[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 41 (Tuesday, March 16, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2696-S2705]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




COMMENDATION OF THE HONORABLE J. ROBERT KERREY ON THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY 
                  OF HIS RECEIVING THE MEDAL OF HONOR

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 61) commending the Honorable J. 
     Robert Kerrey, United States Senator from Nebraska, on the 
     30th anniversary of the events giving rise to his receiving 
     the Medal of Honor.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nevada.

[[Page S2697]]

  Mr. REID. It is my understanding there is 1 hour reserved.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator is correct. There is 1 hour 
equally divided under the control of the Senator from Nebraska and the 
Senator from North Carolina.
  Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. President, the order we intend to follow to speak on 
this resolution will be myself first, followed by the Senator from 
Nebraska, Mr. Hagel, Senator Moynihan will speak next, followed by 
Senator Reid from Nevada.
  Mr. President, this resolution is supported by all Senators, other 
than Senator Kerrey.
  I will talk for just a moment about how I got to know Senator Kerrey 
and what I have learned about him. Senator Kerrey and I first met about 
2 years ago when I was looking for a new job, the job that I presently 
have as U.S. Senator from North Carolina. At the time, Senator Kerrey 
was the head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. I came 
here to Washington to meet with Senator Kerrey and was grilled by him 
on why I was seeking this office, what my motivations were, and why I 
thought I should be able to represent the people of North Carolina in 
this esteemed body.
  Over the course of brief time through campaigning and spending lots 
of time together, we have gotten to know each other very well. He is 
the definition of a leader, in my mind. Here is a man who is 
independent, clear thinking, always willing to speak his mind 
regardless of the politics, willing to speak against his own political 
party if he believes that his position is right and just, who cares a 
great deal and empathizes for the plight of others.
  He has done an extraordinary job during the time I have seen him work 
here in the Senate during the brief time that I have been here. He is 
the kind of Senator who many of us young Senators would like to 
emulate.
  I want to talk for just a minute about the events that give rise to 
this resolution. Thirty years ago this past Sunday, Senator Kerrey, 
when he was a Navy SEAL, commanded a unit of Navy SEALs that were 
involved in an attack on the Vietcong. His unit scaled a 350-foot shear 
cliff in order to position themselves for the attack.
  During the course of the attack on the Vietcong, a grenade exploded 
at the feet of Senator Kerrey. He was severely injured by the grenade, 
but in spite of these severe injuries, which eventually led to the loss 
of a part of his leg, he continued to direct the attack in a clear-
thinking way that eventually led to victory by this Navy SEAL team.
  The work he did on that day was extraordinarily courageous and showed 
the leadership that we have come to know over the last 30 years since 
that event occurred. He went from that event to winning the Medal of 
Honor for the events that occurred on that day, and from that place to 
a veterans hospital in Philadelphia for a long, long period of 
recuperation.
  I will first read the last sentence of that citation that he received 
at the time he received his Medal of Honor, which I think encapsulates 
what Senator Kerrey did 30 years ago this past Sunday.
       Kerrey's courageous and inspiring leadership, valued 
     fighting spirit, and tenacious devotion to duty in the face 
     of almost overwhelming opposition sustain and enhance the 
     finest traditions of the United States Naval service.

  The courage and leadership that Senator Kerrey showed on that day, as 
I mentioned earlier, led to his receipt of the Medal of Honor. From 
there, he went to a veterans hospital in Philadelphia for a long, long 
period of recuperation and, as he has told many of his friends and 
colleagues, it was a very difficult time for him. He went from there to 
becoming a successful businessman, and he eventually became Governor of 
Nebraska. That led to the time he has spent here in the U.S. Senate.
  As I mentioned, Senator Kerrey is a man who most of us look up to; he 
is clear thinking and independent minded. The thing that always 
inspires me about him is his willingness to speak up even when speaking 
up is not always in his best political interest or in the best 
political interest of his party. He, as I mentioned, is the definition 
of a leader.
  I want to mention one quote that I think is critically important in 
understanding the kind of leadership that Senator Kerrey has brought to 
this body during the time he has been here. It is a quote that he gave 
recently to a Nebraska newspaper:

       It's odd to say, but this all became a real gift in many 
     ways.

  Speaking now of the events that occurred 30 years ago this past 
Sunday and the injuries he received as a result:

       It's odd to say, but this all became a real gift in many 
     ways. The world got bigger to me. I didn't realize there was 
     so much pain in the world. Up until then, I presumed that if 
     I didn't feel it, then it wasn't happening. But it's going on 
     out there every day. In hospitals. In lots of homes.
       I learned that the most valuable, priceless thing you can 
     give anyone is kindness. At the right moment, it can be life-
     changing.

  That is a perfect description of Senator Bob Kerrey. It is the reason 
that he is the extraordinary man and the extraordinary leader and the 
extraordinary Senator that he has been in this body, and he is the 
reason that I support, with great enthusiasm, this resolution honoring 
him.
  At this time, I yield for the junior Senator from Nebraska.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nebraska, Mr. Hagel, is 
recognized.
  Mr. HAGEL. Mr. President, I thank my friend and colleague from North 
Carolina for helping organize this recognition of our friend and 
colleague, my senior Senator from the State of Nebraska, Bob Kerrey.
  In 1979, on the cover of a Newsweek magazine, with a glorious picture 
of Teddy Roosevelt riding to the charge, the headline blared out, 
``Where Have Our Heroes Gone?''
  Mr. President, that was in 1979, at a time when many Americans were 
questioning the very foundation and base of our Government and our 
society. They were reaching out for inspiration and courage and asking 
the Newsweek 1979 question, ``Where have our heroes gone?''
  There are heroes all around us. One in our midst is the man whom we 
recognize this morning, Bob Kerrey. Bob Kerrey is a hero for many 
reasons. Anyone who has been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, 
our Nation's highest award for valor and bravery, is a hero. But the 
mark of a hero is what happens after that recognition. What has Bob 
Kerrey done with his life since that time 30 years ago when he, in a 
selfless, valorous way, led his men and put his men, his duty, his 
country and his mission above himself? What has happened to this man 
since?
  Well, as he tells the story, in a rather self-effacing way--that is 
how we Nebraskans are, humble, self-effacing--the only flaw I can find 
in Kerrey is that he was not Army. But other than that defect, he has 
conducted himself rather well.
  The mark of a hero is what one has taken in life--the good, the bad, 
and all that is in between, and how they have applied that to make the 
world better, and what they have done to improve the lives of others. 
That begins with some belief--belief in oneself, belief in one's 
country, belief in others, belief that in fact God has given us all 
strengths, resources and weaknesses. As Bob Kerrey has often said, 
there were so many who surrounded him after those days in Vietnam--in 
the hospital, in rehabilitation--who helped him put his life back 
together. That is what inspired him. He rose inspired as well. He rose 
and reinspired, and reinspired, and reinspired. They lead and they 
never stop and they never stop. That is the story, to me, that is most 
magnificent about Bob Kerrey.

  It is appropriate that we recognize one of our own on the floor of 
the Senate today. I am particularly proud because I come from the State 
where Bob Kerrey was grounded with foundations, with values, with 
standards, with expectations; and so I know how he has inspired our 
State. Our colleagues know how he has inspired this body and the people 
around him, and they know of the lives of the people that he has 
touched.
  For all of those reasons, and more, Mr. President, I am proud to take 
a moment to share in recognizing the goodness and, yes, the heroism of 
our friend and our colleague, Bob Kerrey. To you, good friend, I salute 
you.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New York is recognized.

