[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 55 (Thursday, April 16, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2234-S2240]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       JUSTICE FOR VICTIMS OF TRAFFICKING ACT OF 2015--Continued

  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I am going to have, later on--I was hoping

[[Page S2235]]

we would be able to do this today--a couple of amendments that I can't 
imagine will be any problem on the floor. But it has been a problem 
that has been with us for a long period of time, and we are in a 
position to do something about it.
  Due to a couple of Supreme Court cases, ICE cannot detain convicted 
criminal aliens awaiting deportation beyond 6 months. So what they have 
to do is--they have no choice--they have to put them back into the 
community, and they are back where they can continue to commit the same 
crimes that they committed before.
  In 2013, over 36,000 criminal immigrants with over 88,000 convictions 
were released back into our communities, including convictions of over 
100 commercialized sexual offences, over 700 sexual offences, and many 
others. But that is 36,000, all in 1 year. Now, since that time, 
176,000 of nondetained convicted criminals have gone back into our 
society. This is something I can't imagine anyone would want to 
continue.
  My amendment would allow for the government to renew detention of 
these criminal aliens every 6 months to determine, should they be 
returned to society, what the risk is. Then we can let justice take 
place. But it does away with that prohibition of anything over 6 
months. So we have people out there right now--167,000 alien 
criminals--who very likely could repeat their crimes. That is my 
amendment No. 275.
  Amendment No. 276. Last summer, we saw tens of thousands of kids come 
across our southern border. Some were housed in my State of Oklahoma at 
Fort Sill. This summer, experts are predicting another wave of children 
from Central America. This is the problem. If these were kids who came 
over from either Canada or Mexico, we could do something about it. We 
could actually send them back and have some authority.
  But as it is right now, if one of them comes from Central America, 
even though they come through Mexico, they are citizens of a Central 
American country, and so we cannot do that.
  I have an amendment that would--well, in fact, our situation in 
Oklahoma is that we had several hundred who were just put there, and 
what do you do with a bunch of kids? So they put them in Fort Sill, and 
they had a place where they could temporarily put them down. Then they 
kind of disappeared.
  I had occasion to go into Los Fresnos in southern Texas. That is one 
of the largest centers where they will put these kids.
  I went in there. They didn't really want me to go in there, take 
pictures, and see what was going on. But in that particular center--I 
am going from memory now. I think they had a total of 80 beds--only 80 
kids at the time.
  I asked the question: How many kids have come through here in the 
last 6 months?
  And they said: Over thousands and thousands.
  I said: Wait a minute. If you had thousands, where are they now?
  They couldn't answer that.
  So what happens is the kids come in, they temporarily identify them, 
and then they disappear into society.
  Now, with this change, all we are doing is treating these kids who 
would be coming into this country by giving our enforcement officers 
the latitude and the opportunity to send them back or to let them go 
back voluntarily. Right now, they can't even go back voluntarily once 
they cross the line coming into this country.
  That is amendment No. 276. It is one that we will be considering and 
hopefully getting a vote on when we return early next week.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. FRANKEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Cassidy). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mr. FRANKEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for up 
to 15 minutes as in morning business.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  (The remarks of Mr. Franken pertaining to the introduction of S. 993 
are printed in today's Record under ``Statements on Introduced Bills 
and Joint Resolutions.'')
  Mr. FRANKEN. I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


