[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 16645-16657]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    REMEMBERING SENATOR TED STEVENS

  Mr. BENNETT. Madam President, today we will go to Arlington for the 
final ceremony with respect to our former colleague, Senator Ted 
Stevens. He has earned a place in Arlington by virtue of his service in 
the Second World War, but he has earned a place in the hearts of all of 
us who worked with him, and like my colleagues I want to take the 
opportunity to say a few words about Senator Stevens.
  Senator Stevens was something of a character. He would wear his Hulk 
tie. He would cultivate his reputation as an irascible fighter, and he 
always had a twinkle in his eye when he did it. But there was some 
truth to it.
  I remember the first time he took over as the chairman of the Senate 
Appropriations Committee. He gathered us together and he, speaking of 
his predecessor, Mark Hatfield, said: Mark Hatfield was a saint. He was 
filled with patience. You could talk to him at length, and he was 
always willing to defer. He was always willing to put off until you 
could get to the right solution. Mark Hatfield was a saint. I am not. 
We are going to get this thing done, and we are going to get it done on 
time. I am impatient, and I am going to make sure that the things go in 
the way they should.
  We all chuckled at that. We did, indeed, enjoy Mark Hatfield. But the 
point I want to make today is that behind that facade that Senator 
Stevens liked to put up was a very serious legislator and a very 
superior human being.
  Ted Stevens was always accessible. No matter what your problem was, 
you could go to him and he would listen to you. I discovered that when 
we were working on funding for the Olympics. He was a great supporter 
of the Olympics. As a Senator from Utah, when we were holding the 
Olympics I not only got his support, but I got his advice and his help. 
He was always accessible. He was always prepared. If you went to Ted 
Stevens, you wouldn't catch him by surprise on anything. He was always 
engaged. He didn't have to have the staff bring him up to speed; he had 
to have an understanding of the issues himself.
  Perhaps most importantly, Ted Stevens was always open to new ideas. I 
was chairman of the Joint Economic Committee and would talk about the 
economy to the conference as a whole and would be surprised how many 
times Ted Stevens would come up to me after and have some new idea 
about the economy or some new source he had come across he would 
recommend to me. Even after he had left the Senate when I would run 
into him in a social situation, Ted would say, You ought to get your 
staff looking at--and then he would fill in the blank with information 
of what it was he had found out.
  Ted Stevens served in the highest tradition of this body. It was an 
honor and a privilege and a learning experience for me to be able to 
serve with him. On this day, he takes his final resting place in 
Arlington. I join with my colleagues in paying tribute to him, not just 
as a Senator but as a superior human being and a great friend.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Texas.
  Mrs. HUTCHISON. Madam President, I rise to salute my former colleague 
Ted Stevens who will be laid to rest in Arlington today. He earned the 
right to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, having served in 
World War II. That is one of the things that hasn't been talked about 
as much regarding Ted Stevens because he was a remarkable Senator and 
has a remarkable history with his State of Alaska as well as in the 
Senate.
  Ted Stevens served here for 40 years. From the very beginning, Ted 
was Alaska's greatest champion. He helped found his State. He pushed 
through Alaska statehood and worked tirelessly to serve its unique 
needs for his entire life and continued to be its greatest advocate.
  Nine years after he helped establish Alaska's statehood, he was 
elected to serve in the Senate. He spent the next 40 years building his 
State from an undeveloped territory, which Alaska was, to one of our 
Nation's most important energy producers, along with the other things 
Alaska gives to our great Nation. It is a testament to Ted Stevens' 
mighty efforts and his love for his native land.
  Alaska and every other State was helped by Ted Stevens. Everyone 
knows he took care of Alaska because he fought ferociously, but he also 
helped every other Senator represent their States and the priorities of 
their States, and that was one of the great things about this man.
  In particular, when he went on the Appropriations Committee and later 
was its chairman as well as the chairman of the Defense Appropriations 
Subcommittee, he devoted himself to protecting our troops, to making 
sure they had the right equipment to do the jobs we ask them to do. Of 
course, he was a man of the military. He was so proud of his air 
service. He was a man who had flown in World War II. I visited the 
World War II Memorial to Americans in Great Britain with Ted Stevens, 
and he walked around all of the old airplanes and talked about the 
airplanes that were there and the ones he had flown and the ones that 
were new. There was an excitement about that, in his 80s--all the 
memories of his World War II time.
  When someone would say to me, How do you get along with Ted Stevens, 
I would always say Ted Stevens is a man who is all bark and no bite. 
This was a man who had this Incredible Hulk tie and he would frown and 
he would look ferocious. He was so tender underneath. He wanted to help 
people. He wanted to make sure people did the right thing. He had a 
passion, he did, but he was so good underneath.
  Back in 1993, when I first entered the Senate, I was one of seven 
women Senators. I would say there was not another woman on the Defense 
Appropriations Subcommittee--my colleague Barbara Mikulski was on the 
committee--but I wanted to be on the Defense Subcommittee and I told 
Ted Stevens, We have more Army retirees in Texas than any other State. 
We have great Army bases as well as Air Force bases in Texas. I want to 
be on the Defense Subcommittee. He helped me get there. It made a 
difference in my capability to serve my State and my Nation.

[[Page 16646]]