[[Page S2698]]

  Mr. MOYNIHAN. Mr. President, I am honored, sir, to follow the 
distinguished Senator from Nebraska and his remarks. And might I begin 
with a phrase from the old Navy--by which I mean the old, old Navy--
when a fellow was mustering out, he would say, ``I'm going to put that 
oar on my shoulder.'' And the reference was that you were going to put 
that oar on your shoulder and march inland until you reached a town 
where someone said, ``Hey, fella, what's that thing you've got on your 
shoulder?'' And then you could settle down in comfort after years at 
sea. Nebraska would surely qualify for such a site. This extraordinary 
man, who left Nebraska, joined the Navy, brought such honor and 
distinction to himself, and now to the Senate is remarkable indeed.
  You've heard of his work. Just a word about the man. Hemingway said 
that courage was grace under pressure. Bob Kerrey has shown that grace 
from that very moment 30 years ago on that bluff. Michael Barone in the 
Almanac of American Politics recounts that when asked about the medals 
he had won, Senator Kerrey answered, ``One Purple Heart, one Bronze 
Star--one whatever.'' Well, the ``whatever'' is, of course, the 
Congressional Medal of Honor. There have been--all told--five U.S. 
Senators to have won that medal. It was created during the Civil War. 
Four of the senators received the medal for service in the Civil War. 
And now, 134 years later, a fifth.

  Bob Kerrey does do such honor to this body, as he has done to his 
country, with grace under pressure. Perhaps nothing more distinguished 
him than the long and difficult time in the Philadelphia Naval Hospital 
witnessed by many, including the marine Lewis Puller, Jr.--son of the 
most decorated marine in history. He wrote of Senator Kerrey, ``His 
stoicism, though unnerving, was a source of amazement to all.'' It 
continues such. It continues with an evenness that can be eerie at the 
same moment it is inspiring. Robert Novak has recently written that 
what sets Senator Kerrey apart is how ``unashamedly he preaches love of 
and service to country.'' And so, sir, from another generation and in a 
far distant conflict, this lieutenant junior grade salutes him and 
would have the Senate know--those who don't--that when a Medal of Honor 
winner appears anywhere on ship, the answer is, ``Attention all 
hands.'' He is to be so saluted on all occasions and honored throughout 
his life, and for the extraordinary legacy he will one day leave.
  I salute you, sir.
  I thank the Chair.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Roberts). The distinguished Senator from 
Nevada is recognized.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I yield 1 minute to the junior Senator from 
Virginia.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Virginia is recognized for 1 
minute.
  Mr. ROBB. Thank you, Mr. President. I thank my friend from Nevada for 
yielding. I will be very brief.
  Mr. President, I happened to be serving in the Republic of Vietnam at 
the time that this particular act of heroism was made. I am more than a 
little familiar with the criteria for the particular award that was 
given. Almost any major award for gallantry is subject to some degree 
of subjectivity. This is the one that is clearly proven beyond any 
reasonable doubt to have been awarded meritoriously under any and all 
circumstances.
  I join all of my colleagues who are here, including those veterans 
who served in Vietnam with our distinguished Senator, and I thank my 
colleague for yielding. This is one that makes all of us proud.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, Groucho Marx used to say that he wouldn't 
belong to any club that would have him as a member. I get that feeling 
about the very small club consisting of those who have been awarded the 
Medal of Honor.

  Nobody asks to join, the price of admission is too high. Nobody 
applies, the rules don't permit applications.
  You get in this select club by doing something that no one would do, 
or should I say rarely does, and most of the time you pass the test by 
not surviving it.
  I dare say that if Bob Kerrey had been offered membership in this 
club as a volunteer, he would have declined. But membership isn't 
voluntary.
  Once you have performed those acts of outstanding courage, of valor, 
of heroism--above and beyond the call of duty--once you have come 
through the valley of the shadow of death and into the light--once you 
have, in the unique circumstances of military combat, saved lives and 
taken lives and in most instances, given your own life, to qualify for 
the medal--you are a marked man.
  Bob Kerrey bears that mark. That mark shows through his grace, and 
his intelligence and concentration and wit--aspects with which, I dare 
say, many in our body are handsomely endowed.
  That mark shines above his hard work, love of country, and respect 
for his fellow members--qualities which most here share in ample 
quantity.
  That mark transcends every other skill or point of character which 
makes us all unique human beings. The mark Bob Kerrey bears is his 
having given one of his limbs for our country.

  The mark Bob Kerrey wears is his unique courage, his honor, his 
valor. He shows it in his daily life, in his political decisions, and 
in his dealings with the world.
  Bob Kerrey, when dealing with entitlements, education, Iraq, and farm 
issues, has shown unparalleled courage. But, to me he is simply my 
friend.
  Thirty years ago, on an island in Southeast Asia, ten thousand miles 
from the Senate Chamber, Navy Lt. Bob Kerrey did something above and 
beyond the call of duty. If he did nothing else with the rest of his 
life, we would, as Americans, honor him for what he did on that island 
far away.
  I suspect, however, when the time comes--as for all of us it must--to 
summarize this man's contributions to his friends, his Nation, and the 
world--the Congressional Medal of Honor will be cited, not as an award 
which shaped the man, but rather as just one example in a life and 
litany of courage which has known no bounds and which serves as a 
Platonic example for the rest of us to pursue, but never to achieve.
  Thank you, Senator Bob Kerrey, for sharing with the people of 
Nebraska, this Nation, and each of us who serve with you--your 
exemplary life.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The distinguished Senator from Arizona is 
recognized.
  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, ``It was my duty.'' So did my friend and 
colleague Bob Kerrey recently respond to a question by CBS' Bob 
Schieffer, who had asked my friend why he did it--why he led his elite 
SEAL team up a 350-foot sheer cliff and then down into the waiting 
enemy's camp, suffering life-threatening injuries in the process but 
effectively commanding his team throughout their successful mission.
  For then-Lieutenant Kerrey, his duty was his honor, and his country's 
cause was his highest calling. That a young man from the plains of 
Nebraska showed ``conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of 
his life above and beyond the call of duty'' in Vietnam, as his Medal 
of Honor citation recalls, reminds us that exceptional heroism can 
spring from the humblest of roots.
  It was his duty, Bob says. Near the very beginning of the assault on 
the Viet Cong camp, a grenade exploded at his feet, injuring him 
terribly and threatening the success of the mission. In similar 
circumstances, many men, incapacitated and bleeding, might have given 
up. Not Bob. His sense of duty did not allow it.
  His sense of duty compelled him to fight on, despite the trauma of 
sustaining multiple injuries, including one that would take his leg, 
and despite the chaos of battle, which has undone other good men who 
have found themselves in less dire circumstances.
  Bob's courageous leadership won that battle on a Vietnamese island in 
Nha Trang Bay thirty years ago. ``I don't remember doing anything 
especially heroic,'' says the plain-spoken Nebraskan. Although I do not 
know the men Bob commanded on that fateful day, I do know that their 
testimonial to his selfless heroism ensured that history recorded my 
friend's sacrifice.
  That record, in the form of Bob's Medal of Honor citation, has surely 
inspired countless Americans in uniform