                  Commemorating Virginia Tech Shooting

  Mr. KAINE. Mr. President, I rise today to commemorate a horrible 
tragedy, to honor a community, and to challenge this Congress. Eight 
years ago today I was the Governor of Virginia. I had just landed in 
Japan to begin a 2-week trade mission in Japan and India, and there was 
a knock on my hotel room door. State Police informed me there had been 
a horrible shooting on the campus of one of my State universities, 
Virginia Tech. We turned on CNN--that far away around the world--and 
saw the news unfold, the horrific events of that day. We went back to 
the airport, and we flew back home and spent weeks, months, and then 
years dealing with the aftermath of this horrible tragedy.
  Thirty-two wonderful Americans, Virginians, and folks from around the 
world--students, professors, and graduate students of Virginia Tech--
lost their lives that day. If you will allow me, I want to read their 
names into the Record:
  Ross Alameddine, Jamie Bishop, Brian Bluhm, Ryan Clark, Austin 
Michelle Cloyd, Jocelyne Couture-Nowak, Daniel Alejandro Perez Cueva, 
Kevin Granata, Matthew Gwaltney, Caitlin Hammaren, Jeremy Herbstritt, 
Rachael Elizabeth Hill, Emily Hilscher, Jarrett Lane, Matthew La Porte, 
Henry Lee, Liviu Librescu, G.V. Loganathan, Partahi Mamora Halomoan 
Lumbantoruan, Lauren McCain, Daniel O'Neil, Juan Ramon Ortiz, Minal 
Panchal, Erin Peterson, Michael Pohle, Julia Pryde, Mary Karen Read, 
Reema Samaha, Waleed Mohammed Shaalan, Leslie Sherman, Maxine Turner, 
and Nicole White.
  Thirty-two precious, precious people of amazing accomplishment and 
even more amazing promise. Seventeen others were shot that day and 
wounded. Six others were not shot but were injured leaping from windows 
in a classroom building to escape the carnage. And so many others were 
affected: first responders, pastors, counselors, and the entire Hokie 
Nation. That is what we call the Virginia Tech community.
  I know there has been a presentation on the floor about mental health 
issues and first responders. Some of the most painful discussions I had 
were in the aftermath of the shooting. I had many with family members 
and students who were injured, but some of the most painful were from 
the first responders. The EMTs on the scene included students who were 
volunteering at the campus EMT operation. Their description of this 
carnage they walked into, as horrible as the carnage was--the physical 
carnage--the thing that many of them told me was the most difficult for 
them to get over was walking into classrooms where there were dead 
bodies and hearing in pockets and backpacks next to these prone forms 
the vibrating and ringing of cell phones from parents and friends who 
had seen the news on TV and were reaching out to try to find out 
whether their friend or their child was safe. Those unanswered phones 
were deeply, deeply difficult to those who were the responders.
  I have friends who were pastors and counselors in the Blacksburg 
community. And their own experiences years later have profoundly 
transformed their lives. Even in tragedy, though, you can see examples 
of resilience and remarkable spirit. The Virginia Tech community, the 
Hokie Nation, on that day demonstrated resilience and in the years 
since. I do stand to honor that spirit and resilience of the entire 
community, even as we acknowledge the horrible tragedy.
  Two years ago on this day we were in the midst of a grim debate on 
this floor inspired by another horrific shooting--the murder of 
schoolchildren in Newtown, CT. I stood on the floor and talked about 
the shooting at Virginia Tech and the lessons we had learned. I

[[Page S2236]]

told the story of just one of the victims. It is sort of unfair to 
single out a person because all were so special, but one of the victims 
who was killed that day was a professor of engineering, Liviu Librescu, 
Romanian-born, who survived the Holocaust and who survived the Soviet 
takeover of his native country, only to be killed by gun violence in 
America as he barred the door to his classroom to stop the shooter from 
entering so that his students could safely escape. He survived the 
Holocaust, survived the depredation imposed on his country by Soviet 
communism and was killed by gun violence at Virginia Tech University in 
Virginia in this country.
  I want to tell you today about two students who were shot that day 
but survived. They offer a powerful lesson about the resilient human 
spirit and also offer a challenge to this body.