  I traveled once with Ted Stevens and Danny Inouye to Saudi Arabia for 
our work on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. I was told later 
that Ted Stevens was actually discouraged by our Saudi host from 
bringing me with the delegation because I was a woman. Ted Stevens 
never told me this until later. He said, No way am I going to keep a 
member of my subcommittee and my committee off this trip she deserves 
to go on, and that was it. I was part of the delegation. I visited our 
air base there with all of the other Members. I participated in every 
meeting and every event during that trip. Ted Stevens and Danny Inouye 
together would have it no other way.
  Let me mention the relationship between Danny Inouye and Ted Stevens.
  Ted Stevens and Danny Inouye were the chairman and ranking member of 
the Commerce Committee, but they never referred to each other as 
ranking member. They were always chairman and vice chairman. It went 
back and forth. When Democrats were in charge, Danny Inouye would be 
the chairman of a committee and Ted would be the vice chairman. If 
Republicans were in the majority, it would be Ted who was the chairman 
and the vice chairman would be Danny Inouye, because they were World 
War II soulmates. Danny Inouye--who is now the chairman of the 
Appropriations Committee and another great patriot for our country, 
hailing from Hawaii, who won the Congressional Medal of Honor for his 
great service in World War II--and Ted were inseparable friends and 
called each other soul brothers.
  Another Ted story: One day during the markup in the Senate 
Appropriations Committee, Ted grew very animated, as he did on issues, 
and when another Senator said, Mr. Chairman, there is no reason for you 
to lose your temper, Ted glared back and said, I never lose my temper. 
I know exactly where it is. Those who knew him best knew his 
compassionate heart.
  There is a wonderful article this morning in Politico, one of the 
newspapers on Capitol Hill, and it talks about his time. Again, another 
Ted story, World War II: He was very close to the Chinese, because he 
flew missions into China. One of the things he did was fly supplies to 
GEN Claire Chennault's Flying Tiger air bases in China. He escorted 
Anna Chennault on her first trip back to China in 1981 when Stevens 
himself had just remarried and was on his honeymoon with Catherine. 
``We went on our honeymoon there with Anna Chennault'', said Catherine 
Stevens, laughing. ``Everybody kept sending tips that Ted Stevens is on 
his honeymoon with Anna Chennault.'' Then Catherine said, ``And that 
was technically true.''
  This is another side of this wonderful man that we are going to bury 
today with all of the tributes and accolades he deserves at Arlington 
National Cemetery. We will miss this great man, this great patriot, 
this great Alaskan, this great American, and this great friend to every 
one of us here.
  Thank you, Madam President. I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Tennessee.
  Mr. ALEXANDER. Madam President, Senator Collins is next in order, but 
she has kindly given me a few minutes to make my remarks, and I wish to 
thank her for that.
  Senator Ted Stevens will be remembered as a patriot who flew the 
first cargo plane into Peking, as it was then called, at the end of 
World War II, and helped create and then serve the 49th State for a 
half a century.
  I have often thought that some day I should write a book about 
Senators--not about their gossip or their secrets--but about the things 
others don't know about the people we work with: About Jim Inhofe's 
flight around the world; about Ben Nighthorse Campbell's jewelry; about 
Barack Obama's and Mel Martinez's boyhood; about Jim Bunning's pitches. 
All of these things have nothing to do with politics. I always wanted 
to start with Ted Stevens. Some day I think I will write this book, 
including about how he flew a cargo plane into Peking at the end of 
World War II. It says a lot about the kind of life he led afterwards.
  No one did more to create Alaska as a State. He worked at the 
Interior Department for several years, writing speeches, lobbying, 
doing all kinds of things to cause it to happen. Then he served that 
State for nearly a half century in the best manner of the greatest 
generation.
  He had a broad view.
  He and Senator Inouye led a trip, along with several of us, to China 
in 2006, a delegation of Senators. We were better received than if they 
had been the President and Vice President of the United States, because 
the Chinese revered Ted Stevens and honored Danny Inouye because of 
their service in World War II. We saw the No. 1 man in China, President 
Hu. We saw the No. 2 man, Mr. Wu. We saw in all parts of the country 
the respect they had for Senator Stevens and Senator Inouye.
  Senator Stevens carried that to the floor of the Senate. For example, 
he saw there in China what the Chinese are doing to remain competitive 
in the world by building up their universities, keeping their brain 
power advantage. He came back to this body and became a principal 
cosponsor of the America COMPETES Act, which helps our country do the 
same.
  Perhaps no two Senators had a closer relationship than Senator Inouye 
and Senator Stevens. They came from the same generation. They fought in 
the same war. They were both enormously brave. They treated one another 
as brothers.
  I was a young aide in the Senate when Ted Stevens was first appointed 
to the Senate in 1968. He was here when I came back 20 years later as 
the Education Secretary, and when I came back as a Senator 8 years ago, 
he was still here. He served longer than any other Republican Senator. 
He will be remembered as a great patriot and as the man who flew the 
cargo plane into Peking in 1944 and spent half a century creating and 
then serving our 49th State.
  I thank the Chair. I thank the Senator from Maine for her courtesy.
  I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Maine.
  Ms. COLLINS. Madam President, it has actually been a great pleasure 
to sit on the floor--and I see the Presiding Officer nodding in 
agreement--and hear these tributes to our friend, Senator Ted Stevens.
  It is, of course, with sorrow that I rise to offer these words on the 
tragic passing of Senator Stevens, but it is also with a sense of 
gratitude and fondness that I remember him and that I celebrate his 
dedicated service to our Nation, to his beloved State, and to the 
Senate. My thoughts and prayers remain with the Stevens family and with 
the families of the others who perished in that heartbreaking accident.
  In 1999, Senator Stevens was named ``Alaskan of the Century.'' It was 
a fitting tribute to a man who, though not Alaskan by birth, became one 
with every ounce of his spirit, energy, and determination.
  In 1953, with his heroic military service behind him and fresh out of 
law school, he drove from Washington, DC, to Fairbanks, AK, in the 
middle of the winter to begin his first job in his new profession. He 
soon was appointed U.S. Attorney and quickly established a reputation 
as a courageous and diligent prosecutor. Returning to Washington 3 
years later to accept a position in the Department of the Interior, he 
took on the cause of Alaskan statehood as the cause of his life.
  In 1959, his relentless efforts were rewarded with success. He served 
with distinction in the brand-new Alaska State Legislature and joined 
the Senate 9 years later. In this city, he was known as ``Mr. Alaska.'' 
Back home, he was simply ``Uncle Ted.'' His devotion to his 
constituents in matters large and small, and in all corners of that 
vast State, was unsurpassed.
  Let me return to his military service for a moment, for I believe it 
offers a clear view of his character and his patriotism. In 1942, with 
America plunged into war, Ted volunteered to become a Navy aviator, but 
was rejected due to problems with his vision. Rather than admit defeat, 
he embarked on a course of rigorous eye exercises and earned his way 
into the Army Air Corps, scoring near the top of his training class. 
His

[[Page 16647]]