[[Page S2699]]

over the past thirty years. As my colleagues know, it is with reverence 
and awe that uniformed service members and veterans speak of America's 
Medal of Honor recipients. They are, indeed, the heroes' heroes.
  I myself am privileged to have served in the United States Navy, as 
did my father and grandfather before me. They would tell you, as I do 
today, how honored we all should be to know a man like Bob Kerrey, a 
man whose fighting spirit earned him the nation's highest award for 
exceptional military service above and beyond the call of duty.
  I am deeply honored to serve in the Senate with Bob. Ironically, he 
would be the first to tell you that he felt little calling for public 
service when he came home from Vietnam. For he came home not only with 
a broken body, but with an understandable resentment about the war, and 
toward those politicians in Washington who conducted it.
  Bob's faith in our Nation and the values she embodies was reaffirmed 
by his military service. ``It's a great country that will fight for 
other people's freedom,'' he says. But his faith in his Government was 
shaken, as was that of many Americans, after the divisive experience of 
Vietnam.
  What restored Bob's faith in his Government? By his reckoning, it was 
the Philadelphia Naval Hospital where he spent months in surgery and 
therapy. As Bob has said, the fact that our Government would build and 
fund a hospital for people like him--anonymous people who had never 
contributed to a politician's campaign--and provide the medical care 
they needed, simply because they were wounded Americans, was 
inspirational. So were the medical staff and volunteers who helped heal 
his wounds.
  Faith renewed, Bob went on to become Governor of Nebraska and a U.S. 
Senator. His independent leadership on some of the toughest issues we 
face today, including Social Security, education, and tax reform, 
demonstrates that this man, who gave so much for his country in 
military service, makes an important contribution to America's 
governance in peacetime.
  In the words of Bob's Medal of Honor citation:

       Lt. (j.g.) Kerrey's courageous and inspiring leadership, 
     valiant fighting spirit, and tenacious devotion to duty in 
     the face of almost overwhelming opposition sustain and 
     enhance the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.

  That leadership and sense of duty continues to motivate his public 
service today.
  Bob's contribution to America's governance may grow. Although he will 
sit out next year's Presidential race, he may be a contender in the 
future. In the meantime, I am honored and privileged to work with him 
in the Senate.
  Thank you for your valued service, Bob.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The distinguished Democratic leader is 
recognized.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I commend the distinguished Senator from 
Arizona for his eloquence, as well as the Senator from Nevada, whom I 
also heard. I thank the Senator from North Carolina for making the 
effort to allow us this opportunity on the floor this morning.
  Mr. President, last week, when Joe DiMaggio died, I heard many people 
say it is a shame how few heroes there are left among us. To anyone who 
believes that, I say: Meet my friend, Bob Kerrey. To me and to many 
others, he is a genuine American hero.
  As others have noted, on a moonless black night, 30 years ago this 
past Sunday, Lieutenant Kerrey, then a 25-year-old Navy SEAL commander, 
led his squad in a surprise attack on North Vietnamese Army guerillas 
on the island of Hon Tre.
  During the fierce firefight that broke out, an enemy grenade exploded 
on the ground beside him. The blast shattered his right leg below the 
knee, badly wounded his right hand, and pierced much of his body with 
shrapnel.
  Despite his massive injuries, Lieutenant Kerrey continued to direct 
his squad until the last man was safely evacuated. Days later, doctors 
were forced to amputate his injured leg just below the knee. Lieutenant 
Kerrey had been in Vietnam only 3 months.
  For his sacrifice, he was awarded the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, 
and the highest award our nation bestows for bravery, the Congressional 
Medal of Honor. But it is not only what others pinned over his heart 
that makes Bob Kerrey a hero. It is what is in his heart.
  Joseph Robert Kerrey returned from Vietnam angry and disillusioned. 
What he endured in Vietnam, and what he saw later at the Philadelphia 
Naval Hospital, where he spent nine months learning how to walk again, 
shook his faith--both in the war, and in the Government that had sent 
him there. It forced him to re-examine everything he had ever believed 
about his country. But slowly, out of his pain and anger and doubt, he 
began to acquire a new faith in this Nation.
  Years ago, when he was Governor of Nebraska, he described that faith 
to a reporter. He said, ``There are . . . people who like to say, `You 
know all these subsidy programs we've got? They make people lazy.' And 
I like to jump right in their face and say, that is an absolute lie.'' 
Government help ``didn't make me lazy. It made me grateful.''
  Another time, he put it more simply. While government ``almost killed 
me'' in a war, he said, government also ``saved my life.''
  It was the United States Government, he said, that fitted him with a 
prosthesis and taught him to walk again. It was the Government that 
paid for the countless operations he needed. Later, in 1973, it was the 
Government that helped him open his first restaurant with his brother-
in-law. Two years later, when that restaurant was destroyed in a 
tornado, it was the Government--the people of the United States--that 
loaned them the money to rebuild.
  As Governor and, for the last 11 years, as a Member of the Senate, 
Bob Kerrey has fought to make sure Government works for all Americans. 
He has fought to make health care more affordable and accessible.
  He has fought to give entrepreneurs the chance to turn their good 
ideas into profitable businesses. He has fought to make sure this 
nation keeps its promises to veterans.
  He has also fought tirelessly to preserve family farms and rural 
communities.
  For several years now, I've had the good fortune to serve with 
Senator Kerrey on the Agriculture Committee. I know how deeply 
committed he is to restoring the agricultural economy.
  In 1994, he played a key role in preserving the Federal crop 
insurance program, and today, with the Presiding Officer he is one of 
the leaders in the effort to strengthen it again, so we reduce our 
over-reliance on disaster programs and make the system fairer and more 
predictable for producers.
  Senator Kerrey is continually looking for new ways to create new 
opportunities for American farmers. He is a strong supporter of 
ethanol, and of increased agricultural research. He is committed to 
preserving the integrity of the U.S. food supply, so that we continue 
to have the safest, most abundant, most economical food supply in the 
world.
  Like Senator Kerrey, I come from a state that is made up mostly of 
small towns and rural communities, so I am personally grateful to him 
for his efforts to help agricultural producers. I am also grateful for 
his insistence that rural America be treated fairly on a whole array of 
critical issues, from expanding the information superhighway, to 
improving our health care system, and strengthening the schools 
America's children attend, especially in rural areas.
  But Senator Kerrey's greatest contribution to this Senate, and to 
this Nation, may be that he is not afraid to challenge conventional 
wisdom. In 1994, almost single-handedly, he created and chaired the 
Bipartisan Commission on Entitlement and Tax Reform. Conventional 
wisdom said, don't get involved with entitlements. You can't make 
anyone happy; you can only make enemies.
  But Bob Kerrey's personal experience told him that preserving Social 
Security and Medicare was worth taking a risks--risking some political 
capital. He has repeatedly opposed efforts to amend our Constitution to 
make flag-burning a crime. It is politically risky, even for a wounded 
war hero, to take such a position. But Senator Kerrey has taken that 
risk, time and time again, because--in his words:

       America is a beacon of hope for the people of this world 
     who yearn for freedom from the

[[Page S2700]]

     despotism of ``repressive government.'' This hope is diluted 
     when we advise others that we are frightened by flag burning.

  He is, at heart, a genuine patriot.
  He was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, one of 7 children. His father was a 
builder, his mother was a housewife. As a child, he suffered from such 
severe asthma that one of his teachers later said, when he breathed, he 
sometimes sounded like a fireplace bellows. Despite his asthma, he was 
on his high school basketball, football, golf and swim teams. Is anyone 
surprised?