  Colin Goddard was a senior just weeks away from graduation. He was 
badly wounded. He was shot four times that day. My wife Anne and I 
visited him in the hospital 2 days after the shooting. We see him and 
his parents often. They live in Richmond, where we live.
  In the years since his graduation, Colin has become a passionate 
advocate for gun safety, especially focusing on the need for a national 
system of background record checks. He helped produce and was part of 
an award-winning documentary about his friends. The documentary is 
called ``Living for 32,'' and it is very powerful.
  Elilta ``Lily'' Habtu was also a senior, and she was majoring in 
psychology. She was shot and badly injured that day. She is with us 
today in the Senate Gallery. Lily was already focused on helping 
people, but the shooting put her on a new path. Along with other 
survivors, she founded Students for Gun Free Schools, a grassroots 
movement to keep campuses safe. She received a master's degree in 
conflict analysis and resolution from George Mason University, and she 
has used that training to work on a number of gun safety issues. She 
also served as an intern at the White House.
  I could tell wonderful stories about many of the others who were 
killed or injured, and all of them are precious. I hope to do that in 
the years to come because I have a feeling I will stand on this floor 
often on April 16. I focused on Colin and Lily today because of their 
passionate work for gun safety.
  In the aftermath of the shooting at Virginia Tech, I commissioned a 
panel to review what went wrong that day. Lawyers said: Don't do that. 
People could use it to bring lawsuits against the State.
  I said: No. We have to know what went wrong. We have to know what we 
can do to reduce the chance this will ever happen again. We will not be 
able to eliminate violence. We will not be able to eliminate shootings. 
But at least we can reduce the chance if we learn what went wrong.
  My panel dug into it and made recommendations about mental health, 
campus safety protocol, first responders, the training of campus 
personnel, and about gun safety. These detailed recommendations led to 
numerous changes in State and Federal best practices and laws, and I 
saw legislators from both parties work together, with strong public 
support, to make changes so our campuses would be safer.
  Mr. President, I would not be honest if I didn't say there was one 
recommendation by my panel that was opposed both at the State and 
Federal levels--the institution of a comprehensive background record 
check system to keep weapons out of the hands of dangerous individuals. 
I wish to talk today about that continuing failure.
  The Virginia Tech student who killed and wounded so many, Seung-Hui 
Cho, should never have been able to purchase weapons at all. He had 
been adjudicated in a court in the Commonwealth of Virginia as mentally 
ill and dangerous and was thus barred by Federal law from purchasing or 
owning weapons. That is a longstanding Federal law, but the Federal law 
is only as good as the background record check system that is able to 
determine when someone purchases a weapon if they have, in fact, been 
adjudicated mentally ill and dangerous. Because the record of his 
adjudication had not been entered into the national NICS database, he 
slipped through the cracks, and this troubled individual illegally 
bought the weapons that destroyed so many lives and removed so much 
promise from this Earth.
  We fixed the narrow issue that led to Seung-Hui Cho's adjudication 
being left out of the database. I did it by executive order. My 
legislature confirmed it at the Federal level. Laws were passed and 
signed into law by President Bush to encourage States to enter mental 
health adjudications into the Federal database--a database that in the 
last 20 years has succeeded at stopping more than 2 million people from 
making illegal gun purchases.
  But just months later, as Governor, when I tried to make sure we 
performed background record checks on everybody, especially those who 
purchased guns at gun shows, which account for a huge portion of the 
gun purchases in the United States--there is no law requiring 
background record checks at gun shows. When I made that effort, my 
general assembly basically caved in to pressure from a Virginia 
organization--the National Rifle Association--and other groups, and 
they voted against background record checks.
  Two years ago, as a Senator, during the very week we were 
commemorating the anniversary of the most horrific shooting to ever 
happen on a college campus in the history of the United States and in 
the shadow of the horrific shootings in Newtown, CT, we tried to create 
a uniform background record check system at the Federal level, but the 
same groups that fought against us in Virginia fought against 
background checks here.
  Even in the shadow of the horrific shootings of the little kids in 
Newtown--and since the Newtown shootings, more than 70,000 Americans 
have been killed by gun violence in this country--we still lack a 
comprehensive background record check system. It is estimated that 40 
percent of all of the guns that are sold in the United States occur 
with no background record check.
  The Presiding Officer knows the law. Convicted felons are not 
lawfully allowed to purchase their own weapons, but without a 
comprehensive background record check system, they can and they do. 
People who have been adjudicated mentally ill and dangerous are not 
lawfully allowed to purchase their own weapons, but without a 
comprehensive background record check system, they can and they do. 
Domestic violence perpetrators who have been placed under protective 
orders are not lawfully allowed to purchase their own weapons, but 
without a comprehensive background record check system, they can and 
they do.
  So why not fix our laws to create a record check system so we can 
keep weapons out of the hands of those who are not legally allowed to 
have them? Why are groups such as the NRA so passionately opposed to 
keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous people?
  I am particularly interested in the NRA's position on this issue 
because I know the organization very well. The NRA is headquartered in 
Virginia. I know many NRA members. When I was the mayor of Richmond and 
I helped implement an antigun program--Project Exile--that would send 
gun criminals to Federal prison, the NRA supported our effort. So why 
is the NRA opposed to background record checks?
  The NRA opposes background record checks even though American gun 
owners and even NRA members have frequently indicated strong support 
for background record checks in polling.
  The NRA opposes background record checks even though their avowed 
principles would suggest that they would support such laws. For 
example, the NRA has been fond of saying: We don't need new gun laws; 
we just need to enforce existing gun laws. That is exactly what a 
background record check does. It makes no change in the law as to who 
can and cannot have a weapon; it just enables us to enforce existing 
laws to stop dangerous people, such as Seung-Hui Cho, from purchasing 
weapons.
  The NRA has also famously said that we should not take guns out of 
the hands of law-abiding citizens; we should instead focus on getting 
guns away from criminals. Again, that is exactly what a background 
record check system does. It only stops people from purchasing weapons 
if they are legally prohibited from purchasing weapons.
  If gun owners and NRA members support background checks in polls, and 
if

