[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 154 (Thursday, November 4, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S13881-S13883]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    ADMINISTRATION OF OATH OF OFFICE

  The VICE PRESIDENT. The Senator designate will present himself at the 
desk and take the oath of office.
  Mr. Chafee, escorted by Mr. Reed, advanced to the desk of the Vice 
President; the oath prescribed by law was administered to him by the 
Vice President, and he subscribed to the oath in the Official Oath 
Book.
  The VICE PRESIDENT. Congratulations, Senator.
  [Applause, Senators rising.]
  The VICE PRESIDENT. The majority leader.
  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I officially welcome the new junior Senator 
from the State of Rhode Island, Senator Lincoln Chafee.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The VICE PRESIDENT. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. GRAMM. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Allard). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, this is a historic day for America, for 
the Senate, for the citizens of Rhode Island, and for the family of the 
late Senator John Chafee. I ask unanimous consent now--and I am joined 
in this unanimous-consent request by Senator Lincoln Chafee, who was 
just sworn in as United States Senator for the State of Rhode Island--
that remarks given at his funeral by Senator Chafee's son, Zechariah 
Chafee, entitled ``The Service of Thanksgiving for the Life of John 
Chafee,'' October 30, 1999, be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                     Reflection of Zechariah Chafee

(A Service of Thanksgiving for the Life of John Hubbard Chafee, October 
                              30th, 1999)

       What a man! What a life!
       Come with me. Let us look at how he lived, and what he was 
     made of. John Chafee said at times that the great shapers of 
     his life were his parents, the Boy Scouts, his wrestling, the 
     United States Marine Corps, the U.S. Senate, and above all, 
     his own family.
       From his parents, an upright Yankee, a vivacious Scot, he 
     without a doubt drew his graciousness toward me, women and 
     children of all walks of life. From them as well came his 
     decency and keen sense of the difference between right and 
     wrong.
       As for the scouts, not only was he an industrious member of 
     a Providence troop as a boy, but it seems he kept a scout 
     handbook in his Senate office! Examining Article 8 of the 
     Scout law of his day, one finds this stricture: A scout 
     smiles and whistles under all difficulties! Is this how he 
     came by his trademark good cheer?
       I must say though that his skeptical children had some 
     problem reconciling the cautionary scout motto ``be 
     prepared,'' with my father's brisk assertion. ``It will all 
     work out, stick with me--here we go!''
       But with him in charge, it usually did work out--and even 
     if it did not, it was still fun!

[[Page S13882]]