  After high school, he went to the University of Nebraska, where he 
finished his 5-year pharmacy program in 4 years. His asthma likely 
would have given him a legitimate way to avoid military service, but he 
wasn't looking for a way out.
  Shortly after he graduated, he enlisted in the Navy as an officer 
candidate. The Navy was then just starting its elite SEALs program, the 
Navy's version of the Green Berets. Of the 5,000 men who applied for 
underwater demolition training with the SEALs, only 197 were selected, 
and only about 60 made it through the brutal training. His plan was to 
do his duty with the SEALs and return to Nebraska to work as a 
pharmacist. He made the SEALs, with asthma. Is anyone surprised?
  But then that all changed on that black night 30 years ago. When he 
finally got the chance to practice pharmacy after he had been put back 
together at the naval hospital, he discovered he could no longer stand 
for as long as the job required. Changing courses, he and his brother-
in-law started a restaurant. Eventually they would own several 
restaurants and health clubs and employ more than 900 people. Is anyone 
surprised?
  In the beginning, they did everything themselves, from tending bar to 
flipping burgers to washing dishes. Is anyone surprised?
  He entered politics in 1982, beating an incumbent Republican Governor 
in a heavily Republican State. At the time, Nebraska was in the middle 
of a terrible budget and farm crisis. Over the next 4 years, he 
replaced the 3-percent deficit he inherited with a 7-percent surplus. 
Knowing Bob Kerrey, is anyone surprised?
  He never received lower than a 55-percent approval rating for the 
entire time he was Governor. In 1985, when he stunned Nebraskans by 
announcing that he would not seek a second term, he was at a 70-percent 
approval rating.
  After the Governor's office, he went briefly to Santa Barbara, CA, 
where he taught a college class on the Vietnam War with Walter Capps. 
In 1988, Nebraskans elected him to the U.S. Senate. In 1992, he ran for 
our party's Presidential nomination. He is a fierce defender of 
Nebraska's interests and a national leader as well.
  This Senate is enriched by the contributions of many heroes from 
different wars, Mr. President:
  Max Cleland, who lost an arm and both of his legs in Vietnam, holds a 
Silver Star. Chuck Hagel holds two Purple Hearts. Fritz Hollings holds 
a Bronze Star. Danny Inouye lost an arm in Italy in World War II. He 
was awarded a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star, and the Distinguished 
Service Cross. John Kerry holds the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, three 
Purple Hearts, the National Defense Service Medal, and two Presidential 
Unit Citations. John McCain spent 5\1/2\ years in hell as a POW. He 
holds a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, a Legion of Merit honor, a Purple 
Heart, and the Distinguished Flying Cross. Bill Roth holds a Bronze 
Star. Ted Stevens was awarded two Distinguished Flying Crosses and two 
Air Medals in World War II. Many other Senators served with distinction 
as well in times of peace as well as in times of war.
  One Senator among us holds the Congressional Medal of Honor. To him, 
this Nation is indebted for all that he did to achieve it.
  I am reminded of a story Senator Kerrey has told many times about a 
conversation he had with his mother 30 years ago. Doctors at the 
Philadelphia Naval Hospital had just amputated his leg. When he awoke 
from surgery, his mother was standing at his bedside. ``How much is 
left?'' he asked her.
  His mother said, ``There's a lot left.'' As Senator Kerrey says, 
``She wasn't talking about body parts. She was talking about here.'' 
She was talking about what is in his heart.
  For 30 years, Bob Kerrey has drawn on the courage and compassion of 
what is here--first to rebuild his own life, then to try to make a 
better life for people in Nebraska, and then for people all across this 
country. He is to me a genuine American hero, and he is my friend.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The distinguished Senator from Utah.
  Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I can't pass up the opportunity to 
embarrass Bob Kerrey. I know, as we all do, that he did not ask for 
this and that it is always uncomfortable to come to your own wake, but 
he deserves it. I want to participate in it and do what I can to not 
only add to his embarrassment a little, but to let him know how well 
regarded he is on both sides of the aisle and among those who may 
disagree with him on all of the great issues that the minority leader 
just listed.
  I served in the military at a time when the only shots I ever heard 
fired were in basic training. After I got out of basic training, I 
ended up in classroom and spent my time trying to teach surveying to a 
group of draftees who didn't understand what the word meant. The only 
reason I was doing that is because my particular military specialty, 
for which I was being trained, was being phased out in the way the 
military always does. They train you for an obsolete skill and then 
make you an instructor to teach that skill to other people who do not 
need it.

  I have absolutely no basis for identifying with the group, the very 
small group of people who have heard shots fired in anger, who have 
faced the difficulty and the challenge of combat. I can only read about 
it. I can only hear about it. I cannot identify with it in any personal 
way.
  So why am I taking the time to stand here and talk about the 
contribution of Bob Kerrey when everyone who has had those kinds of 
experiences has talked about it? I am standing because of an experience 
I had 2 years ago--3 years ago now--with the former majority leader, 
Bob Dole. I was on the campaign trail with Senator Dole, and we were 
out making the usual kinds of stops. I was told our next stop was in 
Battle Creek, MI. Battle Creek, MI, to me means breakfast cereal. I had 
no idea why Senator Dole wanted to go to Battle Creek, MI.
  We went into a building in Battle Creek, a Federal building. It was 
under renovation, but the lobby had not been renovated. I felt as if I 
had walked into a movie set. It was the 1940s all over again. This 
building, being renovated into a Federal office building, had been a 
Federal hospital. It was the hospital where Bob Dole spent, on and off, 
3 years of his life. They had found the place--that is, the floor--
where Bob Dole's bed had been when he was taken there in a condition 
where he could do nothing for himself. He couldn't brush his teeth 
himself. He certainly couldn't go to the bathroom for himself. He was 
just taken there and placed in a bed and left there, as they began to 
work on him.
  We walked around the floor. As I say, it was being renovated. 
Finally, Senator Dole identified the place on that floor where his bed 
had been. He stood there and said, ``Yep, that's the view out of the 
window; that's where the bathroom was, where I would be wheeled,'' so 
on, so forth. ``Okay, let's go.''
  It was the working press that said, ``Wait a minute, Senator. Don't 
leave. Tell us how you feel.''
  Probably for the first time in public, Bob Dole told us what it was 
like in a military hospital without any prospects, without any 
immediate hope, completely paralyzed by his condition. The thing that 
struck me the most and the thing that brings me to my feet today was 
his description of some of the other things that happened in that war.
  He said, catching me completely by surprise, ``Over there was where 
Phil Hart had his bed.''
  And he said, ``Over there''--or maybe it was down the hall--``was 
Danny Inouye.'' He said, ``Phil wasn't hurt as badly as the rest of us, 
so he could get out from time to time. The Hart family owned a hotel 
down the street, and he would go down to the hotel and get some decent 
food for us and smuggle it in so that we didn't have the hospital food 
all the time.''
  He said, ``Danny Inouye was the best bridge player in the whole 
hospital.''

[[Page S2701]]

