[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 147 (Thursday, November 14, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11061-S11062]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO SENATOR MAX CLELAND

  Mr. CONRAD. Madam President, I am honored to pay tribute and 
recognize the leadership, dedication to public service and hard work of 
my colleague from Georgia, Senator Max Cleland. Few Members of the 
Senate have sacrified so much for their country.
  Senator Cleland has had a remarkable 30-year career in public service 
including a tour of duty in Vietnam in 1967 in which he was awarded the 
Bronze and Silver Stars for meritorious service. Max started his career 
in the military soon after graduating from Stetson University, where he 
was a member of the Army ROTC. In 1967, he volunteered for duty in 
Vietnam. He quickly worked his way up the ranks, earning a promotion to 
Captain in 1968. In April of the same year, he was seriously wounded in 
a grenade explosion, which cost him both of his legs and his right arm. 
One month before his tour was up, he was sent home to recover from his 
injuries.
  His dedication to public service continued when he won a seat in the 
Georgia State Senate. As the youngest state senator, he pushed for a 
State law making public facilities accessible to the disabled. In 1975, 
Senator Cleland began his lifelong mission of improving the lives of 
the men and women in the military. Max was asked to work for the Senate 
Veterans Affairs Committee, and 2 years later he accepted the position 
to head up the U.S. Veterans Administration. He was the youngest 
administrator and only Vietnam veteran to ever head up the agency. 
During his time with the Veterans Administration, Max instituted the 
``Vets Center Program,'' which for the first time provided 
psychological counseling to combat veterans. This program has now led 
to over 200 Vet Centers around the country.
  Senator Cleland continued his public service for the people of 
Georgia in 1982, when he was elected Secretary of State. During his 
time in this position, he fought relentlessly for campaign finance 
reform and to reduce telemarking fraud. Senator Cleland also played a 
key role in the implementation of the National Voter Registration Act, 
or Motor Voter, in the State of Georgia. This in turn allowed an 
increase in access to government by getting nearly 1 million citizens 
of Georgia registered to vote.
  Max was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1996; he filled the spot that 
was vacated by the retiring Sam Nunn. The 6 years that he spent in the 
Senate were marked by his passion and drive to accomplish what was of 
importance to the people he served. He was a proponent for the 
Patients' Bill of Rights and doggedly battled for the improvement of 
education by way of increased resources for teacher training and 
certification.
  As a former military man who served his country in Vietnam, Senator 
Cleland brought an understanding to the Senate Chamber, of the 
sacrifices made by individuals in the armed forces. This understanding 
led him to champion military causes. As chairman of the Personnel 
Subcommittee of the Armed Services Committee, he fought for 
improvements in the quality of life of our active-duty, reserve, and 
retired military personnel through enhancement of the Montgomery G.I. 
Bill

[[Page S11062]]

and improvement of retirement benefits. All his hard work has not gone 
unnoticed, Senator Cleland has been recognized nationally as the 
``Minute Man of the Year,'' an award given by the Reserve Officers 
Association of America to two individuals annually for their tremendous 
leadership in the areas of military and national security. There is no 
doubt that on and off the battlefield, Max was a leader for the Armed 
Forces.
  Senator Cleland also provided support to military personnel stationed 
at the Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota. In 1997, during the 
devastating floods in North Dakota, several hundred active duty 
personnel from the Grand Forks base were unable to access disaster 
relief because Federal law limited assistance to personnel living on 
the base. Senator Cleland, as a member of the Senate Armed Services 
Committee, was instrumental in amending the law to enable those 
servicemen living off base to be eligible for this critical disaster 
assistance.
  Max's bravery, courage, and passion for these issues and many others 
will be missed. It has been an honor to serve with somebody who 
represents his constituents with such energy, drive and passion. I 
would like to join my colleagues in wishing the Senator and his family 
the best in the future and paying tribute to his outstanding public 
service. I wish him well.

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