[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 83 (Friday, June 23, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6450-S6451]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO TERRY MEINERS
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to commend Terry Meiners,
a fellow Louisvillian and well-known radio personality. Mr. Meiners is
not just a local institution on Kentucky's airwaves, but also a loving
father.
This fall, for the first time both of Terry's two sons will leave
home for college: eldest son Max, 20, will return to Western Kentucky
University, and younger son Simon, 17, will enroll at the University of
Kentucky. Terry has a great relationship with both of his sons and he
has done an excellent job of preparing them for adulthood.
As we have just celebrated Father's Day, I thought it appropriate to
share with my colleagues the story of Terry Meiners and his two sons.
On June 18 of this year, the Louisville Courier-Journal published an
article highlighting Terry's family life, career, and accomplishments,
as well as his importance in the Louisville community. I ask unanimous
consent that the full article be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
[From the Courier-Journal, June 18, 2006]
What Kind of Dad is Terry Meiners?
(By Angie Fenton)
It's 8:30 a.m., and Terry Meiners sits solemnly on a high-
backed metal chair looking out over the lush greenery
surrounding his pool.
He doesn't utter any of the quick-witted comebacks and zany
ramblings that are his trademark on his afternoon drive-time
show on WHAS radio. Instead, on this morning, he soaks up the
silence, broken only by the soft sound of a manmade waterfall
that cascades nearby and the sharp chirps from a pair of
cardinals flitting among the trees.
Soon, Meiners knows, the silence will reach painful
proportions when his eldest son, Max, 20, returns to Western
Kentucky University in the fall and his younger son, Simon,
17, starts his freshman year at the University of Kentucky.
``I cried like a baby when Max rolled out of here (as a
freshman) at WKU,'' recalled Meiners, 49. ``It was torturous,
but I realized what a great passage it is for a kid to roll
out of his dad's driveway and into a wide open space.''
Once Meiners could no longer see Max's car careening down
the road, ``I sat in his room and let the tears roll--and let
it ride,'' he said.
After all, that's the way Meiners lives life, as if it were
one big ride with unexpected adventures, where heartbreak is
a part of the journey you've got to take in stride.
``My dad is like a carpe diem kind of guy,'' Simon said, as
his brother poured milk into a bowl of cereal. ``He tries to
lead by example.''
One of the most beneficial lessons Meiners' young men have
learned from him is ``preparedness--and don't ever depend on
anyone,'' Max said.
Meiners also has taught his sons to laugh often.
The threesome share an affinity for ``The Simpsons.'' They
crack jokes, talk politics and quip easily with one another.
``I've learned from my dad to live life to the fullest,''
Simon said, before admitting that he's been guilty of
trampling that fine line between full and full of it.
In May, Simon surprised his dad on-air by admitting that he
would walk at Manual
[[Page S6451]]
High School's commencement ceremony later that night, but
wouldn't receive his diploma because of his participation in
a senior prank involving mayonnaise and condoms.
``I had to laugh to myself, but then my daddy genes kicked
in right away,'' Meiners said. ``I said, `Well, you know
we're going to have to talk about this later.' ``
Simon has since received his diploma after making amends
with the school, but he's also had a bit of punishment meted
out by his father: He'll be without wheels for his first
semester at UK.
``I'm going to introduce him to a part of his body he's
never known before: his thumb,'' Meiners said.
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, though, which is
why Meiners said he's firm but fair when it comes to holding
his sons accountable.
Meiners earned a bit of notoriety himself back in 1976 when
he broke a water pipe in Boyd Hall at UK after swinging on a
ceiling sprinkler.
``It was during finals week at Christmastime, and they
couldn't shut the water off. The floor caved in, water
flooded the dorm and everybody had to sleep on mats at Alumni
Gym across the street,'' Meiners said. ``I was not a hero.''
The university booted Meiners out of the dorms ``and that
effectively ended my college career,'' he said. ``I was
already working in radio and went in to work on Monday and
said, `Well, I guess that didn't work out.' ''
Meiners has made it a habit of embracing a laissez-faire--
``let do, let go, let pass''--attitude. ``I never get tired
of getting up in the morning and starting over. I tell my
boys all the time, `I can't wait to see what happens next.'
''
But Dad can get real serious too.
``You try coming home at 4 in the morning,'' Simon said.
``And he's really serious about preparing for very odd
situations,'' Max added, which prompted a barrage of jokes
about how Meiners hides flashlights and other ``just in
case'' necessities in obscure places throughout the Anchorage
home.
Still, said Max, ``I admire his total passion for
everything he does in life. Whatever he does, he does
wholeheartedly.''
That includes grieving for his mother, Norma Jean Meiners,
who died on Dec. 12.
Just days after her death, Meiners was back on-air candidly
sharing his loss. Fans flooded his personal Web site with
well-wishes.
But his sons were concerned.
``He lost weight from stress--we were worried about him,''
Max said. ``I know he has 13 brothers and sisters, but
sometimes it's like he doesn't have anyone to talk to.''
Yet, Meiners did what he somehow always seems to do: Let it
ride and roll with it.
``The only thing you can do is will yourself into a
positive feeling. I try to teach my kids . . . to bring a
positive attitude to everything they do,'' Meiners said.
``I am abundantly grateful for everything we have,'' he
said.
Meiners is also thankful for what blossomed in his life
after his mother's death.