Subsequent to that, I talked to Senator Inouye on the subway and said, 
``I understand you were the best bridge player in the hospital in 
Battle Creek.'' He said, ``Oh, no, I wasn't very good; it's just that 
Dole was terrible.''
  Then Bob Dole said, ``As I got a little better, they began to move my 
bed around the hospital, because I could tell jokes and I would cheer 
some of the others up.''
  Why do I bring this up? Of course, we all know Bob Dole. We have 
named a building after Phil Hart. I don't know what we will name after 
Danny Inouye, but he is still here. I bring this up with respect to Bob 
Kerrey because we honor these men not solely for what they did in the 
military, not solely for what they did to rebuild their bodies, but for 
the example they set to rebuild their lives. To me, that is more heroic 
than the instant in battle when your instincts take over and you do 
what your duty tells you you have to do. I say that without ever having 
been there. So I could well be wrong.
  But how much heroism is involved in pulling yourself together when 
you are lying in a bed unable to brush your own teeth and say, ``I'm 
going to rebuild my body, I'm going to rebuild my life, I'm going to go 
to law school or found a restaurant,'' or do whatever it is that has to 
be done to such an extent that you are qualified in the eyes of the 
voters in the State in which you live to represent them in the U.S. 
Senate.
  We are surrounded by heroes, not just because of what they did while 
under enemy fire, but what they did in the years following when they 
gave our children and our contemporaries the example of never giving 
up, of never allowing what happened to them to destroy them. Bob Dole 
was such a hero; Phil Hart was such a hero; Danny Inouye, John McCain, 
Max Cleland, and Bob Kerrey.
  I will never join the select group of people who receive military 
honors or military medals, but I am proud to be part of the select 
group that knows and works with these heroes, these men who have 
demonstrated to us that what you do over a lifetime is many times more 
important than what you do in an instant, and Bob Kerrey stands at the 
first rank of that select group, and I salute him.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The distinguished Senator from Rhode Island is 
recognized.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, prior to making comments about the senior 
Senator from Nebraska, I yield 1 minute to the Senator from California.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I thank the Senator so much for yielding.
  I say to the Senator from North Carolina, Mr. Edwards, and the 
Senator from Rhode Island, Mr. Reed, for arranging this, thank you. I 
think it has been a very high moment in my career in the U.S. Senate. I 
say to Senator Kerrey, I wish you never had been hurt in war, and I 
just want to thank you for coming back from that trauma, because it has 
changed the lives of so many people.
  To those who do not know Bob Kerrey as well as his colleagues know 
him, I say this is a man of no wasted words. This is not a man of small 
talk. This is a man with big vision, big ideas, and little time to 
waste. One, I think, can make the leap that that experience, that brush 
with death, has made him understand, as many do not understand, that 
life is fleeting and life goes fast.
  Although his rehabilitation must have seemed like an eternity, what 
he got out of that clearly was the love and support of many people, and 
it made him realize that he wanted to have a chance to give that kind 
of support to others.
  I consider working with Bob Kerrey an honor. It is always 
interesting. It is always exciting. It is always an experience you can 
never figure out until it actually happens, because he is not someone 
who is driven by the ordinary; it is the extraordinary.
  I add my words of praise for my friend Bob Kerrey. I also add words 
of praise for the people who rehabilitated you in your tough times. 
Because of their work, we have you here.
  Thank you very much.
  Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. President, before the Senator from Rhode Island 
proceeds, how much time do we have remaining?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Santorum). Eight minutes 53 seconds.
  Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent for an additional 
10 minutes so that Senators who are present will be allowed to speak.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. REED. Thank you, Mr. President.
  Mr. President, today is one of those rare moments on the floor of the 
Senate that we can, with respect and reverence and, indeed, humility, 
salute a true American hero, Senator Bob Kerrey.
  Senator Kerrey is a man of great courage. That is obvious from his 
accomplishments, not just as a SEAL in Vietnam, but as a public figure 
for many, many years. He is also a patriot, someone who loves this 
country deeply and sincerely and fervently. It is this patriotism which 
caused him to join the U.S. Navy, although I suspect if you asked him 
back then, he would have made some type of joke about his joining the 
Navy and joining the SEALS. But in his heart, it was because of his 
profound love for his country and his dedication to his future.
  Then I suspect also that in the course of his training, he began to 
realize that he had been given the most profound privilege any American 
can be given, and that is the opportunity to lead American fighting 
men. That privilege also implies a sacred trust, a commitment to do all 
you can to lead your troops with both courage and sound judgment.
  He was leading his SEALs that night 30 years ago. He had brought them 
to a dangerous place, and he was bound and determined, at the risk of 
his own life, to bring them all back. He fought with great valor. He 
never lost faith. He always insisted that what he would do would be in 
the best interests of his men.
  For him, the world then was very simple: his mission, his men, and 
then, and only then, himself. He was and is a hero. Bob Kerrey saw war 
in all its brutality, in all its confusion, in all its senselessness, 
but he never surrendered his heart and his spirit to that brutality. He 
never let it harden his heart or cloud his judgment.

  He came back from a war committed to continue to serve his Nation. He 
remains an idealist, and more importantly an idealist without 
illusions. And again in his acerbic way he would deny all this. But it 
is true.
  He still believes deeply in his country. He still understands that it 
is necessary to lead. He still understands and keeps faith with those 
he led and those, sadly, he left behind. He is somebody of whom we are 
all tremendously proud. And there is something else about Bob Kerrey 
which might explain how he could lead men successfully on virtually 
impossible missions, because he has that kind of talent to walk into a 
room when everyone else is depressed, feeling oppressed, feeling 
without hope, and the combination of his energy and his confidence and 
that glint in his eye convince people they should follow him, even if 
the task appears impossible.
  Fortunately for us, he has brought these great skills to the U.S. 
Senate. He continues to serve his country. He continues to take the 
tough missions--not the milk runs but the hard missions. We all 
appreciate his courage and his valor.
  We all have many personal anecdotes. Let me just share one. I admired 
Bob Kerrey long before I ever got to the U.S. Senate. I met him several 
times before, but the first time I was really sort of speechless was on 
Inauguration Day in 1996, where I showed up outside there in the 
corridor a few feet away from here, ready to meet with my new 
colleagues in the U.S. Senate, and for the first time in my life, 
within a step away, I actually saw someone wearing the Medal of Honor. 
I looked at Senator Kerrey as a star-struck teenager would look at a 
great hero. And, in fact, that was one of the most rewarding and 
impressive moments of that very impressive day.
  But I will recall one other final anecdote. Bob and I were together 
in Nantucket a few years ago. We got up early one morning to go 
running. Now, I must confess, I thought I might have an advantage 
running against Senator Kerrey. After all, I am younger. But at about 
the 3-mile mark, when he turned around and said, ``got to go'' and sped 
away, I felt a little chagrined. My youth and my other talents could 
not keep up with this gentleman.

[[Page S2702]]

  He honors us with his presence. He has honored us with his service. 
We treasure him. We respect him. And today we are giving him his due.
  Senator Kerrey, thank you for your service to this Nation.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Who yields time?
  Mr. KERRY addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Massachusetts.
  Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, who controls time? How much time is 
remaining?
  Mr. EDWARDS. We yield to the Senator from Massachusetts.
  Mr. KERRY. I thank the distinguished Senator.
  Mr. President, I thank my colleagues, Senators Daschle, Hagel and 
Edwards, for placing this resolution before us today; and I would like 
to speak just for a few moments about both the event and the person 
that it commemorates.
  This is an important anniversary in the life of one of our colleagues 
and one of our great friends, my personal friend, the senior Senator 
from the State of Nebraska. I first came to know Bob Kerrey during the 
very time that we commemorate today. He and I were in the Navy 
together. We were in Vietnam together.
  In fact, though we did not know each other, we knew of each other 
because it is inevitable that two young lieutenants with the same name, 
somewhat in the same vicinity, will hear of each other. And irony of 
ironies, I actually was on a couple of missions in the very area, Nha 
Trang Bay, just about 2 months or so prior to the event which led to 
Bob winning the Medal of Honor.
  Bob and I also knew of each other afterwards when he came back and he 
was in the hospital and I had shortly thereafter returned. Our mail 
crossed, and we have had about 30 years of our mail crossing. On one 
occasion I think my newsletter from Massachusetts went to Nebraska, and 
people didn't know what that was all about. And on other occasions we 
have joked about the fact that he probably received a couple of real 
``Dear John'' letters while he was in the hospital and quickly 
discerned they were not meant for him but for me. And I often had these 
images of what he might have been reading of my mail. But at any rate, 
that began sort of a strange odyssey for both of us long before our 
paths crossed in the U.S. Senate.
  I still get letters about the wheat prices in Omaha and he still gets 
letters about the cod fishing in Massachusetts, and we somehow manage 
to work these things out. But, Mr. President, it is no light matter to 
suggest that I have always had an enormous special respect for Bob 
Kerrey. I am honored, as I think all of my colleagues are, to serve 
with him here in the U.S. Senate.
  It was 30 years ago this past Sunday that a 25-year-old lieutenant 
junior grade Bob Kerrey was, as we know, severely injured in Vietnam, 
sustaining those critical injuries that cost him his right leg. And 
over the years we have heard others describe, with great eloquence and 
great poignancy, the fighting on that island in Nha Trang Bay and the 
courageous way in which Bob fought on after a grenade had exploded at 
his feet, that he kept fighting even though he was nearly unconscious 
at the time, kept on the radio directing his men, leading--leading--in 
the way that we have come to know and expect Bob Kerrey to lead, 
leading those SEALs under his command to suppress the enemy's fire and 
to try to safely get out of a bad situation.
  I think, though, that what we really celebrate here today--and I 
think for those of us who have served in Vietnam, it is not so much the 
fighting there as the things that people faced when they returned. In 
that regard, I think Bob Kerrey has also traveled a very special 
journey. And it is a journey that teaches us a great deal, as it taught 
him a great deal. It is a journey of personal recovery and of personal 
discovery.
  In many ways, he struggled to put things back into perspective. It is 
not easy to lose people; it is certainly not easy to lose a piece of 
yourself, and come back to a country that has deep questions itself 
about why it was that it put you through that kind of turmoil. And Bob 
managed to sort all of that out, finding a special sense of humor, a 
kind of impish reverence, I think we might call it at times, that he 
shares with all of us to help keep a perspective in our lives.
  He also forged a new patriotism out of that experience. Clearly, he 
went as a patriot because he chose to go. But he came back and 
struggled even with the definition of ``patriotism'' and of his concern 
and love for his country. He had to ``refind'' that, if you will, in 
those difficult times.
  I think it is fair to say that he has come back more tested, more 
capable, and more understanding of what it means to care about the 
country and to give something to the country and to ask other people to 
join you in doing that. So he has the ability here to ask all of us in 
the Senate or our fellow citizens in the country to join with us in 
acts of giving in ways that others cannot.
  I also say that it is not just for that that we celebrate his 
presence here, but he has been a steady friend and ally in the effort 
of a number of us here in the U.S. Senate to keep faith with the 
lingering questions over those who may have been left behind in the 
course of the war, and also to try to really make peace with Vietnam 
itself, and to help bring the Senate to a point where we were able to 
lead the country in normalizing relations and, indeed, putting the war 
behind us.

