[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 136 (Thursday, October 11, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10632-S10633]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING MIKE MANSFIELD

  Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, much has been said and much has been 
written about the gentleman from Montana, Mike Mansfield. Books about 
him have been written, and countless speeches about him have been 
presented. For many years to come, more books will be written, and more 
speeches will be made about him. This is to be expected because he was 
a person worthy of emulating. He was a person we all looked upon 
without hesitation as our leader. He was a person whose word was always 
good, reasoned, logical, and fair. He was a rare person, deeply 
religious, humble to a fault, and flawlessly honest.
  It is certain that he will be more than a footnote in the history of 
our great Nation. He helped to lead us out of the quagmire of the 
Vietnam conflict. His leadership assured the enactment of the Civil 
Rights Act of 1964, and the following year, he led the fight for the 
passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. As a former school teacher, 
he became the education leader in the Senate. Medicare became a 
possibility under his leadership. His contributions are too many to 
recount.
  Like many, I was especially intrigued and impressed by Senator 
Mansfield's military service record. At the age of 14, he became a 
sailor. When the authorities discovered the age discrepancy, he left 
and enlisted in the Army. After the Army, he became a Marine. He was 
especially proud of his title PFC Mike Mansfield. He once remarked that 
he preferred that title to Senator or Ambassador.

[[Page S10633]]

  Many of us have anecdotes and stories about Mike Mansfield. I, too, 
have some, but I would prefer to keep them as part of my warm and happy 
personal memories of my acquaintance with my Leader. Like all who have 
known him, I will miss him. I know I am a better American for having 
known Mike Mansfield. It is difficult to say goodbye to a good friend, 
but in saying goodbye, I wish to assure him that his lessons will never 
be forgotten.
  I ask unanimous consent that an editorial piece that appeared in the 
Honolulu Advertiser on October 6, 2001, be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

              Mike Mansfield Made His Mark Here, in Japan

       It's a tossup whether the passing of Mike Mansfield, who 
     died yesterday at 98, will be noted more prominently in Japan 
     or the United States. He was widely respected and admired in 
     both countries.
       The Montana Democrat was both the longest-serving U.S. 
     Senate majority leader and the longest-serving U.S. 
     ambassador to Japan.
       Named ambassador in 1977 by President Carter, Mansfield was 
     reappointed by President Reagan in 1981.
       When he returned home after 11 years in Tokyo, the 
     Washington Post reported, Japan's ambassador to the United 
     States said Mansfield ``could have run for prime minister and 
     won.''
       Expressing condolences yesterday, Japanese Prime Minister 
     Junichiro Koizumi called Mansfield a great contributor to 
     friendship between the nations.
       Mansfield's service as Senate majority leader, from 1961 to 
     1976, gave him a central role in debates on civil rights, the 
     Vietnam War, which he strongly opposed, and the Watergate 
     crisis.
       Mansfield exercised that role with a leadership style that 
     drew bipartisan praise.
       ``It's no coincidence that the Mansfield years remain among 
     the most civil, and the most productive, in the Senate's 
     history,'' Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle said yesterday.
       Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott, said, ``We have had few 
     like him, but then with the good Lord's help, it takes only a 
     few.''

  Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, with the passing of Mike Mansfield, this 
Chamber lost a man who embodied the true meaning of public service. And 
while he will no longer be with us, his spirit and his commitment to 
serving our Nation survives him and guides us. I rise today to pay my 
respects for his service as well as to ask that we honor his life by 
following his example.
  Mike Mansfield's patriotism and commitment to public service resided 
in the very core of who he was. At the ripe old age of 14, when most 
boys are signing up for freshman football, Mike Mansfield was signing 
up for his first tour with the Navy. After the Navy discharged him due 
to his age, Mike Mansfield would reenlist and serve in the Army and 
Marine Corps. For a young man from Montana, those experiences led him 
to develop an interest and passion for defining America's role in this 
world. Back in 1921, when the word ``globalization'' was not exactly in 
vogue, Mike Mansfield was taking his first trip to Asia. His commitment 
to United States-Asia relations was unprecedented, while his leadership 
in this area was unparalleled. It is with awe that in an age of hyper-
partisanship, we look back at a life of service that always put 
principles above partisanship. One can only look back with awe and 
respect at a man who not only served as the longest serving Senate 
majority leader but also the longest serving U.S. Ambassador to Japan.
  While this Nation said goodbye this weekend to our modern day 
ironman, Cal Ripken, it's only appropriate that the nation recognizes 
the Senate's own ironman. Mike Mansfield's legacy will be found not 
only in the accomplishments of his service, but equally in the vision 
he left for his colleagues and the manner in which he demonstrated his 
leadership.
  Senator Mansfield once said that ``by exploring the cultural, 
religious, and social forces that have molded a nation, we can begin to 
better understand each other and contribute to the knowledge and 
understanding that will strengthen our ties of friendship and lead to a 
better world.'' As we lead this Nation into a more globally 
interdependent future, it will serve us well to keep Mike Mansfield's 
words, and his legacy, close to us.

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