[[Page S2237]]

the NRA's own principles suggest that background checks are in tune 
with their philosophy, why have they fought so hard and so long to keep 
our Nation from having a comprehensive background check system? I have 
pondered that question since 2007 because that day was one of the worst 
days of my life. I spent a lot of time thinking about it and thinking 
about what I ought to do as a citizen and elected official to reduce 
the chance that anybody will ever have to go through that experience 
again.
  After pondering the question of why any legitimate organization would 
fight against background record checks, the only purpose of which is to 
keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people who are not legally 
allowed to have them, I have come to the conclusion that there is only 
one answer, and the answer is this: The NRA does not really speak for 
or represent American gun owners. Instead, they speak for and represent 
and, most importantly, receive funding from gun manufacturers. If you 
make guns, it is in your financial interest to sell as many guns as you 
can to whomever you can, whenever you can, and wherever you can. And I 
believe that is the reason so many States and even Congress are not 
able to pass background record check laws to keep us safer.
  Mr. President, let me be self-critical. I would not call out the NRA 
if I were not about to do what I am about to do. I will bring it home 
and talk about Congress. If the NRA is now beholden to gun 
manufacturers, I have to be honest enough to admit that Congress can 
hardly be self-righteous about this. I would argue that Congress is 
equally beholden to gun manufacturers as well.
  As the Presiding Officer knows, Congress generally leaves the 
question of tort law as a matter for States to resolve. We generally 
don't have big tort reform at the Federal level. Republicans often 
advance notions of States' rights and oppose Federal laws that trump 
State laws. Democrats are generally against efforts that block 
plaintiffs' access to State courts to seek redress for injuries. So, in 
some ways, both Republican and Democratic principles have tended to be 
opposed to tort reform at the national level.
  But here is an unusual example. In 2005, 10 years ago, both Democrats 
and Republicans joined together to support a major Federal tort reform 
act, the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, and that act 
restricts the ability of people to bring lawsuits against firearm 
manufacturers in State or Federal court for negligent use of firearms. 
This 2005 act, which was a bipartisan one in this body--13 Democrats 
joined with Republicans to pass it--is highly unusual because if you 
look through the entire United States Code, you are not going to find 
many national, Federal-level tort laws that shield entire industries 
from State court claims based on negligence. There may be another one, 
but I don't know what it is. This is a highly unusual shielding of an 
entire industry--the gun manufacturing industry--from State and Federal 
claims based on negligence. This industry uniquely receives this very 
special protection from the Congress of the United States.
  When the law was passed in this body and signed into law by President 
Bush, plaintiffs in State courts whose cases were being tried had to 
immediately close down their cases. Plaintiffs who had won cases and 
had cases on appeal immediately had their cases dismissed. This does 
not happen often, but for gun manufacturers, in this Congress, it has 
happened.
  I will conclude by saying this: We have to make a decision about what 
is important. We have to make decisions every day about what is 
important. Should we keep weapons out of the hands of dangerous people, 
people who are prohibited by law from having them--if you think the 
answer is yes, then you should support background check laws--or should 
we embrace a policy that is based on the notion that we should sell as 
many guns as we can to whomever we can, whenever we can, and wherever 
we can? Because that is the current state of the law with an inadequate 
background check system. It serves no one's interest other than gun 
manufacturers', but the human cost is incalculably high.
  As we commemorate the shooting at Virginia Tech, honoring those we 
lost and those brave survivors, such as Colin and Lily, who are using 
their painful experience to help others, and honoring the resilience of 
the entire Hokie Nation, it is my hope that my colleagues will get 
serious about gun safety.
  I am a gun owner and a proud supporter of the Second Amendment, but 
the time is long overdue for a comprehensive background check system 
that keeps weapons out of the hands of dangerous people like Seung-Hui 
Cho. I look forward to the day when we will accomplish this and have a 
safer nation as a result.
  With that, I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Ms. HEITKAMP. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.