assignment--to fly cargo over the towering Himalayas to the legendary 
Flying Tigers--was extraordinarily dangerous. His valor earned him two 
Distinguished Flying Crosses and two Air Medals, as well as military 
honors from the government of Nationalist China. As in all things, Lt. 
Ted Stevens let no obstacle bar his way.
  I was privileged to work alongside this extraordinary Senator on the 
Homeland Security Committee. On every issue, Senator Stevens 
demonstrated great knowledge and commitment to protecting our Nation 
and our people. As just one example, he was instrumental in passage of 
the SAFE Ports Act of 2006 to secure the seaports that are so essential 
to our Nation's prosperity and security.
  Alaska and Maine are separated by a great many miles, but our two 
States have much in common, including spectacular scenery, and rugged, 
self-reliant people. Our States also share a connection to the sea that 
is central to our history and our future. From the Magnuson-Stevens 
Fisheries Conservation and Management Act of 1976, to his work to 
protect marine mammals, Senator Stevens demonstrated a deep commitment 
to the hardworking people who sustain countless coastal communities and 
an abiding respect for the natural resources that bless us all.
  Since his passing, tributes have poured in from across America. Some 
serve as valuable reminders of his commitment to a broad range of 
interests. Olympic athletes and those who aspire to that level of 
achievement know that his Amateur Sports Act of 1978 brought the dream 
of competing on the world stage within reach of all, regardless of 
financial circumstances. Female athletes celebrate his support of title 
IX, which leveled the playing field for women in sports. Cancer 
survivors remember him as a champion of research, testing, and 
education in that dread disease. Alaska Natives and Native Americans 
throughout the Nation recall him as a true friend.
  Mr. President, 3 years ago, Ted Stevens became the longest-serving 
Republican in Senate history. His service has inspired many who seek to 
serve their States in public office. We will remember him always, and 
may God bless Ted and comfort his family, his friends, and those of us 
who were privileged to serve with him.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Udall of New Mexico). The Senator from 
Georgia is recognized.
  Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I join Senator Collins and many 
colleagues in paying tribute to the life and times of Senator Ted 
Stevens.
  While today we will lay his body to rest, his legacy will never be 
laid to rest. There has never been a more impactful Senator for their 
State in this country than Senator Ted Stevens.
  While I can tell countless stories, I wish to make two brief 
observations to show you the heart and soul of the effect and impact of 
Ted Stevens. One of my dear friends, the first Republican Senator from 
Georgia since Reconstruction, Mack Mattingly, from Brunswick, GA, told 
me not too long ago, after the passing of Senator Stevens, that when he 
first came to the Senate in 1981, Stevens was the first man to reach 
out to him, to help him, and to show him the way. I said: Mack, that is 
interesting, because when I was elected 6 years ago and I came to the 
Senate, the first man to offer a hand of leadership and help show me 
the way was Senator Ted Stevens.
  Ted was a consummate Senator, a ferocious fighter for the State of 
Alaska, and a proud patriot of the United States of America. He may 
have been small in stature, but he was a giant in ability.
  I always loved when we debated ANWR on the Senate floor--whether to 
drill. He wanted to drill. The people of Alaska wanted to drill. Every 
day that amendment was going to come up, you knew it because he had his 
Incredible Hulk tie on and was ready for the fight--not in an 
adversarial way or in a fistfight way but in a pride way, fighting for 
what was right for Alaska.
  Today, we will lay Senator Stevens to rest in Arlington National 
Cemetery, but his legacy will live on as a consummate fighter for his 
State and a lover of this great country. As I have said in my stories 
about Senator Mattingly and myself, Ted was a mentor to those who came 
to the Senate to serve. May God bless the life, the times, and the 
family of Senator Ted Stevens.
  Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, it was just about two years ago that many of 
us came to the floor to say goodbye to one of our good friends. Ted 
Stevens was leaving the Senate and returning home to his beloved 
Alaska. He had earned his retirement many times over.
  At last there would be time to do the things that he always enjoyed--
fishing, spending more time with his family, and being with the people 
of Alaska who hold him in such high esteem and affection. He was known 
throughout the State as Uncle Ted.
  Now we are gathered again to reflect on Ted Stevens and his life, but 
this time we are here to say a final farewell as we mourn his loss. On 
reflection, nothing says more about the way he lived his life than to 
speak of his loss at the age of 86 with the feeling that he was taken 
from us all too soon.
  Ted's life was a great, grand and glorious adventure, and he filled 
every day of it to the brim as he pursued anything and everything that 
interested him or moved him to action. The strength of his character 
and his love of his country saw him through his military service. His 
determination to succeed and his commitment to getting a good education 
helped him through college and then through law school as he worked to 
obtain the skills and the knowledge he knew he would need to be 
successful in whatever he chose to do in life.
  For all who knew him, Ted's ultimate legacy can be summed up in one 
word--statehood. That was his first and most powerful calling, and his 
successful effort to make Alaska a State left its mark on our country 
and our flag--a distinction that will ensure that Ted will always be 
remembered.
  Although it was a remarkable achievement, the idea of making Alaska a 
State wasn't a new idea when Ted got a hold of it. It had been talked 
about for some time, but it wasn't going anywhere because the proposal 
needed something more to get the ball rolling--it needed a champion who 
would fight for it--someone who could develop a strategy that would 
make the impossible dream of the people of Alaska come true. That 
individual was Ted Stevens.
  Ted practically ran the effort from start to finish as soon as he 
arrived in Washington. He had a plan, and he put it into operation. It 
produced a groundswell of support that became so powerful there was 
just no stopping it. Soon President Eisenhower had signed the necessary 
legislation and Alaska had become our 49th State.
  For most people, that would have been enough. But it wasn't enough 
for Ted. Ted didn't know what life had in store for him, but he knew 
where he would be taking the next steps in his life--back home in 
Alaska.
  After a series of twists and turns, Ted became one of Alaska's 
Senators. He was a tremendously effective Senator, and his reputation 
grew over the years as a tireless worker who wouldn't take no for an 
answer when it involved one of his State's priorities.
  Ted and I were able to forge a good working relationship and a 
friendship that meant a lot to us both. We understood each other and 
more often than not, we supported each other's legislative priorities. 
Wyoming is a lot like Alaska, so that may explain why Ted and I got 
along so well.
  Wyoming is a large State with a relatively small population. So is 
Alaska. Wyoming is blessed with an abundance of natural beauty. So is 
Alaska. The people who call our States their home are strong, 
independent and proud--proud of their past, confident of their future, 
and well aware of how blessed they are to be Americans. I think that 
comes from the placement of our States. It took people with a sense of 
adventure and a willingness to put up with a great deal of difficulty 
and an abundance of hardship to travel the miles it took for them to 
get to Wyoming and later to travel North to Alaska.
  In the years to come, whenever I remember the days I spent with Ted, 
I will think of the words of the old adage

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that reminds us that the most important inheritance we receive from our 
friends, family and those we care about is found in the memories we 
will always carry with us of the special days we shared with them. For 
me, I will always remember the times I spent away from the Senate doing 
what Ted and I most loved to do: enjoying the great outdoors with a 
fishing rod in our hands. If you are from Wyoming or Alaska, I do not 
think you can find a bad fishing spot anywhere in those two States.
  That is how Ted got a lot of us to his beloved Alaska year after 
year. He was always talking about his Kenai Tournament and the chance 
it gave everyone to see the sights of Alaska and get a little break 
from the rigors of the Senate. It was a great fishing tournament, but 
it was also a chance for us to help Ted raise some needed funds that 
were used to improve the habitat of the salmon that had the good sense 
to live there.
  God must have needed a good man. I know we all miss Ted. When he wore 
his Hulk tie, you knew things were about to happen and happen fast. 
This memory makes it feel like he is never far away. Diana joins in 
sending our sympathy to Catherine and all his family. The Stevens 
family can be very proud of the difference they made together over the 
years and of the legacy they will proudly carry of service and an 
unwillingness to ever think any task is impossible, no matter how 
difficult the struggle.
  I cannot help but think God needed someone with Ted's abilities to 
have taken him from us. I take some comfort in the knowledge that Ted 
was doing those things he dearly loved right up to the end. He was 
flying around his beloved Alaska and heading to a lodge to catch up on 
a little fishing when his plane went down.
  In the days to come, whenever I am with my grandson and we both look 
up at the sky with the awe and wonder it inspires, I will remember the 
words of the Eskimo proverb that speaks to the reason why the beautiful 
lights in the sky shine so brightly at night. As legend goes: Perhaps 
they are not stars but, rather, openings in heaven, where the love of 
our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know that 
they are happy.
  I do not know if there is fishing in heaven, but if there is, I know 
Ted must be up there somewhere waiting patiently for a nibble and the 
chance to reel in another prize winner. I can almost see him there, 
fishing rod in hand and a smile on his face. If that is what heaven has 
brought to Ted, I have no doubt he will be happy forever because it 
does not get any better than that.
  Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, I rise to laud the life and work of the 
Honorable Ted Stevens, Senator from Alaska. Ted was a fellow World War 
II veteran and my partner in the Senate who fought hard on behalf of 
Alaska and this great Nation.
  When it came to policy, we disagreed more often than we agreed, but 
we were never disagreeable with one another. We were always positive 
and forthright.
  We shared a bond in that we believed it was our mission to ensure 
that Hawaii and Alaska were not forgotten by the lower 48 and our 
efforts were constant reminders of the economic and international 
importance of the Pacific.
  Our beloved Ted was much more than the Senator of Alaska, much more 
than a fighter and an advocate and an example of what bipartisan effort 
can accomplish. Ted was a father, grandfather, and loving husband who 
put his family before everything else. We have lost a great man, and I 
join my colleagues in mourning his passing.
  Mr. President, recently in meeting with the Librarian of Congress, 
Dr. James H. Billington, our chat focused upon Senator Ted Stevens. I 
learned that on August 14, 2010, Dr. Billington had written a special 
tribute to Senator Ted Stevens. Yesterday, I received a copy of this 
tribute and I wish to share it with my colleagues.
  Our beloved Ted was much more than the Senator of Alaska, much more 
than a fighter and a brilliant parliamentarian. This tribute says 
something about him and his impact on Alaska and the world. I thank Dr. 
Billington for his heartfelt tribute to our great friend and colleague.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have Dr. Billington's 
tribute printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                    A Tribute to Senator Ted Stevens