``It's given me an avenue to speak to my father (Mel) like
I've never before,'' Meiners said. ``My family and I, we've
surrounded my father.''
Even as they prepare to leave, Meiners' sons have
surrounded their father too.
``I love my dad, and I'm thankful for everything he's done
for me,'' Max said. ``We've been through so much in the past
six months, this Father's Day will be special.''
Meiners agreed.
``My perfect Father's Day is not possible. I'd like to go
back in time and remedy my missteps. But we're here now, and
I stand before (my sons) flawed but willing to learn,''
Meiners said.
``The bottom line is that more than anything, I want to
make sure my sons are men of integrity. That's all that
matters. And I'm happy to report they are.''
Mr. REID. Mr. President, if you search the State of Nevada, you will
find many elder statesmen. But you won't find any finer than Judge
Lloyd D. George.
Judge George is my friend, and Nevadan through and through.
Judge George moved to Las Vegas in 1933, when he was just 3 years
old. His family's business was moving sand and gravel. He recalls his
house as being built on two railroad lots and remembers Las Vegas at
the time as a ``slow city.''
Las Vegas has grown a lot since 1933, and so has Lloyd George.
A graduate of Brigham Young University and University of California
Berkeley Law School, he has been an institution in our State's legal
community, as both a lawyer and a judge.
In 1984, President Ronald Reagan nominated Judge George to the U.S.
district court, and he quickly won Senate confirmation. In 1992, he
became chief judge of the Nevada District, a position he held until
1997.
Today, Judge George is a retired senior U.S. district judge, but he
still comes in to work every day. His continued service is a testament
to Judge George's commitment to the law and the people of Nevada. All
of us here recognized that commitment when we named the Las Vegas'
Federal courthouse the ``Lloyd D. George Federal Building and U.S.
Courthouse'' in the year 2000.
Mr. President, I began by calling Judge George a statesmen, which is
exactly what he is.
When statesmen speak, the community has an obligation to listen.
Which is why I rise to submit Judge George's moving 2006 Memorial Day
remarks into the Congressional Record. His words paint a vivid picture
of the sacrifice America's heroes made at Iwo Jima, and they remind us
of our obligation to carry their memories with us today.
I ask unanimous consent that Lloyd George's remarks be printed in the
Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
Memorial Day Address--Iwo Jima
(By Lloyd D. George, May 26, 2006)
Before World War II, the Island of Iwo Jima was considered
tiny and insignificant. After the February 19, 1945, invasion
of the island, where one hundred thousand men fought for over
a month for control of an area only about a third the size of
Manhattan, Iwo Jima became gargantuan in the history of
warfare and heroism.
Both sides understood the strategic importance of the small
island. It had two airfields, and had been used by Japanese
fighters to attack American bombers on their way to targets.
Americans also wanted control of the island as a base for
their own aircraft.
The name Iwo Jima means Sulfur Island in Japanese. The five
mile long, two mile wide island had soil of volcanic ash,
soft enough to create extensive tunnels and underground
fortifications for its 22,000 Japanese defenders, but too
soft on the surface for the invasion forces to dig even an
adequate foxhole for protection. And the 546 high Mount
Suribachi at the southern end of the island provided the
defenders a vantage-point from which they could lay down a
withering fire onto the beach.
One of the Iwo Jima veterans we pay tribute to, Chester
Foulke, recounts running back after carrying ammunition to
Marine machine gunners, and falling as if he had been hit in
order to stop the hail of bullets which were spraying all
around him.
Another honoree, Larry Odell, credits flamethrowers,
carried by Marines or in small tanks, for ultimately
defeating the entrenched Japanese. The Japanese had years to
construct a sixteen mile complex of reinforced tunnels
connecting fifteen hundred man-made caverns. Attacks came
upon the Marines from virtually anywhere, day or night,
through warrens, spider holes, caves and crevices.
The ferocious nature of the battle was unrivaled. Sulfur,
the namesake of the island, turns red when it melts under
heat. So, too, the soil and rocks of the island were often
turned red from blood as the battle raged on. Of the 70,000
Americans engaged in a battle, there were 26,000 casualties,
almost 7,000 of whom were killed. Out of the 22,000 Japanese
soldiers on the island, only 212 were taken prisoner. When
told of the casualties during the battle, President Roosevelt
visibly wrote: ``It was the first time [throughout the entire
war] that anyone had seen the President gasp in horror.''
Indeed, the Battle of Iwo Jima, which displayed the fanatic
fervor of the Japanese, and the heavy casualties suffered by
forces combating them, influenced the American decision to
use atomic bombs to end the war.
Amid the overwhelming death and destruction at Iwo Jima,
uncommon valor was common. The image of six Marines raising
the American flag after taking Mount Suribachi on the fifth
day of fighting stands as a symbol not only of the island and
the battle, but of the entire war. Another local honoree,
Parke Potter, was in one of three companies to take the
mountain. He also helped improvise a makeshift flagpole by
wiring together scraps of iron pipe.
Every single American who fought at Iwo Jima was valiant in
preserving freedom and democracy. More medals for valor were
awarded for action on Iwo Jima than in any battle in the
history of the United States. The Marines were awarded
eighty-four Medals of Honor in World War II. In just the
month of fighting on Iwo Jima, they were awarded twenty-seven
Medals of Honor. We will never forget those who descended
into the depth of hell that month 61 years ago, so that we
and future generations, might exist above it. And we honor
those who sacrificed their futures that we might have ours.
____________________