the other night when I was reading the 1994 annual report of the 
Knoxville Medical Center, of the University of Tennessee.
  But I am moving ahead of my story. Many years ago I met a young man 
named Bob Caudle whom I found impressive. I was then one of the senior 
officers of Capitol Broadcasting Co. in Raleigh which owned and 
operated a television station, a radio station, two statewide radio 
networks and an assortment of other related enterprises.
  I persuaded Bob Caudle to join Capitol Broadcasting's team. He served 
well until he retired and then agreed to become a part of the Helms 
Senate family. We don't have a staff, Mr. President--not in Washington 
nor in Raleigh nor in Hickory. We're a family that is praised by even 
my strongest critics for the splendid constituent service they render--
not only to North Carolinians but to citizens all over the country who 
contact us seeking assistance.
  Bob and Jackie Caudle had two little boys when Bob began work at the 
television station. Later a precious little baby girl, Lisa, rounded 
out the Caudle family.
  Lisa Caudle is today a beautiful young woman with one of the most 
beautiful voices I've ever heard. Both of the Caudle boys long ago 
became men, both became highly respected physicians. Dr. Bob Caudle, 
Jr., is in practice in Raleigh. Dr. Michael Caudle, hereinafter 
referred to as Mike, is now chairman of the University of Tennessee's 
Medical Center's department of obstetrics and gynecology.
  I mentioned the 1994 annual report of the University of Tennessee's 
Medical Center of Knoxville. The entire issue is devoted to the subject 
of compassion. The foreword discloses to all of us the definition of 
compassion. Note these eloquent words, Mr. President:

       Deep inside ourselves, there is a place where compassion 
     knows no limits; where love and concern for our fellow human 
     beings become omnipotent. But for many, limited courage and 
     determination leave this wellspring untapped. For others, 
     this wellspring is where they find their life's purpose.
       Such is the case for the physicians, staff and volunteers 
     features in these pages. The Medical Center was their 
     starting point, but their compassion has led them beyond the 
     institution's walls. They have gone where others are weak, 
     vulnerable, lonely and broken. Their journeys have changed 
     them forever.

  Mr. President, there follows immediately in that annual report a 
full-page color picture of Dr. Mike Caudle, striding along a walkway at 
the medical center, stethoscope in the right pocket of his white 
physician's jacket. And then, on the next page, begins an in-depth 
tribute to that distinguished physician who, it seems, was a polite 
little boy visiting his dad at the Raleigh television station--surely 
it could be no longer than a few weeks ago.
  No, Mr. President, it was awhile ago, and I want Senators, and others 
who peruse the Congressional Record, to have this tribute, headed 
``Foreign Soil, Common Ground'' available for reading.
  Therefore, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
aforementioned article be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the article was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

       In August of 1961, 10-year-old Michael Caudle sat 
     mesmerized by the family television set on which he saw the 
     raising of the Berlin Wall. He wondered what life would be 
     like for those people who were literally being sealed off 
     from the rest of the world. He later learned that ``the 
     wall'' was only part of something called the Iron Curtain, a 
     symbol of Soviet domination throughout Eastern Europe. 
     Thirty-two years later in 1993, Caudle's childhood wonderings 
     were realized when he visited Romania on a medical mission 
     trip. Now a physician serving as chairman of University 
     Medical Center's Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dr. 
     Caudle was persuaded to make the journey after listening to a 
     speech given at his church by a Romanian Parliament member. 
     Touched by this description of the many needs in Romania, he 
     decided to serve as a link to the country, spending a week 
     teaching at the medical school in Timisoara and performing 
     obstetrical and gynecological procedures at rural clinics.