   (By James H. Billington, The Librarian of Congress, Aug. 14, 2010)

       Just a few years ago, at the end of a particularly 
     exhausting week in the Senate, Ted Stevens took an overnight 
     flight to open a Library of Congress exhibit for the 300th 
     anniversary of St. Petersburg. He insisted that I take his 
     comfortable seat on the way over; and he flew back rapidly--
     leaving me well-rested for follow-up and the Russians in awed 
     admiration of his age-defying journey to a distant cultural 
     event of symbolic and even political importance.
       This small memory came back to me just a year ago when I 
     was back again in St. Petersburg. I was waiting to speak 
     after Russian President Medvedev at the dedication ceremony 
     of a great Petersburg palace that had been refashioned into 
     the central building of a new library system for Russia 
     modeled in many ways on the Library of Congress. I think my 
     subconscious was reminding me that neither I nor the Library 
     would probably have been in the picture without the varied 
     ways that Ted Stevens quietly helped the Congress' library 
     undertake new initiatives for our country--during and beyond 
     his many years as Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Joint 
     Committee on the Library of Congress.
       Senator Stevens played a key role in bringing into being 
     within the legislative branch of government three important 
     innovations for sustaining long-term American leadership in 
     the world. Each of them had from the beginning bipartisan, 
     bicameral support, and have been implemented in cooperative 
     collaboration with the executive and judicial branches.
       1. He championed a special $2 million grant to the Library 
     in 1999 to create a bi-lingual, online library of primary 
     documents comparing the parallel experiences of Russia and 
     America as continent-wide, multi-ethnic nations. This 
     visionary, one-time appropriation (which we had not requested 
     in our budget submission) enabled the Library to attract 
     unprecedented in-kind support from 36 Russian repositories 
     and to put online three-quarters of a million rare Russian 
     items. This experience has helped equip us more recently to 
     launch a multi-lingual World Digital Library with private 
     support and the endorsement of UNESCO.
       2. Senator Stevens was an early advocate and continuous 
     supporter of The Open World Leadership Program, the first 
     international people-to-people exchange ever created and 
     administered within the legislative branch of our government. 
     For eleven years it has enabled more than 15,000 emerging 
     young leaders from Russia and other states of the former USSR 
     to experience democratic governance in action in local 
     communities across America. Senator Stevens was and remained 
     active and engaged as the Honorary Chairman of its Board of 
     Trustees.
       3. At a very busy time late in the year 2000, Senator 
     Stevens devoted an entire Saturday to discussing at his home 
     the national need for preserving important information that 
     was increasingly available only in highly perishable digital 
     form. He proceeded to take the lead in creating the still 
     ongoing National Digital Information and Infrastructure 
     Preservation Program that has enabled the Library of Congress 
     to work with 170 partner repositories throughout America to 
     conserve immense amounts of digital material.
       Ted Stevens rarely mentioned and never stressed his own 
     role in any of these programs. He repeatedly and rightly 
     credited the contributions of other colleagues and of the 
     Congress itself. He was respectful and supportive of those in 
     public service implementing these and many other long-range 
     national programs.
       At this sad time, all of us at the Library specially and 
     gratefully remember his help in creating unique and 
     challenging new programs within America's oldest federal 
     cultural institution. I mourn the passing of a deeply admired 
     friend. He was an unforgettable man of action and a dedicated 
     public servant--not just for his beloved Alaska, but for all 
     of America and our long-term future in a changing world.

  Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, on the morning of Tuesday, August 10, 
in Alaska, in Washington, and around the world, time seemed to stand 
still. It was then we received word that a floatplane carrying our 
beloved Senator Ted Stevens had gone down in the remote Bristol Bay 
region of western Alaska. Senator Stevens traveled to that area, as he 
did practically each summer for decades, to pursue one of his dearest 
passions--fishing.
  Along with Senator Stevens on that flight were several of his closest

