[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 54 (Tuesday, May 5, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4367-S4368]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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         SENATOR ROBERT C. BYRD RECEIVES 1998 LEADERSHIP AWARD

 Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, the Congressional Awards Foundation 
recently held their third annual benefit. At that event, several award 
winners spoke of their dedication to this program that promotes 
volunteerism, personal development, physical fitness, and active 
community involvement by our nation's young people.
  At the benefit, one of our colleagues, Senator Byrd of West Virginia, 
was honored. A lifetime of public service and his own commitment to God 
and Country was noted by the Congressional Awards Foundation with the 
presentation of their 1998 Leadership Award.
  The Congressional Awards are near and dear to many a Wyomingite's 
heart because our state was the first to present these awards and 
recognize the importance of our young people's contribution to the 
effort to make our communities better places to live. The program has 
since become a great success and recognized the efforts of many special 
people along the way--like Senator Byrd.
  When he was presented with his Leadership Award, Senator Byrd had 
some important things to say about his youth, his childhood, and about 
those things that helped to mold him, shape him and make him what he is 
today. There is a great deal of food for thought there, which is why I 
wanted to share those remarks with my colleagues.
  I was particularly interested in his comments about heroes and about 
the role models we looked up to when we were youngsters. Unfortunately, 
as Senator Byrd notes in his speech, the kind of people we drew our 
inspiration from back then seem to be few and far between nowadays.
  Still, there is reason for hope. There are still those people, like 
Senator Byrd, who exemplify the qualities of leadership, strong 
personal character, and a sense of values and principles, that inspires 
others to greatness. These are the kinds of examples we need to provide 
our children.
  As Senator Byrd points out so well in his speech, ``Each of us has a 
chance through our personal example to inspire some youngster to 
greatness. And that is a gift far too precious to squander.''
  It is clear from Senator Byrd's many years of public service, and 
especially from his service in the Senate, that he has not squandered 
that precious gift. There is no doubt that he has inspired many to 
greatness by his example.
  Mr. President, I ask that Senator Byrd's remarks be printed in the 
Record.
  The remarks follow:

          Statement of Senator Robert C. Byrd, April 29, 1998

       I am honored to be here tonight before this very 
     distinguished audience, and delighted to have been selected 
     to be the recipient of the 1998 Leadership Award.
       When I was a boy growing up in southern West Virginia, I 
     loved to read history. I think one of the reasons why I loved 
     it so much was that it provided me with heroes. I thought 
     maybe, if I worked hard enough, I could be as brave as Nathan 
     Hale, or as wise and honorable as George Washington. I had 
     other heroes as well. I wanted to play baseball like the 
     Sultan of Swat, Babe Ruth. I dreamed about piloting a plane 
     like Charles Lindbergh.
       People in my own small community inspired me too. The old-
     time fiddle player, who, incidentally, happened to be the 
     father of a pretty blonde girl that I later married, 
     encouraged me to learn more tunes and practice hard. My 
     English teacher instilled in me a desire to learn to write 
     and to speak as well as she. For me, heroes fueled a desire 
     to work on my own personal development--to take whatever 
     talents God gave me and make them better. The fact that there 
     was another person--a great general, a president, an aviator, 
     a good fiddle player, who had achieved something 
     extraordinary--something I wanted to achieve--gave me the 
     confidence to ``go for it'', and the inspiration to work to 
     polish my own skills.
       Sometimes I look around at our country today and I feel 
     sorry for our young people. Where have all the heroes gone? 
     The idols of today's youngsters seem to be rock stars or rap 
     stars who sing lyrics and push messages that are the very 
     antitheses of everything that used to typify our values in 
     this country. Athletes have always been heroes to young 
     people. But the athletes in my day did not strangle their 
     coaches or spit in the face of the umpire. They tried to 
     exhibit the best sort of sportsmanship because they knew that 
     they were heroes to thousands of young fans.
       Well, what about public service, then? Are we here in 
     Washington providing our young people with heroes or even 
     role models to inspire them? I think many of us try to do

[[Page S4368]]

     that, at least on a small scale, perhaps within our own 
     states. But in general, on a larger scale, I think we miss 
     the mark. In my view, politics today is often too harshly 
     partisan. Of course, politics has always been, and always 
     will be, partisan. That is nothing new. But, I am talking 
     about the kind of partisan warfare that dominates, and 
     subjugates everything, including the public good, to the goal 
     of political victory for one side or another. It sends a bad 
     message. I wish for less of it.
       Public service is an honorable calling, demanding hard 
     work, sacrifice, and dedication from those who shoulder the 
     responsibility. And it is good for us to keep in mind that to 
     those young people whom we hope to involve in public service 
     through programs like the Congressional Award, we are among 
     the heroes they look to for inspiration.
       Programs like this one can be enormously successful in 
     encouraging community involvement and a caring attitude about 
     the problems of others in our young people. But, the living 
     examples we set, all of us right here in this room, through 
     our public statements, our demeanor, the way we live our 
     lives, and the respect that we show for each others' views 
     also make a tremendous impact. Each of us has a chance 
     through our personal example to inspire some youngster to 
     greatness. And that is a gift far too precious to 
     squander.

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