[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Page 19990]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING ADMIRAL JOHN WILLIAM KIME

 Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment today 
to honor and pay tribute to ADM John William Kime, the 19th commandant 
of the Coast Guard who passed away on September 14, 2006.
  During his distinguished 41-year career in the Coast Guard, Admiral 
Kime embodied the ideals of superior public service. An officer of 
great vision and ability, his leadership as the Commandant of the Coast 
Guard from 1990 to 1994 left an indelible legacy of resource 
stewardship, environmental protection, and increased national security.
  Admiral Kime graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 1957. 
Following graduation, he immediately went to sea, serving in both deck 
and engineering assignments aboard the Coast Guard cutter Casco. In 
1960, he assumed command of Loran Station Wake Island.
  After his tour of duty in the South Pacific, Admiral Kime earned 
masters degrees in marine engineering and naval engineering from the 
Massachusetts Institute of Technology and embarked on what ultimately 
became his lifelong professional passion: improving the safety and 
security of this Nation's maritime interests.
  Admiral Kime commanded the Marine Safety Office in Baltimore, and 
served as the principal U.S. negotiator at the International Maritime 
Organization, IMO, conference in London where he was a key contributor 
during drafting of the liquefied gas container ship safety codes. Also 
during his time in Washington, Admiral Kime oversaw the structural 
design of the Coast Guard's Polar Class icebreakers--two vessels that 
have proven to be the anvil upon which this Nation's scientific 
research at the Earth's poles has been forged.
  While commanding the Coast Guard's Eleventh District, Admiral Kime 
was summoned to direct the Federal response to the Exxon Valdez oil 
spill, an event of national significance that influenced the rest of 
his career. Admiral Kime went on to serve as Chief of the Marine 
Safety, Security and Environmental Division in Washington DC and was 
ultimately confirmed by the 101st Congress as Commandant of the U.S. 
Coast Guard in 1990.
  As Commandant, Admiral Kime oversaw implementation of the landmark 
Oil Pollution Act of 1990. This act streamlined and strengthened the 
Federal Government's ability to prevent and respond to catastrophic oil 
spills. For his immense successes in improving commercial shipping 
regulations, he was awarded the 1993 International Maritime Prize by 
the International Maritime Organization.
  From overseeing the structural design of our Polar ice breaking fleet 
to pioneering improvements in the way our Nation prevents and responds 
to oil spills in the wake of the Exxon Valdez disaster, Admiral Kime's 
influence and energy remains visible in the wonderful performance of 
the U.S. Coast Guard today.
  Mr President, I ask all Members of the Senate to join me in 
recognizing Admiral Kime's service in our Nation's Coast Guard and 
remembering both his life and his dedication to the United States of 
America.

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