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friends. Sean O'Keefe, the former Administrator of the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration; Jim Morhard, who came to the 
Senate in 1983 as an aide to Senator Pete Wilson of California and 
retired in 2005 as chief of staff of the Senate Appropriations 
Committee; Bill Phillips, a distinguished Washington lawyer and former 
chief of staff to Senator Stevens was on the flight; as was Dana 
Tindall, one of Alaska's best and brightest who made a career of 
bringing 21st century telecommunications technology to our vast 
territory. Three of their children were on the trip as well: Sean's son 
Kevin, Bill's son Willy, and Dana's daughter Corey. The pilot was 
Theron ``Terry'' Smith, an accomplished aviator who retired as chief 
pilot after 25 years with Alaska Airlines in Anchorage.
  When it became apparent that the floatplane was overdue en route to a 
remote fishing camp, a massive search was quickly mobilized. The 
wreckage was located and, thankfully, there were survivors.
  Sean and his son Kevin, Jim Morhard and Willy Phillips survived the 
crash. We pray for their swift and full recovery.
  At the same time our hearts dropped at the news that the crash 
claimed the lives of Senator Stevens, Bill Phillips, Dana Tindall, her 
daughter Corey, and pilot Terry Smith.
  At a later time I will have more to say about the distinguished 
careers of Bill Phillips, Dana Tindall, and Terry Smith, as well the 
lost promise of Corey Tindall, a champion debater at South High School 
in Anchorage and an aspiring doctor.
  I will also have more to say about the heroes that responded to the 
crash site. That story begins with the Good Samaritan pilots who 
located the wreckage, Dr. Dani Bowman, and local first responders who 
were brought in by helicopter--they cared for the survivors and the 
dead in poor weather through a long night awaiting rescue--the elite 
Alaska National Guard and Coast Guard search and rescue teams that 
accomplished the rescue, the medical teams in Anchorage that tended to 
the survivors.
  Today, I would like to devote a few moments in memory of my mentor, a 
man who stands tall among our Senate family as one of the truly great 
Senators of all time, my dear friend, Ted Stevens.
  It would take days and days to enumerate all of Senator Stevens' 
accomplishments in this body over the course of 40 years. The Senate 
began the process of chronicling Senator Stevens' place in history in 
S. Res. 617, which was enacted on August 12. Our colleagues will fill 
in the details in the coming days.
  Let me digress for a moment and extend my deepest appreciation, and 
that of the Stevens family, to our colleagues and the staff--all of 
those who pulled out the stops--to ensure that S. Res. 617 could be 
enacted during a brief lull in the recess. The resolution was presented 
to the Stevens family following the funeral in Anchorage. It was well 
received.
  So how to summarize the remarkable career of Ted Stevens in a few 
moments. Ted Stevens was the longest serving Republican in the Senate's 
history. He served as President pro tempore and President pro tempore 
emeritus. He was the assistant Republican leader. At various points 
during his career he chaired the Appropriations Committee, the 
Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, the Committee on 
Governmental Affairs, the Committee on Rules and Administration, and 
the Senate Select Committee on Ethics. He was involved in numerous 
other leadership roles.
  He was a dear, dear friend of our men and women in uniform. In the 
early 1970s he helped to bring an end to the draft and encouraged the 
All Volunteer military force. He worked diligently to ensure that 
service members were compensated fairly, that their benefits were not 
eroded, and that they received the best health care.
  A family man always, he was deeply concerned about the length of time 
that service members were separated from their families. And when 
service members returned from Iraq and Afghanistan suffering from PTSD 
and TBI, he ensured that funds were shifted from lower defense 
priorities to address these immediate concerns. He used his key 
position on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee to make this all 
happen.
  During his more than 40 years in the Senate he traveled to visit with 
service members on the battlefield. He visited Vietnam, Kuwait, Bosnia, 
Kosovo, Iraq, and Afghanistan. On those trips he spent time with those 
in the lowest ranks, asking whether they had the right equipment, how 
the food was, and how their families back home were coping.
  Although he will long be remembered as a tireless advocate for the 
responsible development of Alaska's abundant natural resources, his 
friends and even his foes readily admit that he leaves a substantial 
conservation legacy. He was key to the compromise that led to the 
enactment of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, a 
leader in fishery conservation through the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act and the High Seas Driftnet Fisheries 
Enforcement Act.
  He was a champion of the Olympic movement, a champion of physical 
fitness, a champion of amateur athletics. He played a significant role 
in ensuring that female athletes could compete on a level playing field 
with their male counterparts. He was one of the best friends public 
broadcasting could possibly have in Washington. He championed family 
friendly policies for America's civil servants. These are some of his 
legacies to the Nation.
  But to many Alaskans he was known simply as ``Uncle Ted.'' And it was 
not just for the Federal dollars he brought to the State of Alaska, the 
energy facilities, hospitals and clinics, roads, docks, airports, water 
and sewer facilities, schools and other community facilities, although 
these were substantial.
  The Almanac of American Politics observed, ``No other Senator fills 
so central a place in his state's public and economic life as Ted 
Stevens of Alaska; quite possibly no other Senator ever has.''
  Truth be told, Ted Stevens was known as Uncle Ted because so many 
Alaskans viewed him as a friend of their own Alaskan families. Alaskans 
treasure the photographs and the letters that Senator Stevens sent 
them. Some of those photographs and letters were decades old, yet 
treasured keepsakes.
  He gave Alaska's young people an opportunity to intern in Washington, 
inspiring many careers in public service. I am proud to be one of those 
interns. He hired many young Alaskans, once they graduated college, as 
junior staff members. He encouraged the best to go to law school and 
then brought them back as legislative assistants and committee staff. 
Many went on to accomplish great things in their chosen fields.
  In the aftermath of Senator Stevens' death, hundreds upon hundreds of 
Alaskans lined the streets of Anchorage bearing signs that read, 
``Thank you, Ted'' as his funeral procession drove by. Makeshift 
memorial services were conducted in Alaska's Native villages.
  Why did Ted Stevens' loss shake Alaska so hard? The answer is simple. 
For generations of Alaskans he had been their Senator for life. Ted 
Stevens became Alaska's Senator less than 10 years after Alaska was 
admitted to statehood. I was 11 years old when he first came to the 
Senate.
  In so many respects, his elevation to the Senate in 1968 was the 
culmination of a career of service to Alaska that began in the 1950s. 
It was, if you will, his second career of service to the people of 
Alaska.
  Ted's first career began when he was named the U.S. attorney in 
Fairbanks. In a 2002 speech to the Alaska Federation of Natives, Ted 
recalled that this position gave him the opportunity to carry out 
President Eisenhower's commitment to equal rights for everyone. He 
traveled throughout the area requesting business owners to take down 
signs that read, ``No Natives Allowed.''
  Ted then moved to Washington to serve as legislative counsel in the 
Interior Department. He played a key role

[[Page 16650]]

in the enactment of the legislation that admitted Alaska as America's 
49th State.
  He helped draft that section of the Alaska Statehood Act which 
committed the Federal Government to the settlement of the Alaska Native 
land claims. After leaving the Interior Department he opened a law 
practice in Anchorage. Among his clients was the Native Village of 
Minto. The State of Alaska was about to select Minto's traditional 
lands in advance of a land claims settlement. Senator Stevens took on 
Minto's case pro bono. He invited Alaska Native leaders to his home to 
explore strategies for a more comprehensive settlement of Alaska Native 
land claims.
  Ted Stevens could not have guessed at that point that he would join 
the U.S. Senate and have the opportunity to make the dreams of Alaska's 
Native peoples a reality.
  That was the first order of business when Ted came to the Senate. He 
began work on the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act in 1969 and on 
December 18, 1971, the dream that Alaska's Native people would hold 
title to their ancestral lands became a reality.
  This December marks the 39th anniversary of the passage of the Alaska 
Native Claims Settlement Act--ANCSA. That landmark legislation returned 
some 44 million acres of land to Alaska's Native people and created the 
regional and village Alaska Native Corporations.
  ANCSA led to a resurgence in Native pride and self-confidence. It 
gave our Native people unparalleled opportunities to lead. It has 
proven a valuable legacy for the continuation of Alaska Native culture 
through the generations.
  Senator Stevens played a significant role in bringing Alaska's Native 
people together to create today's great institutions of Indian self-
determination. The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and the 
Southcentral Foundation, which together operate the Alaska Native 
Medical Center in Anchorage, are just two examples.
  The Alaska Native Medical Center, Alaska's only certified level II 
trauma center, has earned national recognition for the quality of its 
nursing care. It is connected through innovative telemedicine 
technology to regional Native medical centers in rural Alaska and 
clinics at the village level. None of this would be possible without 
Senator Stevens' leadership.
  Senator Stevens deplored the Third World conditions that stubbornly 
persisted in rural Alaska, threatening the health of Native children. 
He helped build showers and laundromats in rural Alaska--we call them 
washeterias--and he helped construct water and sewer facilities so that 
our Native people did not have to haul their waste to an open dump 
site. I am sad to say that this work is far from done. There is that 
last 25 percent or so that remains to be done.
  It is often said that a society is judged by the way it treats its 
most vulnerable members. It is appropriate that we judge the character 
of our elected officials in the same manner. In Alaska, our Native 
people are the most vulnerable. For decades, Alaska's most vulnerable 
people have had no better friend than Ted Stevens.
  As I noted in my response to Ted's farewell speech on November 20, 
2008, ``When I think of all of the good things, the positive things 
that have come to Alaska in the past five decades I see the face and I 
see the hands of Ted Stevens in so many of them.''
  Not just in rural Alaska but throughout Alaska I think of Senator 
Stevens whenever an F-22 takes flight from Elmendorf Air Force Base. I 
think of him when I drive through the front gate of Eielson Air Force 
Base, which was spared from the 2005 BRAC round largely through his 
leadership. His face is in the new VA Regional Clinic in Anchorage and 
in the Community Based Outpatient Clinic in the Mat-Su Valley. I think 
of Ted when I am fishing on the Kenai River and all of his efforts to 
help with conservation and restoration of this world class river. These 
are just a few of Senator Stevens' contributions to Alaska. There is so 
much more.
  At the close of his farewell remarks to the Senate, our friend Ted, 
told us that he had two homes: ``One in this Chamber, the other his 
beloved State of Alaska.'' He closed his remarks with the phrase, ``I 
must leave one to return to the other.''
  How prophetic. For on the afternoon of August 9, a cold and gloomy 
day, yet the kind of day when fishing is great, the Lord called our 
friend Ted Stevens from Alaska to yet a third home.
  Ted's departure leaves a tremendous hole in the hearts of the people 
of Alaska, a hole in the collective hearts of his Senate family, and a 
hole in my heart that will take a long time to heal.
  On behalf of a grateful Senate and a grateful American people, I 
extend condolences to Ted's wife Catherine; to his children Susan, 
Beth, Ted, Walter, Ben and Lily, and to all of the grandchildren.
  As our friend, the late Senator Robert Byrd, knew and often recounted 
on the Senate floor--of all of the things that brought Ted Stevens joy, 
his family brought Ted the greatest of joys. In Ted's words, his family 
gave him the kind of love, support, and sacrifice which made his 40-
year career in the Senate possible and gave it meaning. We thank Ted's 
family for sharing this remarkable man with Alaska, the Senate, and the 
Nation.
  Thank you, Ted. We will never forget you.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, for 34 years in the Senate it was my 
privilege and honor to serve alongside Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska. 
Today, I would like to pay tribute to Ted, a dedicated public servant, 
a respected lawmaker, and a man I was proud to call my friend.
  Ted Stevens loved this country, and he dedicated nearly his entire 
life to public service. He served as a pilot in World War II, as a U.S. 
district attorney, as a senior member of the U.S. Interior Department, 
and as a U.S. Senator. Ted loved his State. In fact, he assisted in its 
birth as a State. During his more than four decades in the Senate, he 
was an unrelenting and unabashed advocate for Alaska and its people. I 
know no other Senator who has filled so central a role in their State's 
public and economic life as did Ted Stevens. He was a man many Alaskans 
knew simply as ``Uncle Ted.''
  The fight for Alaskan statehood was Ted's principal work at the 
Department of the Interior, and, over time, he developed another 
appropriate nickname: ``Mr. Alaska.'' After leaving Interior, Ted 
returned to Alaska and was elected to the Alaska House of 
Representatives in 1964. In 1968 he was appointed to the U.S. Senate, 
and today he remains the longest serving Republican Senator in history.
  In the Senate, he was a tough negotiator and a savvy legislator, but 
he was always fair. He was an old-school Senator, and he kept his word. 
During the challenging years after statehood, Ted helped transform 
Alaska, playing key roles shaping the State's economic and social 
development. A staunch defender of the Alaskan way of life, he 
championed legislation to protect the fishing industry, to build the 
Alaska oil pipeline, to protect millions of acres of wilderness area, 
and to address longstanding issues surrounding aboriginal land claims. 
While he and I have not agreed on some issues, I have never questioned 
his commitment to do what he believed was right for his State and its 
people.
  I know it can sound repetitive when people hear Senators make remarks 
such as these about our colleagues. But I think it is important for the 
public to know that despite all the squabbling that goes on in 
Washington, there is the deep respect, affection, and caring that goes 
on among the Senate's Members, who work side by side and day by day on 
the Nation's business and on the concerns of their constituents.
  I was last with Ted at Bob Byrd's funeral. I had asked him if he 
would sit with me because we had not seen each other for a while and it 
gave us a chance to get caught up. I told him again how much his 
friendship meant to me and how much I missed him in the Senate. We 
talked about the number of pieces of legislation we had worked on 
together and both spoke of Ted being part of the old school of 
Senators--those who always stuck with