       Although Dr. Caudle had always wanted to visit Eastern 
     Europe, he found his first few minutes there a bit 
     unsettling. ``When I got off the airplane, they bodily 
     searched me. They have these military people with AK-47s and 
     they X-ray your luggage,'' he explained. ``They asked what I 
     was doing there, and I told them I was working for the 
     Romanian doctors who were waiting for me outside. They looked 
     outside and slammed my luggage down and left. When I asked my 
     Romanian colleagues why the guards suddenly left me alone, 
     they said, `Every gun in that airport needs an OB/GYN doctor 
     for his wife. They aren't going to mess with you,'''.
       As Dr. Caudle began his work, he soon discovered that many 
     women were desperate for sterilization, a procedure that was 
     previously illegal in Romania. ``I told the doctors `I don't 
     think it's a good idea for women to be pregnant all the time. 
     What you should be doing is a sterilization procedure called 
     tubal ligation,''' Dr. Caudle recalled. ``I explained it to 
     some patients with the help of one of their doctors, and 
     several volunteered to have it done. The word spread quickly 
     once the women realized what this could mean for them. This 
     was a big step toward getting at least a few people out of a 
     cycle that has kept women constantly pregnant, anemic and 
     sick.''
       This cycle was only part of a ``reign of terror'' begun 
     under Romania's ruthless dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu, who 
     ruled Romania from 1965 until 1989. Wanting to limit 
     individuality and thoughts of freedom, Ceausescu banned 
     education of the humanities and sciences. His rules grew even 
     more despotic when he banned contraceptives and demanded that 
     women bear at least five children.
       Ceausescu's restrictions and demands bankrupted the country 
     and alienated its people. Romania's discontent led to a 
     revolution in December 1989 when a revolt occurred in the 
     city of Timisoara over the deportation of an ethnic Hungarian 
     pastor. The uprising resulted in the deaths of hundreds when 
     Ceausescu ordered his army to fire on the crowd. Protests 
     began in many cities the day after the massacre, and on 
     December 22, the dictator was forced to leave the country. He 
     was soon captured, however, and executed after a brief trial.
       In the aftermath of the revolution, Romania is still in a 
     state of social and economic despair. Every aspect of life is 
     reduced to a minimal level, particularly health care. In this 
     setting, Dr. Caudle found himself playing the multiple roles 
     of physician, technician, engineer and teacher.
       ``You can see the value of people like me spending time 
     there and providing technical instruction. They are finally 
     getting some equipment, but it has just been collecting dust 
     because they don't know how to use it. The key is education. 
     I could go over there and see patients for the rest of my 
     life, but teaching through the university multiplies the 
     effort,'' Dr. Caudle said.
       With the aid of a translator, Dr. Caudle gave several 
     lectures to the medical students. ``They are very bright. It 
     is quite difficult to get into medical school there,'' he 
     explained. ``They came to class with lists of questions they 
     had spent hours preparing. `How do you do this in America?' 
     or `How do you do that?' They were very well read, but they 
     have old textbooks.''
       This teaching experience, however, was a two-way street, 
     particularly in the rural settings. Dr. Caudle had to learn 
     to function without the technology he has grown used to in 
     the States. He also learned that maturity and a proven track 
     record are advantageous for medical missions like this one.
       ``They challenge your authority on everything because they 
     are so well read. They have their own reasons for doing 
     things, and they argue with you,'' Dr. Caudle remembered. 
     ``What I have learned is that there are some things we do in 
     the States that I'm not sure are right anymore. We do them as 
     a habit and they do it differently. Now I can't decide which 
     way is right.''
       The questions went beyond obstetrical and gynecological 
     issues as Dr. Caudle's first visit came to a close. He 
     realized that the time spent in Romania had influenced him in 
     a profound way. ``Dr. Dragulescu, the rector of the medical 
     school in Timisoara, was thanking me for making sacrifices to 
     come to his country and I said, `Your people died in the 
     streets, your children died. What is it for me to come here 
     for a week compared to what you've been through?' I went over 
     there to help, but what happened was that I found out what 
     was really important to me. It reorients your priorities and 
     how you spend your time,'' he explained.
