[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 40 (Tuesday, March 11, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S1515]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       REMEMBERING THOMAS EDWARD

  Mr. LEVIN. Madam President, I was saddened to learn of the passing of 
Thomas Edward ``Ed'' Braswell, Jr., and I offer my sincerest 
condolences to his family. Two former chairmen of the Senate Armed 
Services Committee, Sam Nunn and John Warner, joined in expressing 
their gratitude for Mr. Braswell's exemplary service at a recent 
committee hearing.
  Mr. Braswell joined the Armed Services Committee staff in 1953 and 
served as staff director and chief counsel to the committee under the 
leadership of two of the titans of the Senate--Richard Russell and John 
Stennis--for 23 years. Mr. Braswell served the committee from the 
beginning of the Eisenhower Presidency to the end of Gerald Ford's, 
helping see the committee through most of the Cold War and all of the 
Vietnam war and its aftermath. As chief counsel to the committee, Mr. 
Braswell helped to write the first of our annual National Defense 
Authorization Acts in 1962, and stayed on long enough to play a key 
role in the next 14 NDAAs, helping start a tradition of legislative 
accomplishment that continues to this day.
  The Armed Services Committee has been blessed over the years with a 
number of staff members who have served the committee for a period of 
decades, dedicating their careers to the committee, the Congress, our 
national security, and our men and women in uniform and their families. 
Our staffers work behind the scenes, providing us with the informed 
advice that we need as we consider the myriad of national security 
issues facing the Department of Defense and the Congress. The long 
hours and large workloads required for such a career often require 
significant sacrifices by both our staffers and their families. Without 
the advice and assistance of these committed public servants, the 
business of the Senate could not be carried out.
  Ed Braswell began his career by serving in the old Army Air Corps 
during World War II. He went on to go to Harvard Law School and worked 
briefly for the Department of Justice before joining the committee 
staff. In addition to his hefty commitments in the U.S. Senate, Mr. 
Braswell also made time to give back to his community. He served as the 
chairman of the Alexandria Planning Commission for more than 30 years 
and was instrumental in many of the commission's historic preservation 
efforts.
  I know my Senate colleagues join me in recognizing the mighty 
contributions of our staff members, both past and present. It is the 
hard work and dedication of individuals like Ed Braswell who make our 
work possible, and for that we are very grateful.

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