 Honoring Vietnam Veterans and North Dakota's Soldiers Who Lost Their 
                            Lives in Vietnam

  Ms. HEITKAMP. Mr. President, I rise again to speak about and honor 
our Nation's and North Dakota's Vietnam veterans, and, through my 
continuing series of floor speeches, specifically those brave 
servicemembers who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
  As you know, we are in the midst of a commemoration of the 50th 
anniversary of the Vietnam war. This special period of honoring our 
Vietnam veterans runs through 2025. I have partnered with students from 
Bismarck High School in researching these soldiers, and once again I 
thank their instructors Laura Forde, Sara Rinas, and Allison Wendel for 
coordinating this project and sharing their students' research with my 
office.
  Last month, I visited these students and was so impressed with their 
commitment to this project. I want to say thank you again to the 
Bismark High 11th graders and their teachers for helping us gather 
important information about the lives of these servicemembers.
  This week, I am especially happy to be able to include information 
they helped to find about the lives of Tom Alderson and John Tingley. I 
am also grateful to my friend Jim Nelson, a Vietnam veteran, who is 
dedicated to making sure each of these soldiers' immediate relatives 
receives a Gold Star Family member pin and certificate.
  I was happy to be part of Jim's ceremony in Bismark last year in 
honoring these soldiers and their families. Through this effort, I hope 
to make sure our Nation never forgets the needs of our Vietnam veterans 
and the sacrifices of those who fell in service to our country.
  There were 198 sons of North Dakota who did not make it home from the 
Vietnam War. One hundred ninety-eight sons of North Dakota gave their 
lives for their country and their State. Today, I am honored to tell 
you about a few of them.


                       Clifton ``Cliff'' Cushman

  First is Clifton ``Cliff'' Cushman. Cliff was from Grand Forks and 
was born on June 2, 1938. He served in the Air Force--the 469th 
Tactical Fighter Squadron. Cliff was 28 years old when he went missing 
on September 25, 1966.
  Cliff left behind his widow Carolyn and their son Colin, born just 
days before Cliff learned that he would be deployed to Vietnam. Colin 
was 9 months old when Cliff left for Vietnam.
  Everyone in Grand Forks knows the name of Cushman because Cliff was a 
standout athlete and a Silver Medalist in the 1960 Olympics in the 400 
meter hurdles. Grand Forks named their high school football stadium 
Cushman Field after Cliff.
  Grand Forks kids are still inspired annually by the reading of the 
1964 letter Cliff wrote to students about effort, after he fell while 
attempting to qualify for the 1964 Olympics. This is a quote from 
Cliff's letter: ``I would much rather fail knowing I had put forth an 
honest effort than never to have tried at all.'' Later in the same 
letter, Cliff wrote: ``Unless your reach exceeds your grasp, how can 
you be sure what you can attain?''


                        Thomas ``Tom'' Alderson

  I want to talk about Thomas Alderson. Tom was from Grand Forks. He 
was born on September 9, 1941. He served as a captain in the Army's 
56th medical company. He died October 3,

[[Page S2238]]

1968, at the age of 27. He was survived by his wife, mother, brother, 
and two sisters.
  Tom was an Army dental officer in the Vietnam Dental Corps. His 
father-in-law was his commanding officer.
  In high school, he was an honor student and lettered in basketball, 
track, and tennis. He attended the University of North Dakota and the 
University of Minnesota, where he earned his dental degree in 1966.
  In Vietnam, Tom was in charge of several dental offices, which 
required travel throughout the country. Tom's driver in Vietnam wrote 
the family a letter explaining that even as a dentist, Tom was ducking 
mortars all day long during his service.


                         Raymond ``Ray'' Kramer

  Next, Ray Kramer. Ray was from New Salem and he was born December 31, 
1946. He served in the Army's 1st Infantry Division.
  Ray died on February 2, 1968. He was 21 years old. Ray was the sixth 
of nine children. His brother, Cecil, also served in the Army. Ray's 
nephew, Cody, is very proud of his Uncle Ray's service.
  Ray grew up on the farm where his family raised grain and dairy cows. 
He was an honor student at New Salem High School and later worked as a 
dedicated carpenter. Ray's sister, Beverly, remembers that Ray's dog 
loved him so much that he slept under Ray's car while Ray was in 
Vietnam. After Ray was killed in action, his parents left the farm and 
moved to town. His sister took Ray's dog to her farm 10 miles away, but 
the dog ran all the way back home to wait for Ray under his car.