       At the Providence Country Day school, he began his 
     wrestling career, which he furthered at Yale when he 
     captained the freshmen team. Wrestling called forth the 
     qualities, so many of you have come to know. The tenacity, 
     the willingness to give it his all.
       The sheer love of the contest. The will to victory and the 
     confidence that goes with it. Remember, that on the wrestling 
     mat, it's one man's struggle with another. There are no 
     excuses. But just as important to note--there was a team--and 
     he was the captain. The man to who others looked--the 
     inspirer, the leader.
       Following Yale, he went on to wrestle AAU. Now, some time 
     when you're riffling through your back issues of ``Body 
     Builder'' magazine, circa 1948, you might look up his 
     citation as an All-American wrestler. And when you next pass 
     through Stillwater, Oklahoma, drop in at the National 
     Wrestling Hall of Fame. You'll find his picture on the wall.
       It has been said that as a boy, Johnny Chafee had a poster 
     in his room featuring a jut-jawed marine on the move, rifle 
     in hand and bearing the legend ``US Marines--First to 
     Fight.''
       December 7th, 1941 gave Chafee that chance. He left Yale 
     and headed for Parris Island. As the new recruits arrived and 
     stepped down a company street in the soft southern night, 
     from the windows of the surrounding barracks came the jeering 
     call--``You'll be sorry! You'll be sorry!''
       But he never was.
       Look at a globe someday. Run your finger northeast from the 
     upper shoulder of Australia in the Solomon Island chain and 
     you'll find the Island of Guadalcanal.
       Here on August 7th, 1942, 19 year old private first class 
     John Chafee waded to shore with the first marine division. It 
     was America's first step on the long, lethal ladder that 
     would lead to Tokyo. You recalled the story of the battle--
     how the Navy fleet, supporting Marines, weighed anchor and 
     sailed over the horizon, leaving the division alone in far 
     off hostile seas.
       The world watched an wondered about the fate of the 
     Marines. The world need not have doubted, as my father once 
     explained, ``In the foxholes at night, on the jungle patrols 
     and in the roar of battle, what bound these men together--
     what drove them on, was not patriotic zeal, but rather the 
     confidence that they were all Marines. That the man to the 
     left, the man to the right was a U.S. Marine. My father said 
     that in that far perimeter, far from any help, he had no 
     doubt that the Marines would prevail, come what may. That was 
     that famous ``esprit de corps''--and he would carry it with 
     him for the rest of his life.
       He lived by the teachings of the Corps. Leadership by 
     example. Self-discipline. The knowledge that success often 
     requires audacity and risk. The conviction that when given a 
     mission--no matter how disagreeable--one doesn't complain or 
     delay, but gets started and presses on 'til the end.
       There are other qualities as well. With John Chafee the 
     phrase ``Gung-Ho'' leaps to mind. My dictionary defines this 
     as extremely enthusiastic and dedicated, but goes on to note 
     that this World War II Marine Corps motto derives from a 
     Chinese word meaning ``work together''.
       Work together.
       Wasn't that motto a guiding light for my father's entire 
     public service?
       Once a Marine always a Marine.
       In a few minutes, as John Chafee's mortal remains are 
     carried from this church, the organ will sound the triumphant 
     cords of the Marine Corps Hymn.
       From heaven . . . he will be listening.
       I know he'll hear it! At war's end, my father completed his 
     studies at Yale Law and went off to Harvard Law. About that 
     time, a cousin described for him, a trio of lovely sisters 
     from Long Island's north shore. The Coates girls!
       ``Save one for me,'' he urged.
       It took a bit of a chase, but in November of 1950, Ginny 
     Coates, in white veil and gown, stepped toward him down the 
     church's aisle. She has been the beating heart of our family, 
     the sustainer of her man and her children ever since.
       My father found legal practice in Providence stifling. So 
     in 1951 there came a telegram from the Corps, recalling him 
     to combat duty in Korea. He kicked his heels together and 
     whooped! It was as Commanding Officer of Dog Company, 2nd 
     Battalion, 7th Marines that Chafee came into his own. Lt. 
     James Brady in his memoirs. The Coldest War, had this to say.
       ``You learned from men like Chafee, a Yalie with a law 
     degree from Harvard, who came from money, a handsome, 
     patrician man, physically courageous and tireless. From all 
     that could have come arrogance, snobbery. He possessed 
     neither of those traits; he was only calm and vigorous, and 
     efficient, usually cheerful, decent and humane, a good man, a 
     fine officer.''
       Following combat in Korea, Chafee jumped into Rhode Island 
     politics and won a seat in the Rhode Island legislature. Also 
     in the space of the next 10 years, he fathered six children. 
     Now one might observe that for a Protestant with political 
     hopes in the most heavily Catholic state in the country, it 
     did not hurt to ``get with the program.''
       In 1962, and at age 39, he pitched his hat in the ring for 
     Governor, running as a Republican in a state with the highest 
     percentage of Democrats in the nation. Now that's optimism!
       See if you recognize some familiar qualities in the 