  It is a great pleasure for me to say how proud I am to serve with Bob 
Kerrey, not just because of the qualities that were celebrated in the 
Nation's highest award for valor, not just for the qualities that 
people talk about for his military service, but, more importantly, for 
his humanity and for his sense of purpose, for his idealism and for his 
understanding of the real priorities in life. I am delighted to be here 
today to share in this special celebration of who our colleague is and 
what he brings us.
  Mr. EDWARDS. How much time remains?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Five minutes 20 seconds.
  Mr. EDWARDS. We yield 3 minutes to the Senator from Illinois.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from North Carolina 
for this resolution honoring our fellow colleague, Senator Bob Kerrey 
of Nebraska. I want to add my voice to those who have spoken in salute 
to this individual and the contribution he has made.
  The Vietnam war was like nothing else in my life politically--I am 
sure virtually everyone my age in this Chamber would say the same 
thing--the way it preoccupied the attention of this country, the way it 
dominated our political and personal lives, and the debate that went on 
for so many years. There were some who stayed and some who went and 
some who protested; there were some who served. Everyone was touched by 
that war in some way or another.
  I was particularly struck by the story of our colleague, Senator Bob 
Kerrey, and the contribution that he made as a member of the U.S. Navy 
and of course the injury which he sustained in his heroic effort on 
behalf of our country. Senator Jack Reed of Rhode Island, a graduate of 
West Point, talked about his humbling experience of joining Bob Kerrey 
for a race. He is a jogger--a runner, if you will. I have joined him 
for a race from time to time. You can tell by my physique I am not a 
runner. However, it is always a humbling experience as Bob Kerrey comes 
motoring past you with a big smile and you realize that this man just 
can't be stopped. And I am glad he can't be stopped because he has made 
not only a great contribution to his State and his country but he 
continues to do so.
  A few years back, Senator Bob Kerrey got the notion that he wanted to 
run for President of the United States. There were some Members of the 
House of Representatives who stood by him and endorsed his candidacy--
the few, the proud, the Members of Congress--who believed that Bob 
Kerrey would have been an excellent President of the United States. I 
believe that today.
  I have come to know this man even better as a Member of the U.S. 
Senate while serving with him. I know that he has courage. He showed it 
not only in battle, but he shows it every day on the floor of the 
Senate. I cannot imagine

[[Page S2703]]

what he has endured in his life. I only stand in awe and respect for 
what he brings to this institution because of that contribution. Very 
few people in the history of the United States have been awarded the 
Congressional Medal of Honor. It is my great honor personally to count 
one of those recipients as a personal friend and colleague.
  I thank Senator Edwards and I salute my friend, Bob Kerrey. I am 
happy to stand as a cosponsor of this resolution.
  Mr. EDWARDS. Thank you, Mr. President.
  I will conclude the remarks, and if Senator Kerrey has remarks to 
make, of course we would love to hear them.
  I have listened this morning to the remarks from all of these 
distinguished Senators on this wonderful day honoring this 
extraordinary man. This is a man who loves others more than he loves 
himself, a man who loves his country more than he loves himself.
  I have to say, Senator Kerrey, I think your mother had it right when 
you were lying on that hospital bed in Philadelphia after your 
operation that removed part of your leg when she said, ``There's an 
awful lot left.'' There is an awful lot left, and we Americans are the 
beneficiaries of what is left.
  Thank you very much, Mr. President. I yield to the Senator from 
Nebraska.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nebraska.
  Mr. KERREY. I want to thank Senator Edwards, Senator Hagel, Senator 
Daschle, Senator Boxer, Senator Durbin, and all the others who have 
spoken. I appreciate very much and am very moved by these words and 
more moved by the friendships in this body.
  Thirty years ago is a long time. I am reminded of a slogan at the 
beginning of any exercise to remember what happened, especially in 
combat 30 years ago, and I will give you the watered-down version of 
that slogan. The only difference between a fairy tale and a war story 
is, the fairy tale always begins, ``Once upon a time,'' and the war 
story always starts off, ``No kidding, this is true; I was there.''
  We don't necessarily have perfect memories when it comes to bringing 
back that moment and I, for one, have always been very uncomfortable--
and Bob Bennett earlier said he wanted to make me uncomfortable by 
saying some nice things about me. I have been uncomfortable for almost 
30 years to be introduced as a hero, and it made me somewhat 
uncomfortable in part because I did do something that was simply my 
duty; I didn't feel that evening that I had done anything necessarily 
out of the ordinary.
  Indeed, John McCain's father upgraded my award from a Navy Cross to a 
Medal of Honor. Otherwise, this event might not be happening at all. 
There are many men, Senator Inouye will tell you, who received nothing, 
whose actions weren't seen or were seen by somebody who didn't like 
them, or were seen by somebody who liked them but couldn't write very 
well, or something else happened to their award along the way. So I am 
aware that there are many people who have done heroic things that were 
not so recognized.
  As a consequence of being introduced all the time and being given 
many opportunities to think what it means to be a hero--and I again 
appreciate very much all this recognition--my heroes are those who 
sustained an effort. In my case, it was the effort of a single night. 
Who knows; in the daytime, I may have performed differently. I may 
have, under different circumstances, done things differently.
  The heroes who are impressive to me are those who sustained the 
efforts, whose bravery, whose courage, is called upon every single day. 
I think of my mother; I think of my father. I think of millions of men 
and women who, as mothers and fathers, sustained the bravery and the 
courage needed to be a good parent. I think of all those volunteers who 
came out not just to my hospital--I watched Bob Dole on television in 
1988 in Russell, KS, break down at the start of his Presidential 
campaign as he remembered what it was like to come home to Russell, KS, 
and be welcomed into the arms of people who took up a collection so he 
could travel to see his father.