[[Page 16651]]

agreements they had made and our concern that was not the way some were 
today. It was a sad day being at a memorial service, but it was a 
special day being with Ted.
  Ted was a statesman, a public servant, and one of my closest friends 
in the Senate. I consider myself fortunate to have known him and served 
with him.
  Marcelle and I wish Catherine and all his family our best wishes.
  Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, today I rise to pay tribute to Senator 
Ted Stevens, who will be laid to rest today at Arlington National 
Cemetery. Unfortunately, Senator Stevens was taken from us on August 9 
of this year, but his legacy will live on through the countless lives 
he touched during his distinguished career in public service.
  Senator Stevens will be missed by so many because of the tenacity he 
displayed fighting for his beliefs. This began when he volunteered for 
the Army Air Corps during World War II, where he supplied Chinese 
forces as they defended their country from Japanese invasion. For his 
heroism, Ted Stevens received the Distinguished Flying Cross and the 
Air Medal.
  Senator Stevens took this same tenacity to the Senate where he served 
the people of Alaska for over 40 years. It is largely because of 
Senator Stevens that many Alaskans gained access to clean drinking 
water and their children received a quality education. Finally, Senator 
Stevens fought to create an oil pipeline that put thousands of Alaskans 
to work and provided affordable energy for this Nation. These 
accomplishments are just a sample of the many issues that Senator 
Stevens championed during his long career.
  By the time I came to the Senate in 1998, I knew Ted Stevens was an 
outstanding legislator, but over the next 10 years, I learned so much 
more that defined his character. I found that Ted Stevens was one of 
the most sincere members of this Chamber. No matter what the issue, I 
could always count on Senator Stevens to speak with frankness and 
honesty, two traits that are sorely lacking in the modern Senate.
  I also learned that despite his dedication to the Senate, he always 
put family first. Senator Stevens was the father to six children, and 
although there is over 4,000 miles that separates Alaska from our 
Nation's Capital, he always made time for his wife and children. I 
realize my words are little consolation to his wife Catherine or the 
rest of his family, but I hope they know Mary and I are grieving with 
them as they cope with the loss of this model family man.
  The Senate was blessed to have Ted Stevens as one of its Members. His 
countless accomplishments guarantee him a prominent place in the 
pantheon of American history. I was fortunate to have him as my 
colleague for over 10 years, but even luckier to have him as a friend.
  Mr. BOND. Mr. President, today, I rise to pay tribute to not only a 
giant of the Senate, a hero to Alaska, and a war hero, but also someone 
I counted among my valued friends, and a true mentor--Ted Stevens.
  When I first heard the news about Ted's death, I was shocked and 
saddened. Today, the loss of my dear friend is no easier to bear, and I 
know many of my colleagues here feel the same.
  Later today, we will lay to rest this giant of the Senate, but I 
first want to say a few words about my friend Ted.
  Much has been said about Senator Stevens' sometimes grouchy and 
intimidating demeanor. But if you took the time to look past the Hulk 
ties, the scowling countenance, the vigorous defense of any and all 
attacks on Alaskan priorities, and the cowed staff who feared they had 
fallen on the wrong side of the esteemed senior Senator, you saw 
another more compassionate--some would even say softer side.
  I was a lucky beneficiary of that softer side, which changed the 
course of my time here in Washington.
  When I first arrived in Washington, DC, in 1987, my son was entering 
first grade at the same time as Ted's beloved daughter. Sam and Lily 
became fast friends, and, lucky for me, so did their parents.
  Over the years, Ted and Catherine were very close friends of ours and 
like godparents to Sam.
  Anyone who knew Ted well knew how important his family was and the 
high value he placed on his children and their friends. He was truly a 
most kind, gentle, and readily approachable father, uncle, and 
godfather.
  His concern about others' children and family members was equally 
heartfelt. As he exercised his many leadership roles, Senator Stevens' 
was always willing to take our family obligations into account. He 
realized how important it is to schedule time for our families in the 
chaotic, hectic life we lead in the Senate.
  In addition to the close personal friendship I enjoyed with the 
Stevens family, I had the opportunity to work closely with Chairman 
Stevens as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. As 
chairman, Ted was solicitous of the concerns of even his most junior 
members. He was also a devoted friend of his partner--sometimes ranking 
member and sometimes chairman--Senator Dan Inouye.
  Ted was a very passionate defender of the Appropriations Committee, 
its prerogatives, and its responsibilities. Woe unto the person who 
attacked the appropriations process or the work that he had done. We 
could use more of that wisdom around here today.
  As former President pro tempore and the longest serving Republican 
Member of the U.S. Senate in our country's 230-year history, Ted was a 
faithful and dedicated leader of the Senate.
  But Senator Stevens' influence extended far beyond the Senate to 
Alaska, the Nation and the world.
  Many of the accomplishments of the Senate over the last 4 decades 
bear the mark of Ted Stevens.
  As a war hero himself, Ted was tireless in his leadership to secure a 
strong military--and funded a strong personnel system, the most needed, 
up-to-date equipment and the most promising research. The current 
strength and superiority of the U.S. Armed Forces is due in no small 
part to Senator Stevens.
  He was a leader in the natural resources, transportation issues, and 
climate change issues important to all of America but that particularly 
affect his home State.
  Ted was passionate about Alaska--its natural beauty, its people, its 
needs, and its fishing. Many of us have enjoyed traveling to Alaska 
with Senator Stevens and discovering firsthand the treasures it has to 
offer.
  The many roads, parks, and buildings named for him are but a hint of 
all he has done for the State. His contributions are extensive and 
lasting, from improving the infrastructure to safeguarding the wildlife 
and natural resources Alaska has in abundance.
  Alaskans rightly dubbed the Senator the ``Alaskan of the Twentieth 
Century.''
  It was a tremendous honor and privilege to serve with Ted Stevens.
  Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to our 
colleague, our friend, and a great statesman, Senator Ted Stevens.
  It is a somber day in the Senate Chamber as we continue to mourn his 
loss.
  Senator Stevens' service to our Nation began during his military 
service during World War II as a ``Flying Tiger,'' and spanned six 
decades.
  During his 41 years in the Senate, Senator Stevens has been chairman 
of four full committees and two select committees, assistant Republican 
whip, and the President pro tempore Emeritus.
  As one of the most effective Senators, Senator Stevens was an ardent 
supporter of our national defense, serving as either Chairman or 
Ranking Member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee from 1980 to 
2005. A champion of our Armed Forces, he ensured that our 
servicemembers have the equipment, training, and pay necessary to be 
prepared to take on those who threaten our national security.
  Senator Stevens was not only my distinguished colleague but someone I 
considered a friend. He was a man of purpose whose life touched all 
those with whom he came in contact. His commitment to the people of 
Alaska