       Although he could justifiably feel overwhelmed at the 
     enormity of the problems which exist there, Dr. Caudle feels 
     that he and others can make a difference. ``Romania 
     [[Page S3494]] is like much of the rest of the world. Life 
     there is filled with chronic misery. It's the slow drip of 
     the economy that drags Romanians down, and that's why 
     Americans need to go over there to help,'' he urged. ``Beyond 
     what Americans can accomplish, it's such a privilege to meet 
     so many of these people who are to Romanians what our 
     revolutionary patriots are to us.''
       This emotional experience was translated into action as Dr. 
     Caudle returned home and began a search to legitimize these 
     types of visits. That search led him to discover an 
     organization on The University of Tennessee's Knoxville 
     campus called the Alliance of Universities for Democracy. 
     Founded in 1990, the group is an alliance of American 
     universities and more than 100 Eastern European members. The 
     Alliance promotes democracy and encourages Eastern European 
     Universities to develop closer relationships with their 
     communities.
       Beyond legitimizing medical missions, the Alliance also 
     serves as a way for equipment to be shared. ``There are 
     companies in the States that dispose of medical equipment in 
     landfills. Some of that equipment is 20 years ahead of what 
     they have in Romania. These companies are willing to send it 
     over there, and the Alliance gives these kinds of efforts a 
     name--a way to do this sort of thing,'' Dr. Caudle explained.
       Dr. Caudle completed his second mission trip in June 1994. 
     He also arranged this past October for Rector Dragulescu's 
     first visit to the United States. Dragulescu, a cardiologist, 
     spent time comparing medical technologies with University 
     Medical Center's faculty, as well as formulating an overall 
     picture of health care in this country.
       Although the rector's visit lasted only two weeks, one of 
     the graduates of a Romanian medical school will be doing a 
     five-year OB/GYN residency at University Medical Center. 
     Totally unrelated to Dr. Caudle's visit, medical student 
     Cristian Andronic applied for the residency program here. 
     Because Dr. Caudle was impressed by and familiar with the 
     medical schools in Romania, he granted Andronic an interview.
       ``I told him that if he wanted to find a way to get here, 
     we would take a look at him. I'll be darned if he didn't 
     scrape up the money to come, which was close to a year's 
     salary for someone over there. He flew to Chicago and caught 
     a bus to Knoxville,'' Dr. Caudle said. ``He'll be here for 
     several years. My hope is that he will then return to Romania 
     to practice and teach.''
       These types of exchanges, both short and long term, provide 
     a more realistic view of the United States than the 
     idealistic ones held by many Romanians. ``They love 
     Americans, particularly in western Romania. You see little 
     American flags in the backs of their cars. It's an ideal we 
     can't possibly live up to, but it's also a great opportunity 
     for us,'' Dr. Caudle commented.
       ``It's a huge obligation to be an American in Romania,'' he 
     added. ``They have read all about George Washington and the 
     founding of our country on principles of freedom and `one 
     nation under God' and they take it all very seriously.''
       It seems to have all come full circle. He was a post-war 
     boy interested in and bothered by events more than half a 
     world away. He grew up and pursued a career seemingly 
     unrelated to these interests. But his career is precisely 
     what led him to discover this other world. The ideals upon 
     which his country was founded are now held sacred by these 
     faraway people who are no longer strangers.
       ``My relationship with my friends in Romania has brought 
     all these things about the Iron Curtain, my faith and the 
     reality of these people into one form. You know, they are 
     more like us than they are different. They have the same 
     basic hopes, needs and desires,'' Dr. Caudle concluded.
       ``Their courage is tremendous and they have taught me a 
     lot. I feel like I'm helping to fight for their freedom 
     because they still don't have it yet--not in the sense of a 
     workable economy, which is necessary to stay free. It would 
     be easy to slowly drift right back into some kind of 
     communistic or totalitarian regime. They have to continue to 
     fight for freedom--it's an elusive thing.''
     

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