  The heroes in my life are the people in Lincoln, NE, who welcomed me 
home and who gave me far more than I thought I had a right to deserve. 
One of the people in my life who has been very important--I have never 
met him, but I read his work; indeed, he was killed shortly before I 
went to Vietnam. Although he was a great opponent of the war, he came 
back in an airplane, along with other men who had been killed in that 
war--is a man by the name of Thomas Merton. Merton wrote,

       Human nature has a way of making very specious arguments to 
     suit its own cowardice and its lack of generosity.

  I find myself falling victim to that understandable human part of 
myself. I do sometimes exhibit cowardice. I do sometimes exhibit a lack 
of generosity. All of us, I suspect, have those moments.
  It is the ever-present need to sustain the bravery to do the right 
thing that impresses me the most. Those whose brave acts are done, 
knowing there will be no recognition, knowing there will be no moment 
when they will be recognized and stand before their colleagues, 
trembling and wondering what to say in response--it is those brave acts 
that are done anonymously that are most important of all.
  I have received a gift in many ways as a consequence not just of the 
award and considering what heroes are but also as a consequence of my 
injury. I don't know if Senator Inouye feels the same way.
  I remember a night almost 30 years ago to the day, in 1969, when a 
nurse came into my room very late at night. It was a difficult night 
for me. And among other things, she said to me that I was lucky to be 
alive and that I would get through this, I would survive it, I would 
get through this valley of pain that I was in at the moment. Well, I 
remember not believing that. I believed that I was not necessarily 
lucky to be alive at all at that particular moment of my suffering.

  Today I recognize that she was absolutely right, that I was lucky to 
experience suffering and know that you do not have to feel pain for 
pain to exist, that it is out there as I speak, as we hear these words. 
That suffering is universal is a lesson I was given in 1969, and 
perhaps of all the lessons I was given, it was the most important of 
all.
  I was also given a gift in discovering that the world is much bigger. 
It is not just us white men from Lincoln, NE, who grew up in a middle 
class home and had a great deal of abundance as a result of two rather 
extraordinary and loving people. It is a world composed of many colors, 
many creeds. It is a world composed of over 6 billion people, not just 
the 270 million who live in the United States of America.
  I have been taught and had the chance to learn that you do not really 
heal until you have the willingness, courage and bravery to forgive 
people who you believe have done you wrong. I would not be back in 
public service, I do not think, were it not for Walter Capps, who 
invited me to come to Santa Barbara to teach a class on Vietnam, where 
in studying the history of that war I was able to forgive a man I 
hated--Richard Nixon. I doubt that former President Nixon felt any 
relief in that moment when I forgave him, understanding as I did then 
how easy it is to make mistakes when you are given power. But I was the 
one who was healed. I was the one who was liberated. I was the one who 
was able then to live a different life as a consequence of my having 
the courage in that moment to forgive.
  I have discovered, through my own healing, that the most powerful 
thing that we can give, the most valuable thing we can give another 
human being costs us nothing. It is merely kindness. It is merely 
laying a hand on someone and saying to them, as that nurse said to me, 
that it will be all right; you are not alone here tonight; you are not 
alone with this suffering that you are feeling.
  I also learned through service in the Senate. Oddly enough, at a time 
when people think that the only reason that we are given to vote a 
certain way is because there are financial contributions hanging in the 
balance, I have learned in this Senate that a nation can be heroic. I 
discovered on the Appropriations Committee, of all things, that that 
hospital in Philadelphia was not there by accident. It was there 
because a law passed this Congress--a law that was signed by Richard 
Nixon--authorizing that hospital to be operated, authorizing those 
nurses, those doctors

[[Page S2704]]

and all the rest of those wonderful people to be there to save my life. 
A law made that possible. I made no financial contributions in 1969. 
There wasn't a politician in America who I liked. Yet, this great 
Nation allowed its Congress to pass a law that gave me a chance to put 
my life back together.
  In 1990 and 1991, as a Senator, I went back to Southeast Asia, with 
the Bush administration, trying to find a way to bring peace to 
Cambodia. We succeeded in 1992. But in going back, especially to 
Vietnam in 1991, and especially in the South, I discovered again 
something rather remarkable about the people of this great country--
that though I still believed the war was a tragic mistake and that we 
made lots of errors along the way, the people of South Vietnam 
repeatedly said to me, ``We know you came here to fight and put your 
life on the line for strangers, and that you were willing to die for us 
will not be forgotten.''
  I sat, along with my colleagues, and listened to Kim Dae-jung of 
South Korea say the very same thing in even more personal ways. Our 
Nation can be heroic by recognizing that we might write laws that give 
all of us a chance at the American dream, and by recognizing that as a 
great nation there will come a time when we must risk it all, not for 
the freedom of people that we know but for the freedom of strangers.
  I did, as John Kerry said earlier, come back to the United States of 
America an angry and bitter person. I did not have my patriotism 
intact. I had gone to the war patriotic because it was a duty, and I 
stand here today before you honored by your words, moved by your 
sentiment, and to tell you that I love the United States of America 
because it not only has given me more than I have given it, but time 
and time again it has stood for the right thing, not just at home but 
abroad.
  I appreciate just the chance to be able to come to this floor and 
offer my views on what our laws ought to be. I appreciate very much 
more than I can say to all of you--Senator Edwards, Senator Daschle, 
Senator Hagel, and the others who have spoken--your sentiment, your 
words and, most of all, your friendship.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Hawaii.
  Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, the courage and bravery and love of 
country that my friend, Bob Kerrey, demonstrated 30 years ago in 
Vietnam is obviously still alive. For that, I salute you, sir. Thank 
you.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, it is an honor to join in this tribute to 
our friend and colleague, Senator Bob Kerrey.
  The Nation's highest award for bravery in combat is the Congressional 
Medal of Honor. Since its creation in 1861, 3,400 Medals of Honor have 
been awarded to America's bravest Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, 
and Coast Guardsmen for heroic action in battles from the Civil War to 
Somalia. Our colleague Bob Kerrey is one of these brave American 
heroes.
  Senator Kerrey was awarded the Medal of Honor for risking his life 
above and beyond the call of duty during the Vietnam War. The 
leadership and courage demonstrated by this young, 25-year-old SEAL 
team leader during intense and ferocious combat are nothing short of 
extraordinary. These events occurred thirty years ago this month, but 
the same courage and leadership can be seen everyday in his work in the 
United States Senate.
  I welcome the opportunity to commend Senator Bob Kerrey on this 
auspicious anniversary, and I commend him as well for his outstanding 
service to the Senate and to the people of Nebraska and the nation. 
He's a hero for our time and for all times, and I'm proud to serve with 
him in the Senate.
  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to honor and 
to thank a true American hero. A man who risked his life to defend this 
nation and continues to serve this nation. I am proud to say that J. 
Robert Kerrey is a friend and colleague.
  Mr. President, thirty years ago this Sunday, on March 14, 1969, Bob 
Kerrey led a team of Navy SEALs onto an island in the Bay of Nha Trang. 
In the course of battle, an enemy grenade exploded at his feet. He 
wound up losing his right leg below the knee, but Bob directed fire 
into the enemy camp, resulting in its capture. His extraordinary valor 
cost him part of his leg, but it earned him the respect of every 
American.
  Mr. President, I am proud to join Senators Daschle, Edwards, and 
Hagel on this resolution honoring the only Medal of Honor winner in the 
current Congress. The Medal of Honor is the highest military award for 
valor that can be conferred on a member of the American armed forces. 
It is awarded to a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who ``. . . in 
action involving actual conflict with the enemy, distinguish[es] 
himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his 
life, above and beyond the call of duty.''
  It is that spirit we honor today, which has time and again moved 
ordinary Americans to rise to every threat to our nation and stand 
against great odds. It is the spirit that sustained the Revolution at 
Valley Forge, that carried the day at Gettysburg and Belleau Wood, and 
that made the difference at the Battle of the Bulge and Iwo Jima. This 
is the spirit that crashed ashore at Inchon, sustained our resolve at 
Khe Sanh and swept through the deserts along the Persian Gulf.
  And Bob Kerrey has showed courage in public life. Whether it's Social 
Security, Medicare, the budget or protection of the First Amendment, 
Bob Kerrey is not afraid to take the unpopular position. Above all, I 
admire his willingness to act and speak according to his conscience.
  Bob Kerrey has earned our utmost gratitude and our lasting 
admiration.
  Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I am very pleased to see the time the 
Senate is taking this morning to pay tribute to Senator Bob Kerrey, and 
to recognize his contribution during our war in Vietnam, and the 
recognition that he received as a Medal of Honor winner as a result of 
his sacrifice and his heroic actions during that conflict. I am 
certainly not, in any way, sad that we didn't spend the time that we 
had earlier set aside for the Missile Defense Act. I am very glad the 
Senate acted as it did to make this very important statement about his 
service and his contribution during that period in our country's 
history. He has certainly earned the respect not only of the Senate for 
his service but of the American people as well. I am glad to join with 
those who pay tribute to him this morning.
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I am honored today to join my colleagues in 
saluting one of our own, Senator Bob Kerrey of Nebraska, for the 
courage and heroism that he displayed as a U.S. Navy SEAL 30 years ago, 
and for the courage and determination that he continues to inspire 
today.
  The United States Senate is no stranger to heroes. Through the 
centuries, this Chamber has embraced the souls of some of the greatest 
heroes of our nation. It still does. We are privileged to work among 
heroes every day, individuals like Bob Kerrey, Strom Thurmond, Danny 
Inouye, John McCain, and Max Cleland.
  I hope we never take the courage of these individuals for granted, or 
lose sight of the great legacy of their predecessors. Certainly, among 
the history of heroism in the Senate, Bob Kerrey's story is one of 
inspiration. Horribly injured by a grenade, he nevertheless carried on 
an attack against the Viet Cong and led his men to victory. His bravery 
won for him the highest honor that the United States government can 
bestow upon an individual for valor: the Congressional Medal of Honor. 
But his act of courage also took a great toll. It cost him his leg, 
challenged his spirit, and threatened to taint his life with 
bitterness.
  Bob Kerrey overcame those crises. He turned adversity to success. He 
recovered from the grievous wounds to his body and soul. He became a 
successful businessman, went on to become governor of the state of 
Nebraska, and in 1988 was elected to the United States Senate.
  As I said before, Mr. President, the United States Senate is no 
stranger to heroes. But the Congressional Medal of Honor is something 
special. Only six Senators in our history have been awarded that honor. 
All of them, with the exception of Bob Kerrey, fought in the Civil War.
  As I listen today to the account of Bob Kerrey's heroism, hear of the