                      Ronald ``Christy'' Goodiron

  Ronald Christy Goodiron was from Shields and was born December 23, 
1947. He served in the Marine Corps' 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines.
  Christy was 20 years old when he died on February 28, 1968. His 
father Paul Goodiron served in World War I and was a code talker. 
Christy's close cousin, Paul Goodiron, also served in Vietnam. 
Unfortunately, Paul unexpectedly died last month. Paul's son, CPL 
Nathan Goodiron, was also killed in action in 2006 serving his country 
in the U.S. Army National Guard in Afghanistan.
  Christy's family remembers him as smiling all the time. Today, they 
honor him at powwows by raising the American flag they received when he 
died and singing the Vietnam ``Warrior's Song'' to honor Christy.
  Christy's family appreciates reading what his fellow marines serving 
with him wrote about their memories of him and the account of what 
happened the day he died.


                          Ronald ``Ron'' Bond

  Maj. Ronald Bond was from Fargo and was born on July 30, 1930. He 
served in the Air Force's 604th Air Commando Squadron. He was 37 years 
old when he went missing May 11, 1968.
  Ron was the oldest of six kids and the first in his family to attend 
college. Ron's family remembers him as an adventuresome spirit. He 
loved hunting, fishing, water skiing, and even competitive sailing with 
his wife.
  Ron's military career began as a Naval ROTC Cadet in his first year 
at North Dakota State University. Ron then served in the Naval Reserve, 
enlisted in the Navy, and upon discharge immediately enlisted in the 
Air Force.
  Despite an aircraft accident that injured his spine, Ron became a 
flight instructor and flew in more missions until he was killed in 
action in Vietnam. His body has never been recovered.


                              Gary Lokken

  Gary Lokken was from Bowman and was born on July 2, 1941. He served 
in the Army Reserve's Engineering CMD. He was 26 years old when he died 
on April 10, 1968. Gary left behind his widow Paige and infant twins, a 
boy and a girl. The twins were 10 days old when Gary left for basic 
training.
  Gary was a medical doctor, who studied in North Dakota and Texas. He 
completed his medical internship in Hawaii and planned to return there 
with his family to live after his service. Six months after arriving in 
Vietnam, Gary was killed while transporting patients when his vehicle 
hit a landmine.
  His twins both entered the medical field. His son is a histology 
technician and his daughter a medical doctor.


                         William ``Bill'' Eckes

  William ``Bill'' Eckes was from Beach. He was born on September 20, 
1940. He served in the Navy as a Petty Officer First Class journalist. 
Bill died March 10, 1967. He was 26 years old.
  Bill was the oldest of seven children. His father was an Army 
sergeant in World War II. Bill was a well-known football player for 
Beach High School. He was on his second tour of duty in the Navy as a 
journalist when his aircraft crashed in South Vietnam.
  He previously wrote for Stars and Stripes while he was stationed in 
Sicily and Iceland. Margot, Bill's sister closest in age, remembers him 
as an intelligent, determined person whose plan was to come home after 
attending the University of North Dakota and have a career in the 
Foreign Service.


                            Jerome Ellenson

  Jerome Ellenson was from Walcott and was born on April 3, 1946. He 
served in the Army's 196th Infantry Brigrade. Jerome died on January 
10, 1968. He was 20 years old.
  Jerome was the fifth of seven children. Jerome's oldest sister, 
Margie, remembers him as having a unique love of life, being a great 
storyteller, and everyone's friend.
  Margie tells about how Jerome would often give his family side aches 
because he had made them laugh so much on long car trips. Jerome didn't 
say goodbye to anyone when he left for Vietnam.
  His family was told he was the last survivor of his unit; that he 
manned the radio until his death.


                         Chester ``Skip'' Coons

  Chester ``Skip'' Coons was from Bismark. He was born March 29, 1936. 
He served in the Navy's Observation Squadron 67. He was 31 years old on 
February 17, 1968, when he went missing.
  Skip and his two brothers, Larry and Ronald, all served in the Navy. 
Their mother Elsie still lives in Bismark and is 95 years old. Skip 
left behind two young daughters who were thankful to meet fellow sky 
sailors of their dad's old unit.
  Skip had planned to make a career out of the military. In high 
school, he joined the North Dakota National Guard, then he joined the 
Air Force for 3 years, and later joined the Navy as a pilot. He was on 
his third tour of duty in Vietnam when his plane was shot down on a 
reconnaissance mission over Laos. In 1993, his remains were finally 
recovered.


