[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 163 (Tuesday, November 11, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14446-S14447]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO COMMANDER WILLIE McCOOL

  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I rise to pay my respects to my fellow 
veterans. It is only through the leadership, dedication, and sacrifice 
of our men and women in uniform that we are able to enjoy the freedoms 
that we value so much as Americans. We cheer our veterans at 
homecomings and parades, and we grieve for them when they do not come 
home. At critical times in U.S. history, as we are facing now, we 
unfortunately find ourselves grieving more for our military service 
members, than celebrating and honoring their service. Veterans Day 
gives us a chance to honor and thank all of these heroes.
  On this Veterans Day, I would like to share the story of one such 
hero who touched many American lives--Commander Willie McCool. 
Commander McCool was killed earlier this year as he was piloting the 
Columbia Space Shuttle towards home. Recently, Commander McCool's 
family, Naval Academy classmates, and former cross-country and track 
teammates participated in a ceremony at the location where a memorial 
will be placed in his honor. The essence of what that memorial will 
stand for was captured perfectly in a recent Washington Post article by 
William Gildea, dated October 30, 2003.
  On October 2, 1982, as captain of the Naval Academy's men's cross 
country squad, McCool led the midshipmen to a victory over Georgetown 
and Syracuse Universities, while setting a personal record for the 5-
mile race of 24:27. On February 1, 2003, Commander McCool and the 
members of his crew perished when Columbia came apart over Texas, only 
15 minutes from landing.
  The location of the planned memorial for Commander McCool will be 15 
minutes from the finish line on the day he set his best time. The spot 
was chosen to commemorate Commander McCool's life and acknowledge his 
contributions to the country, the Navy, and the Naval Academy's cross-
country program, as well as to recognize the positive impact that being 
a Navy runner had on his life.
  Before inviting his cross-country coach Al Cantello to the Space 
Shuttle Columbia launch, Commander McCool sent a portrait of himself to 
Cantello with the following inscription: ``Your coaching laid a 
foundation of discipline, drive and passion that has carried me across 
the many milestones of my life. With boundless appreciation, Willie.'' 
From that foundation, Commander McCool developed into a top-notch Naval 
Officer and served our country in an exemplary manner. On this Veterans 
Day, I humbly thank Commander McCool, and his family, for his selfless 
service and sacrifice for our country.
  At this time, I ask unanimous consent that the October 30, 2003, 
Washington Post article regarding Commander Willie McCool be printed in 
the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                [From the Washington Post, Nov. 2, 2003]

                   The Perfect Place To Honor a Hero

                          (By William Gildea)

       Sports doesn't have enough heroes, but Willie McCool is a 
     hero. The captain of the 1982 cross-country team at the Naval 
     Academy, he was known for smiling in the midst of a grueling 
     race as the effort showed on the faces of the other runners. 
     No matter the difficult, he always was happy. That really was 
     how he showed the way in whatever he did. As his coach, Al 
     Cantello, said yesterday morning, ``Everyone should meet a 
     Willie McCool in his lifetime.''
       Cantello was driving out to the Academy cross-country 
     course to join relatives, former teammates and other friends 
     of McCool. They gathered on the crest of the hill at 8 a.m. 
     to honor the man they loved. McCool said from space on Jan. 
     30: ``From our orbital vantage point, we observe an earth 
     without borders, full of peace, beauty and magnificence. And 
     we pray that humanity as a whole can imagine a borderless 
     world as we see it and strive to live as one in peace.''
       He was the pilot of the space shuttle Columbia, which broke 
     up as it reentered the earth's atmosphere Feb. 1.
       ``Isn't this a great cross-country morning--crisp, perfect 
     for running?'' Mark Patterson, the 1983 team captain, said in 
     welcoming the people who assembled quietly on the hill. 
     There, they plan to have a memorial built in McCool's honor. 
     It will not be something grandiose, they said, because that 
     would not be representative of such a modest person as 
     McCool; it would be simple, but it would be big enough for 
     passing runners to notice, maybe to be inspired by, something 
     to prompt a thought.
       The son of a Navy aviator, William C. McCool finished 
     second of 1,083 in the class of 1983. He went on for two 
     master's degrees, one from Maryland. During that time, he 
     often returned to the rolling course where he had worked out 
     twice a day during cross-country and track seasons. McCool 
     was one of many who thought of that five-mile route as a 
     special place. And he was one of those who remained grateful 
     to the man who put him on the course where he developed some 
     of his leadership skills. Before inviting his coach to the 
     Columbia launch, McCool sent a portrait of himself to 
     Cantello with the inscription: ``Your coaching laid a 
     foundation of discipline, drive and passion that has carried 
     me across the many milestones of my life. With boundless 
     appreciation, Willie.''
       For the most part, the five-mile course follows the 
     perimeter of the Academy's golf course, across the Severn 
     from the campus. Jimmy Carter ran it as a midshipman. So have 
     numerous Olympians, tens of thousands of college runners, 
     countless others. But after Saturday, when McCool's widow, 
     Lani, and his mother, Audrey, were presented flowers at 
     the simple ceremony, the course seemed even more special. 
     It felt like hallowed ground.

[[Page S14447]]

       McCool was said to be an extraordinary test pilot. He did 
     small things well, too. He liked to make people happy. Capt. 
     Clyde Villemez, who was the naval officer representative for 
     cross-country in the early `80s, remembered him tenderly 
     escorting his 8-year-old daughter onto the dance floor at a 
     wedding reception. Villemez retains a vivid image of the two. 
     ``She was dancing on top of his feet,'' he said.
       Ronnie Harris, who ran the 5,000 meters for Navy, missing 
     the 1996 U.S. Olympic team by just 25 hundredths of a second, 
     had the idea for a memorial. He was serving in Florida when 
     he heard of Columbia's fate. He did what many former Navy 
     runners did as they thought of their friend. ``I went for a 
     run,'' he said.
       Now he was back on his favorite course, standing close to 
     where the marker will go.
       ``This is a very beautiful spot. It's absolutely 
     gorgeous,'' Audrey McCool said.
       It is not just any spot. It was chosen for a reason.
       The last radio communication from the Columbia was received 
     about 15 minutes before the scheduled completion of the 
     mission. The crew of seven was 15 minutes from home.
       McCool's friends measured back 15 minutes from the finish 
     line of the cross-country course based on McCool's fastest 
     time, in a meet with Georgetown and Syracuse on Oct. 2, 1982. 
     As it happened, they came to an idyllic setting, at the top 
     of a grassy hill, on a brief level stretch before a slope 
     leading to a narrow path through the trees.
       That's where they will build the monument.
       That's when he was 15 minutes from home.

                          ____________________