[[Page 16652]]

was remarkable, making him a legendary advocate for the State. No one 
has done more for Alaska than he did. His many contributions to both 
Alaska and our Nation will not soon be forgotten.
  He will be remembered as a dedicated American, World War II warrior, 
a public servant, and the quintessential American statesman who gave so 
much of his life in service to the Nation.
  I offer my thoughts and prayers his family and friends during this 
difficult time.
  Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the life and 
commitment of Senator Ted Stevens to the State of Alaska and to our 
Nation.
  As we all know, Ted joined the military at a young age and served his 
country with honor in World War II.
  He earned his Army Air Corps wings in 1944 and served in World War II 
as a member of the Flying Tigers, for which he received the 
Distinguished Flying Cross.
  Two friends of mine from Georgia who served with the Flying Tigers 
knew Ted during those days. When they shared with me stories of those 
times, they always spoke fondly of Ted.
  Several years ago, I attended a funeral of a family member of one of 
our Senate colleagues on the west coast. A few other Senators were in 
attendance, but not many. One of those nights we stayed up late and 
started talking about life, and Ted told us he always attended the 
funerals of colleagues and their loved ones because when his first wife 
was tragically killed in a plane crash, those colleagues who took the 
effort to make the trip up to Alaska to attend her funeral meant so 
much to him.
  That is the type of person Ted was--he was loyal to the State of 
Alaska, his Nation, and to his colleagues.
  Ted and I also worked closely on defense issues and he was a good 
ally to have in those battles.
  He was a good friend and an esteemed colleague who served with 
distinction in the Senate.
  Ted will be remembered for his passion and his many, many years of 
service to his constituents.
  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, today one of the most enduring figures in 
this Nation's political history and the history of this Chamber will be 
laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. For more than half a 
century, it was almost impossible to discuss the State of Alaska 
without discussing Theodore Fulton ``Ted'' Stevens.
  Like many, Ted Stevens came to Alaska from elsewhere, searching for 
opportunity to serve. Few succeed as well as he did. He was named a 
Federal prosecutor just months after he arrived in Alaska in 1953--
meaning his public service to Alaska predated its statehood. He was a 
key figure in the drive for statehood. He served in the State 
legislature before coming to this Chamber in 1968.
  Over the next four decades, he became one of the most influential 
Senators of the 20th century. Alaska was a young State with a small 
population, but that did not stop Ted Stevens from advocating 
forcefully and effectively on his State's behalf. He became the longest 
serving Republican in the history of the Senate, and the State he 
fought for became a huge beneficiary of his service.
  He was a World War II veteran and a devoted family man. History will 
remember him as one of those present at the founding of Alaskan 
statehood and a longtime servant of the State. Barbara and I know that 
the memory of Ted Stevens' long and full life will relieve the sadness 
of his family, his constituents, and his multitude of friends at his 
passing.
  Mr. ROBERTS. Mr. President, I have just returned from the interment 
services for our colleague and our friend, the Senator from Alaska, Ted 
Stevens.
  I must say it should be pointed out that our Chaplain, Chaplain 
Black, gave a marvelous eulogy during the graveside services that was 
poignant, elegant, and I know in regard to helping the family with 
solace and poignancy, he had no equal. He simply was absolutely 
marvelous. He described Ted Stevens as a ``force of nature''--which I 
think was a rather appropriate description, depending on your 
description of a force of nature--and as a person who always made him 
laugh. Well, it is difficult to try to figure out how to eulogize a 
person of Ted's stature, someone who has done so many different things. 
So you have to sort of segment, it seems to me, your own personal 
relationship with Ted and do the best you can to grasp this unusual man 
and describe him.
  I was a Member of the House when I first met Ted Stevens. It was at a 
Republican retreat years ago. In expressing his opinion, he was 
obstreperous, if not outrageous, regardless of any other person's point 
of view. To say he was both unique and memorable is an understatement--
a force of nature, indeed, perhaps a wandering tornado, if you will, 
with a poststorm rainbow of ideas.
  I came to the Senate back in 1996. It didn't take long for Ted 
Stevens to burst into my--up to that point--relatively routine 
senatorial life. He jabbed his finger on my chest and said, ``I know 
who you are.'' I responded, ``Well, I sure as hell know who you are.'' 
He said, ``You allegedly know something about agriculture.'' I said, 
``Well, thank you,'' and he interrupted and said, ``You serve on Armed 
Services and Intelligence?'' I said, ``That's right.'' He said, ``How 
would you like to go to the Russian Far East with me and Danny and some 
others?''
  I thought to myself, Why on Earth would I want to go to the Russian 
Far East?
  He said, ``We are going to Khabarovsk, and then we are going to 
Vladivostok.'' But that's out there where the Cossacks went over the 
steppes of Russia. ``Then we are going to meet with the admiral of the 
Russian navy, and Vladivostok is closer to Alaska than to Moscow. I 
know him,'' said Ted. ``Then we are going to go to South Korea to 
indicate our strong support. But then we are going to be the first 
delegation allowed into North Korea, Pyongyang.''
  Well, that got my attention. He said, ``That is why I need to have 
you come along, because if we can arrange a third-party grain sale, 
there are things that we can do in North Korea to at least establish a 
relationship.''
  I thought, what a unique idea, using agriculture as a tool for peace, 
if you will--or at least a fulcrum to change the relationship with 
North Korea. I said, ``Well, sure, I will sign up.''
  That began a personal and meaningful relationship with Ted and 
Catherine and their family with Franki and our family that lasted 
during the duration of my career in the Senate until his untimely death 
weeks ago.
  He said, ``I understand that you are a newspaper guy.'' I said, 
``Yes, and?'' He said, ``You could be the scribe in regard to our 
CODEL.'' I might add that any CODEL you went on with Ted Stevens, you 
always had a T-shirt afterward saying: ``I survived CODEL Stevens.'' 
You could--and I did--end up at the South Pole. So I was known as the 
Stevens CODEL scribe.
  In any case, we went to Khabarovsk and Vladivostok. We talked to that 
admiral, who felt closer to Ted Stevens than he did his own Russian 
Government, and we went to Sakhalin Island. Ted was trying to work out 
some kind of arrangement where American oil companies could explore and 
develop the tremendous oil reserves there and have a contract that 
meant something with Russia. It was there that Flying Tiger Ted learned 
about saber-toothed tigers that were allegedly actually still alive in 
that part of the world. It is a wonder he didn't schedule a hunting 
trip.
  Then we went to South Korea and eventually into North Korea, and it 
was the first delegation allowed into that theocratic time warp. We 
left everything on the plane. We stayed at an alleged VIP 
headquarters--no heat, very cold, just North Korean TV with 24/7 
military parades and martial music.
  That night the discussion had gone on and on and on. We had hoped to 
meet with Kim Jong Il. That was not possible, so he sent two of his 
propaganda puppets to meet with us. We had permission from the Treasury 
to waive certain requirements so that we could

