[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 143 (Monday, August 27, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5951-S5952]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  REMEMBERING LEONARD AND DODY BOSWELL

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to pay tribute 
to a devoted public servant from my home State of Iowa. Congressman 
Leonard Boswell passed away this month after a long battle with cancer. 
A decorated military officer, he served 20 years in the U.S. Army, a 
dozen years in the Iowa Senate, and 16 years in the U.S. House of 
Representatives.
  That adds up to nearly a half-century in service to the country he so 
dearly loved and served with honor and distinction. After being drafted 
into the U.S. Army, Leonard rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel and 
served two tours of duty as an assault helicopter pilot in Vietnam. His 
distinguished service in uniform groomed him for political battles on 
the campaign trail and in public office at the State and Federal level.
  In civilian life, as well as in both the military and political 
arenas, Leonard Boswell was an officer and a gentleman. He brought 
integrity to the campaign trail and to the halls of Congress. Anyone 
who underestimated Congressman Boswell failed to appreciate the gritty 
combination of a decorated war veteran and a cattle farmer from 
southern Iowa. In fact, an armed intruder who broke into the 
Congressman's farm home in 2011 found out right quick. At age 77, 
Leonard's instincts to protect his family kicked into overdrive, and he 
tackled the intruder to the ground.
  Notwithstanding those instincts, Leonard Boswell was widely known as 
folksy and plain-spoken. He was Iowa through and through. That included 
answering the call to help his neighbors and a local grain elevator 
struggling during the 1980s farm crisis. From there, he threw his hat 
into the ring for public office.
  Congressman Boswell's funeral service was last Saturday, and 
unexpectedly, it became a double ceremony as his beloved wife of 63 
years died just hours before the service, 8 days after Congressman 
Boswell passed. Leonard and Dody's life together was filled with deep 
faith, love of family and friends, and service, as she taught 
elementary school for 37 years, mainly in Lamoni. Dody's family rightly 
described her as spiritual, adventurous, vibrant, with a wonderful 
sense of humor who lived with love, tenacity, and compassion.
  Although Congressman Boswell and I were members of two different 
political parties, we shared many things in common as lifelong Iowans, 
farmers, octogenarians, and outspoken champions for rural America.
  On many issues of the day, we had different points of view on how to 
achieve a particular goal, but at the end of the day, we shared an 
unequivocal commitment to work on behalf of Iowans, especially farmers 
and veterans. From farm bills to transportation and infrastructure 
spending, Leonard and I largely saw eye to eye on legislation that 
would help Iowans weather the storms of natural disasters or downturns 
in the farm economy.
  As members of the Iowa congressional delegation, there is an unspoken 
understanding that, when it comes to matters important to Iowa, we work 
all for one and one for all. I recall when Leonard first came to 
Washington in 1997, he was the only Democrat in the Iowa House 
delegation. Shortly after his swearing in, Congressman Boswell invited 
my staff and me to his office to get acquainted. We enjoyed his Iowa 
hospitality very much and returned the invitation shortly thereafter. 
After our initial meet-and-greets, it was understood that our doors and 
lines of communication were always open. We shared a very good working 
relationship during our service together in Congress.
  There is one particular piece of legislation that we worked on 
together in our respective Chambers of Congress. I was the lead Senate 
Republican cosponsor, and he was the principal author in the House of 
Representatives. It is called the Joshua Omvig Suicide Prevention Act. 
We named the bill for an Iowan who took his own life in 2005 after 
returning from duty in Iraq. Our bill was enacted in 2007. It sought to 
improve mental health services for veterans. Here in the Senate, I will 
continue working to carry out our shared mission of suicide prevention 
for servicemembers. As a decorated war veteran and longtime advocate 
for the veteran community, Congressman Boswell cared deeply about 
fulfilling the promises made to America's veterans. The law he worked 
to enact has paved

[[Page S5952]]

the way for even more resources and programs to get veterans in crisis 
the help they need.
  In closing, I salute a widely respected patriot, whom I am proud to 
call my friend. Leonard leaves behind a legacy of service, civility, 
and integrity. Barbara and I extend our deepest condolences to the 
Boswell family as they mourn the loss and celebrate the lives of 
Leonard and Dody. God bless them both.

                          ____________________