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bravery that he displayed at the youthful age of 25, I am reminded of 
another account of bravery, this one told by the poet William E. Henley 
who, as a young man, lost his leg as a result of tuberculosis of the 
bone. He wrote these words from his hospital bed.

     Out of the night that covers me,
     Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
     I thank whatever gods may be
     For my unconquerable soul.

     In the fell clutch of circumstance
     I have not winced nor cried aloud.
     Under the bludgeonings of chance
     My head is bloody, but unbowed.

     Beyond this place of wrath and tears
     Looms but the Horror of the shade,
     And yet the menace of the years
     Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

     It matters not how strait the gate,
     How charged with punishments the scroll,
     I am the master of my fate:
     I am the captain of my soul.

  The year was 1875. The poem was ``Invictus.'' The words belong to 
William Henley, but the spirit behind them belongs just as surely to 
Senator Bob Kerrey. I salute him.
  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I rise to join my colleagues in honoring 
someone who has already done more to serve his country than most people 
could accomplish in several lifetimes, Bob Kerrey.
  Many of my colleagues today have described the circumstances thirty 
years ago when a twenty-five year old Lieutenant Kerrey led an elite 
Navy Sea, Air, Land (SEAL) team to successfully apprehend a group of 
North Vietnamese soldiers. I stand in awe as they have recounted the 
way in which Lt. Kerrey continued to direct the team despite his 
serious injury. For his extraordinary valor, Lt. Kerrey was rightfully 
bestowed the nation's highest award for military service, the Medal of 
Honor in 1970, by President Richard Nixon.
  These actions alone are worthy of reflection by this body thirty 
years after the event. However, this was only one episode in a lifetime 
of extraordinary service to his country by Senator Bob Kerrey. Luckily 
for our nation, he did not allow the unfortunate events of that day 
thirty years ago to stop him from reaching the lofty goals that he had 
always set for himself. After a trying rehabilitation in Philadelphia, 
Kerrey returned to Nebraska and began his life anew, becoming a 
successful businessman and eventually winning a race for the state's 
Governorship. In 1988, he won election to the Senate after mounting a 
spirited campaign.
  During his time in the Senate, Bob Kerrey has continued to exhibit 
exemplary bravery and dedication. He has taken on some of the most 
important and difficult issues this body faces: Social Security reform, 
IRS reform and repeated farm crises. Senator Kerrey focused on the 
issue of Social Security early in his career, and his many efforts have 
greatly enhanced the prospects for reform of this important and far 
reaching program. Senator Kerrey is a champion of American agriculture, 
working tirelessly to support and protect family farmers facing 
economic hardship. He has also dedicated himself to improving health 
care services in the United States.
  Mr. President, we honor Senator Bob Kerrey today because thirty years 
ago he exhibited extraordinary heroism under the most difficult of 
circumstances. Senator Kerrey's duty and sacrifice on that day and his 
important contributions since continue to earn him the respect of the 
people of Nebraska and the United States. I am delighted to join my 
Senate colleagues in honoring Senator Bob Kerrey.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Crapo). Without objection, the resolution 
is agreed to and the preamble is agreed to.
  The resolution (S. Res. 61) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, is as follows

                               S. Res. 61

       Whereas Honorable J. Robert ``Bob'' Kerrey has served the 
     United States with distinction and honor for all of his adult 
     life;
       Whereas 30 years ago this past Sunday, on March 14, 1969, 
     Bob Kerrey lead a successful sea-air-land (SEAL) team mission 
     in Vietnam during which he was wounded;
       Whereas he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions 
     and leadership during that mission;
       Whereas according to his Medal of Honor citation, ``Lt. 
     (j.g.) Kerrey's courageous and inspiring leadership, valiant 
     fighting spirit, and tenacious devotion to duty in the face 
     of almost overwhelming opposition sustain and enhance the 
     finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service'';
       Whereas during his 10 years of service in the United States 
     Senate, Bob Kerrey has demonstrated the same qualities of 
     leadership and spirit and has devoted his considerable 
     talents to working on social security, Internal Revenue 
     Service, and entitlement reform, improving health care 
     services, guiding the intelligence community and supporting 
     the agricultural community: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the United States Senate commends the 
     Honorable J. Robert Kerrey for the service that he rendered 
     to the United States, and expresses its appreciation and 
     respect for his commitment to and example of bipartisanship 
     and collegial interaction in the legislative process.
       Sec. 2. The Secretary of the Senate shall transmit a copy 
     of this resolution to the Honorable J. Robert Kerrey.

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