                           Richard Buringrud

  Richard Buringrud was from Argusville and was born on November 24, 
1946. He served in the Army 12th Infantry Regiment. Richard died on 
June 9, 1969. He was 22 years old.
  Richard loved softball and playing basketball in high school. 
Richard's father still lives in Fargo and his family remembers the 
letters he sent home describing having been in a swamp, which was the 
first kind of bath he had in a week.
  Richard was an expert rifleman and was killed when he went ahead of 
his armored unit to help clear the way.


                              Brent Sveen

  Brent Sveen was from Harwood and went to high school in West Fargo. 
He was born October 25, 1951. He was 18 years old when he died on 
September 7, 1970.
  Brent's father also served in the Army in World War II. Brent's older 
brother Bruce, a marine, served two tours of duty in Vietnam.
  Brent's sisters, Jean and Ava, remember Brent as befriending 
everyone, being the life of the party, and having a great sense of 
humor and wit.
  Brent's sisters cherish one family picture in particular. Their older 
brother Bruce was wearing his marine uniform. Before taking the 
picture, Brent disappeared. He returned wearing his dad's old World War 
II Army uniform and the family took the picture with both boys in 
uniform.
  Having an older brother serve in Vietnam, Brent could have waived out 
of his own service, but he was eager to serve his country and enlisted 
while in high school. Shortly before he died, Brent wrote this poem he 
mailed to his parents.

     I think of my buddy I was talking to yesterday;
     Now he's lying on the ground not far away;
     They say he's dead, but I hope it's not true;
     And if it is, to ease my tears I'll think of you.
     I looked down at his body and began to cry;
     I turned to the clouds and asked, God, why?
     I waited awhile, but no answer came;

[[Page S2239]]

     Only the unceasing falling rain.

  I want to thank Brent's sister Jean Kraft for participating in this 
project. Jean joined me recently in a visit to the Bismarck High School 
sharing her own family's stories and encouraging these students to 
reach out to families and to learn about the lives of these young men 
whom we lost in Vietnam. She is among my very favorite people and a 
hero herself.


                          Peter Binstock, Jr.

  Peter Binstock, Jr., was from New England. He was born May 5, 1947. 
He served in the Army as an Armor Recon Specialist. He died on January 
3, 1969. He was 21 years old.

  Peter was the oldest of 11 children. His family had eight girls and 
three boys. Peter planned on taking over the family farm when he 
returned from Vietnam. His sister Rose remembers Peter as always being 
in good spirits. While he was in Vietnam, he was fondly called ``Big 
Pete'' because he was 6 feet 3 inches and very strong. He was promoted 
to corporal after his death.


                              Ronald Kent

  Ronald Kent. Ronald was from Page and was born April 21, 1943. He 
served in the Army 25th Infantry Division. He was 23 years old when he 
died on January 20, 1967.
  Ronald was one of eight children. His family remembers him as a 
fearless man. He was small in stature but big in spirit. His sister 
Candice remembers that Ronald loved the outdoors, and he had the 
ability to talk his nieces and nephews into anything, including 
cleaning his car.
  A few years ago, Ronald's brother Steven spoke to the young men who 
carried Ronald's body back to the base after he was killed. After 
hearing the description of that day, Steven knows that in those final 
moments, all that Ronald was thinking about was saving his brothers-in-
arms.


                               Ward Evans

  Ward Evans. Ward was from Harwood, and he was born February 22, 1940. 
He served in the Army 5th Infantry Division. He died on February 8, 
1969. He was 28 years old. Ward was the youngest of five children. His 
family remembers him as someone who was always ready to help others. 
His sister Maryann remembers that when he came home from Vietnam on a 
break, he seemed sad and that the war had gotten to him, but he went 
back to complete his duty.
  On February 8, 1969, almost all the men near Ward were killed. When 
the chopper came back to pick up the survivors, Ward demanded to stay 
behind in order to rescue three men who were still alive but also 
wounded. While tending to the injured soldiers, Ward stepped on a land 
mine.
  Ward's nephew Mark is so proud of him and will always remember Ward 
as a man who did what was right no matter what the personal cost.


