[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 94 (Wednesday, July 13, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S8239]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


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                      ARMY PFC MEGAN ADELMAN-TENNY

  Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, next week, on Saturday, July 23, people of 
all ages will gather for a special 5K race in Alliance, OH. This race 
will benefit the Megan Adelman-Tenny Foundation, which was set up in 
memory of Army PFC Megan Adelman-Tenny, who was killed in an airborne 
training accident on January 25, 2005, when her parachute failed to 
open. She was 19 years old.
  This foundation will award an annual scholarship to a high school 
student who has participated in cross-country, has lettered in the 
sport, and who possesses the same attributes that made Megan such a 
special person. I rise today to pay tribute to Megan and to celebrate 
those attributes--her zest for life, her zeal for organization, and her 
unmatched competitiveness.
  According to her mother Melissa, Megan grew up as a ``tomboyish'' 
girl. She was always outside, riding her bike or rollerblading. She 
never backed down from her older siblings and twin- brother, Matt. She 
was always speaking her mind and asserting her will. Her sister, Tina, 
describes her as ``energetic and full of life. She was a kick-butt 
girl. She took no prisoners. She didn't let anything hold her back.''
  Indeed, Megan was someone who lived her life to the fullest. At 
Alliance High School, Megan played the violin, sang in the choir, and 
ran on the cross-country team. Starting her sophomore year, Megan also 
worked part-time at McDonald's. Her involvement in all these activities 
left her just enough time to spend with her junior high and high school 
sweetheart--the love of her life--Joshua Tenny.
  As a testament to Megan's penchant for living in the moment, she and 
Joshua eloped on December 22, 2004. Her older brother, Marcus, 
remembers the surprising elopement:

       I picked Megan and Joshua up, and we were driving to the 
     Best Buy store in Canton, and Megan told me they needed to 
     make a stop first because they wanted to get married. So, we 
     went to the municipal building in Canton. They filled out all 
     the paperwork for their marriage license and were getting 
     excited. . . . It was spur-of-the-moment, but they wanted to 
     get married and be together.

  While Megan lived her life as it came to her, she was also the type 
of person who made plans, set goals, and did her best to fulfill them.
  As a member of the cross-country team, Megan took responsibility for 
packing the medical bag, organizing meets, and taking care of her twin- 
brother. According to their mom, Megan acted as another mother to Matt. 
She cooked for him, cleaned his room, and packed his cross-country bag 
before meets.
  In addition to being exceptionally organized, Megan was also a fierce 
competitor. In junior high school, she faced the choice between two 
sports: basketball and cross-country. Megan decided to join the cross-
country team, an individual sport in which the athletes must compete 
with other runners, as well as their own bodies.
  Megan excelled. She was a fantastic runner, qualifying for the State 
meet three times. She was a leader on her team and inspired others to 
do their best. Her track coach, Al Eibel, remembers Megan as a hard 
worker who never complained. During the 2002 season, Megan was clipped 
by a car mirror while on a practice road-run. Though she didn't break 
it, her arm was badly bruised and swollen. Even though she could barely 
move her arm, Megan competed a few days later. Coach Eibel recalls 
Megan's perseverance:

       I know she was in pain, but she didn't say a word. She ran, 
     and by districts, she was fine. Everyone knew we'd always be 
     able to count on Megan.

  Upon graduating from high school, Megan knew that it wasn't the right 
time for her to go to college. She didn't feel particularly drawn to it 
and, with two siblings already attending Ohio University, Megan knew it 
would be a financial hardship for her family. Instead of college, Megan 
made a plan to serve 4 years in the Army, with her husband Joshua, and 
then start a family. She reserved a place for college at a later time, 
if she felt inclined to go.
  Her mother remembers Megan's decision to join the Army:

       She thought about it and came to the conclusion she was 
     going to do it. And, she went in and did it with gusto.

  Megan completed advanced individual specialty training in human 
resources and was part of the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg, NC. Megan's 
organizational skills and attention to detail allowed her to breeze 
through basic training. At one point, she even mentioned to her mother 
that she might want to become a drill sergeant. Her mother said:

       Well, you're bossy and you're organized--I don't see what 
     would keep you from doing it.

  It didn't surprise anyone when Megan was the strongest woman and 
fastest person in her basic training unit. She earned the nickname 
``Speedy Gonzales'' from others in her unit because of her running 
ability. Megan was not someone who held back when it came to 
competition and she never backed down from anyone or anything.
  Her brother, Marcus remembers Megan crying during boot-camp, not 
because it was difficult, but because she felt others were not taking 
it as seriously as she was. That's just the type of person Megan was. 
She was passionate about the things and the people she cared about.
  Marcus talked to his sister after she had completed her first 
training jump with the 82nd Airborne. Megan, who was always something 
of a daredevil, had ``loved the jump.'' She told her brothers and 
sister that they would have to try sky diving with her. Megan was also 
extremely excited about her next jump and her career in the Army. 
Frankly, Megan was just excited about life.
  Any person who devotes a large part of their time and effort to 
competitive running has probably seen the movie ``Chariots of Fire.'' 
In the film, one of the characters asks the question: ``[W]here does 
the power come from to see the race to its end?'' The answer to this 
question is, ``From within.''
  Megan Adelman-Tenny had that power, that passion, that drive from 
within, which allowed her to accomplish anything she set her mind to. 
She was someone who, like any good runner, took things step by step, 
while also keeping the finish line in sight.
  On July 23, many people will run and walk 5 kilometers in memory of 
Megan. And, with each step taken, they honor her life.
  As I think about Megan's short, but full life, I am reminded of a 
very familiar passage from the Bible, a passage from St. Paul's second 
letter to Timothy, in which St. Paul said:

       [T]he time of my departure has come. I have fought the good 
     fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith.

  There is no question, Megan Adelman-Tenny fought the good fight. She 
finished the course. She kept the faith. Megan was truly a wonderful 
young woman, whom we will never forget.
  My wife, Fran, and I continue to keep Megan's husband, Joshua, her 
parents, Mark and Melissa, her sister Tina, and brothers Marcus and 
Matt in our thoughts and in our prayers.

                          ____________________