[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 61 (Wednesday, May 17, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S4692]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        THE LEGACY OF CHIC HECHT

  Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, I rise today to celebrate the life of Chic 
Hecht, a friend, a leader, and a great Nevadan. Chic served my home 
State and this country with honor, humility, and great devotion. He 
leaves behind the legacy of a true statesman, an intelligence officer, 
a successful businessman, and most importantly, a committed husband and 
father.
  For me, Chic's legacy is that of a public servant who was fiercely 
loyal, unwavering in his principles, and an all-around decent human 
being.
  Chic was drafted into the Army after college and served as an 
intelligence officer in Berlin during the Korean war. Chic retained a 
lifelong membership in the National Military Intelligence Association, 
and in 1988, was inducted into the Army Intelligence Hall of Fame.
  Chic served in the Nevada State Senate for more than a decade before 
winning a U.S. Senate seat in what has been called the biggest 
political upset in our State's history. During his term in the Senate, 
Chic served on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee; the Banking, 
Housing and Urban Affairs Committee; and the Select Committee on 
Intelligence. In the Senate, Chic worked with President Reagan in 
persuading the Soviet Union to lift restrictions on the emigration of 
Jews--a part of his legacy that will endure for generations. Chic went 
on to serve 4 years as the U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas.
  But it was Nevada that was always home to Chic. And Chic never lost 
that down-to-earth, man of the people charisma that won him friends 
wherever he went. While his charm helped him make friends throughout 
his life, it was his loyalty that made him a lifelong friend.
  I will miss Chic. He was the first to step up when I was being 
criticized, and he believed in me when very few others did. In 
politics, you learn quickly who your real friends are, and Chic was a 
real friend.
  He left the Senate more than a decade before I took office, but I am 
well aware of the impact he made. Chic was a great role model, and I 
hope to carry on his legacy and the lessons he taught me: to be 
fiercely loyal, unwavering in principles, and an all-around decent 
human being.
  Chic will be missed, but he has set an example for us all to follow. 
God bless him.

                          ____________________