     Providence Sunday Journal endorsement of John Chafee for 
     governor 37 years ago.
       ``He has been demonstrating an awareness that government 
     belongs to the people--not the politicians. He has been 
     modest in his claims. He has been careful and honest in 
     taking positions. He has brought fresh thinking to old 
     problems. He has been unassuming in his presentations, in 
     that he neither hectors nor lectures.''
       Some things never change.
       If they missed anything, it was his cyclonic energy and his 
     political courage. Those qualities would be quickly revealed.
       Chafee would win his race by a mere 398 votes out a total 
     of 327,506 votes cast. Now, at the Duke of Wellington once 
     confided after the battle of Waterloo, ``It was a damn close 
     run thing.''
       John Chafee hit the Governor's office with the force of a 
     gale.
       He saw government as a way we work together, to meet the 
     needs and solve the problems of our common lives. And he was 
     only too happy to lead the way.
       In the many tributes of the last few days, you've read and 
     heard of his achievements. He loved the job and made it great 
     fund for those around him of all ages. He governed 
     exuberantly. For instance, he delighted in directing his 
     pilot to give visiting school children rides in the official 
     state helicopter. This lead to complaints by a scrooge in 
     state government. There then appeared in the paper a cartoon, 
     which hangs today on my parents wall at home.
       In it, the angry official shakes his hand skyward, where a 
     helicopter buzzes merry children hanging from skids and 
     doors, and a gleeful John Chafee--big chin magnified--happily 
     manning the controls.
       Before we lay him to rest, I know my father would love it 
     if I just described a few scenes from his family's life 
     together.
       Stand beside him in the crowd, at the fence of the horse 
     show ring, as my sister Tribbie canters in on her lovely 
     pony, Puck. Girl and pony flow round the ring and ripple over 
     the jumps. They'll take the state championship that day.
       Now see him at the helm of Windway as she runs before a 
     slight southwesterly off Beavertail. He tosses a long line 
     astern. His children dive and clutch it, shooting along 
     behind the boat like mini torpedoes.
       Have a seat now at the big dinner table at Stonecroft, his 
     summer house on the coast of Maine. Listen, as he polls the 
     table, questioning one by one his happy guests on the issues 
     of the day.
       ``What's your position on the flag burning amendment? 
     Should we give up the Pananama Canal?'' And more recently, 
     ``what would you do with the budget surplus?''
       Doesn't he make you think?
       It's a summer morn' in Maine. The day's still cool from the 
     night before. There he is over by the flagpole, the banner in 
     his hand. See that cluster of small children by his side--
     some towheaded, some dark? His grandchildren! Little hands 
     reach up to tug the line--little faces look aloft. It's up! 
     The Stars and Stripes float on the morning air!
       See him now on the summer deck of the two room cabin with 
     the wood stove, where he and mother live when they're back in 
     Rhode Island.
       It's evening, the sun sweeps low over the meadows on the 
     far side of the river. The air is still, the tide is high. 
     Egrets hunt along the marshy shallows. Ginny has brought 
     cheese and crackers to the table. A bourbon glows amber in 
     his glass.
       They speak easily together, bound by the love of nearly 
     fifty years.
       In closing, as I look out on our President and upon John 
     Chafee's many Senate friends, I recall a large color 
     photograph on my father's office wall. In it, Senator Dole, 
     eyes twinkling, cracks a joke as President Reagan, John 
     Chafee and Senator Alan Simpson bend an ear, amusement alight 
     on their faces.
       After the event, my father obtained a copy of the photo, 
     and at a later meeting with the President, slid it down the 
     table towards him and asked him if he'd sign it.
       Without missing a beat, Reagan penned a line and slid it 
     back.
       It read simply, ``John--Some time it is fun, isn't it?''
       Some time it is fun, isn't it?
       Dad, when you were around, it sure was.

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I want to read the first paragraph of the 
statement given by Zechariah Chafee:

       What a man. What a life. Come with me. Let us look at how 
     he lived and what he was made of. John Chafee said at times 
     that the great shapers of his life were his parents, the Boy 
     Scouts, his wrestling, the United States Marine Corps, the 
     United States Senate and, above all, his own family.

  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.
  Mr. REED. May I be recognized for 2 minutes?
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I thank and commend the Senator from 
Virginia for his very thoughtful introduction of those remarks. Like so 
many in our body, we were in that church. Zech Chafee's words rang so 
true--the clarion call about his father, his service to this great 
Nation.

[[Page S13883]]

  Also, I join Senator Warner in saying this is a very proud day for 
the Chafee family. They are proud of the accomplishments of Senator 
John H. Chafee and proud of the commitment to public service of Lincoln 
Chafee. I am pleased and proud to join my colleague from Virginia in 
this request. I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.

                          ____________________