                              John Tingley

  John Tingley was from Kathryn. He was born on August 19, 1946. He 
served in the Army 128th Aviation Company. He was 21 years old at the 
time of his death, January 10, 1968.
  John was one of six children born in 8 years. John's sister Mary 
remembers John as someone who did it all. He played the trombone in 
band, sang in the choir, was a member of the 4H Club, and played 
sports. He had a photographic memory and his sister knew he would have 
had an enormously bright future.
  In Vietnam, John was a helicopter gunner crew chief. The day he was 
killed, John's helicopter was responding to a helicopter that had just 
gone down. While they were going to assist soldiers involved in the 
crash, he was shot and killed.
  All of these young men serving their country and serving each other 
remind us of the sacrifices we have experienced in war. They remind us 
that there are so many among us who will run to the sound of the guns 
and protect our freedom. We cannot let their sacrifice ever be 
forgotten.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, we are continuing to make progress on 
the bipartisan antitrafficking bill. Senator Cornyn is working with 
Chairman Grassley and Senators on both sides of the aisle to resolve 
the remaining issues.
  It is my hope we will be able to go through an orderly amendment 
process and pass the trafficking bill early next week. The Senate will 
then consider the Lynch nomination through the regular order, as I have 
already committed to doing, followed by consideration of the Iran bill 
as reported unanimously by the Foreign Relations Committee earlier this 
week.


                 Unanimous Consent Agreement--H.R. 1191

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that at a time 
to be determined by the majority leader, with the concurrence of the 
Democratic leader, the Senate proceed to vote on the motion to proceed 
to calendar No. 30, H.R. 1191, and that if the motion to proceed is 
agreed to, Senator Corker or his designee be recognized to offer a 
substitute amendment, which is the text of S. 615 as reported by the 
Foreign Relations Committee.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The minority leader.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I reserve my right to object, and would say 
that with the work done by Senators Murray and all the Judiciary 
Committee, led by Senator Leahy and, of course, Senator Klobuchar, 
working with Senator Cornyn, significant progress has been made. There 
is no question in that regard. But we are not there yet. Remember, we 
had a problem with this initially because of the language in the bill. 
So every word is going to have to be read with this new language that 
is drawn up, and then we will see if we can make it to the finish line. 
I think we can, but we are certainly not there yet. But progress has 
been made.
  Mr. President, in my reservation to object I would say that I note 
that the request the majority leader propounded is seeking to move to a 
House revenue bill, which of course would provide a vehicle for the 
Foreign Relations Committee-reported Iran legislation. I support the 
Committee-reported Iran legislation. I commend Senators Cardin and 
Corker for their historic work on this package. I do hope the Senate 
can pass it with no changes.
  But I note that the majority leader is once again choosing not to 
move to the nomination of Loretta Lynch as Attorney General. It has 
been more than 5 months--it will be 6 months in a week or 10 days--
since President Obama nominated her. Her nomination has been on the 
Senate calendar for 49 days, longer than the last 7 Attorney General 
nominations combined.
  So I ask whether the majority leader would modify his consent request 
to add this: That there be 2 hours for debate, divided in the usual 
form, and that following the use or yielding back of time, the Senate 
proceed to vote on the nomination; further, that if the nomination is 
confirmed, the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon 
the table with no intervening action or debate; that no further motions 
be in order to the nomination; and that the President be immediately 
notified of the Senate's action. Part of the consent request is that on 
Monday, April 20, at 3:30 p.m., the Senate proceed to executive session 
to consider Calendar No. 21.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Does the majority leader so modify his 
request?
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, as I have indicated, gosh, at least for 
6 weeks now, we are going to deal with the Lynch nomination right after 
we finish trafficking.
  I am optimistic that we will be able to do trafficking in 1 day. 
There is not a huge demand for amendments. As I have assured my friend 
the Democratic leader and our colleagues, then we will move forward on 
the nominee for Attorney General.
  Therefore, I object to the modification.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection to the modification is heard.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, continuing my reservation, as the majority 
leader is well aware, procedurally, the Senate provides many 
opportunities for delay. We are not going to treat the current majority 
the way the Republican minority treated us when we were in the 
majority. I am not going to object to the majority leader's consent 
today. However, I want everyone to know--I

[[Page S2240]]

am going to serve notice right now--that Ms. Lynch's nomination will 
not remain in purgatory forever.
  So I withdraw my objection.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________