[[Page 16653]]

arrange for a third-party grain sale to assist North Korea, which goes 
through a famine every harvesting year. It would have been at least a 
start.
  So you had Ted and Danny Inouye, two World War II veterans, who told 
the North Korean delegation it was time to make Panmunjon a tourist 
attraction. Ted finally had it and said, ``Knock off the BS. I know you 
understand English. Let's get to the bottom line.'' The bottom line was 
that they could not do anything in terms of policy. They were there to 
make an intelligence estimate, and it was a lost opportunity at that 
particular time. The leadership effort by Ted Stevens didn't pan out, 
but not for the lack of trying.
  On another CODEL we landed at 11 and got to the hotel at about 
midnight. Ted was a great connoisseur of military history and movies. 
He was a great devotee of the series ``Band of Brothers.'' So we were 
playing Band of Brothers to staff and to all present. This is at 12:30 
at night, going on to 1, 1:30. We had fought and died with episode 
five; we were going to episode six. I looked around, and all the loyal 
staff were asleep; all Members were still there and were asleep. I was 
having a hard time keeping my eyes open. I looked over at the great 
man, and his eyes were closed. I thought he was asleep, so I got up and 
started to turn off the television. As I reached for the power button, 
he said, ``This next part is the best part.'' He was not watching it; 
he was listening to it because he had seen it at least three times. 
Well, needless to say, we saw episode six in its entirety. Thank the 
Lord, we didn't go to episode seven. We would have been there all 
night.
  Some years ago, I was present for the ceremonies in Alaska when Ted 
was named the ``Alaskan of the Century.'' How on Earth could a sitting 
Senator, or anybody, get overwhelming citizen support and approval and 
accolades from his State and be named ``Alaskan of the Century''? Ted 
did. I was there to allegedly roast him. There was a great crowd. Facts 
and records are stubborn things. He was and is still today the 
``Alaskan of the Century.'' What he did and what he accomplished in the 
making of our 49th State was simply remarkable. By the way, the Federal 
Government still has not made good on many promises they made to Ted 
when he worked so hard and diligently to make Alaska a State.
  At any rate, he flew in, during that ceremony, on a World War II 
plane. He had his combat jacket. He came in with Catherine and they 
took their places on very posh chairs. I will quote what he said time 
and time again to the people of Alaska: ``The hell with politics; let's 
do what's good for Alaska.''
  I will add this: The country and our national defense and every man 
and woman in uniform owe this man a great debt.
  When you come to this body and you come to public service, you know 
you risk your ideas, your thoughts, your hopes, and your dreams before 
the crowd. Sometimes the crowd says yes, and you have friends who will 
stand behind you when you are taking the bows. Then perhaps something 
happens in your life and you suddenly become a lightning rod for 
accusations; you wonder where your friends are, who will stand beside 
you when you are taking the boos, not the bows. The lightning rod was 
fast, furious, and egregious, especially considering the man, his 
accomplishments, and integrity.
  In Washington, when there is crisis and chaos and big-time problems, 
many are called but few are chosen. When the chips were on the table, 
we chose Ted. As chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, he 
headed up the posse that decided the Nation's spending priorities. What 
a tough job. It was a tough job then, and it is even tougher today. But 
he did a heck of a job. For, you see, Members of Congress are a lot 
like someone suffering from the flu, an insatiable appetite on one end 
and no sense of responsibility on the other.
  They said: Ted, Ted, I know we have to meet our budget caps, but this 
program is really important to me. My program is an investment, not a 
cost.
  Somehow, someway, the chairman has to wade through all of the demands 
of his colleagues, try to meet the ever changing and growing needs of 
our Nation at an unprecedented time of economic challenge, and through 
all of it, then he must fulfill our obligations to guarantee our 
national security and to the many entitlement programs we are very 
reluctant to reform in this body and the other body and to which we 
Americans seem to think we are entitled. It is like herding cats, big 
cats with saber teeth, just like those up on Sakhalin Island. In the 
doing of this, Ted Stevens was surrounded by many colleagues good at 
proposing more spending on existing programs and new programs to boot 
and those who look at any spending increase with a gleam in their eye 
and the tools of a stonecutter.
  There are few, however, who can measure value, and that is what Ted 
did. Just at the time he thought he could make both ends meet in behalf 
of Alaska and our Nation, someone moved the chains. To his critics--and 
there were many--the old saying ``a penny for your thoughts'' may be a 
fair evaluation of their contribution. The wheels of progress are 
seldom turned by cranks, critics, or, in Ted's case, a howling pack of 
wolves.
  Today, both political parties are having trouble looking beyond their 
ideological fences. Ted Stevens was a bipartisan fence-mender while 
riding herd on all of the strays. How on Earth did he do this? How did 
he persevere throughout an ordeal that would have best the best of men?
  Abraham Lincoln defined duty in this way:

       I do the very best I know how, the very best I can, and I 
     mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out 
     all right, what is said against me will not amount to 
     anything. If the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing 
     I was right would make no difference.

  During Ted's memorial service in his beloved Alaska, Vice President 
Biden's tribute was truly eloquent, personal, and pertinent. Others 
spoke with equal meaning. But it was Senator Danny Inouye, his best 
friend, who brought thousands to their feet at this service, clapping 
for minutes when he said: ``We all knew he was innocent.'' So did 10 
angels and those who knew him best, and I think Ted heard them both.
  Thank you, Catherine and Ted's family, for sharing him with us, and, 
as Vice President Biden said so well, we will not see the likes of him 
again.
  Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, I want to take a few minutes today to 
recognize our late colleague, Senator Ted Stevens.
  Ted Stevens was a fighter. He fought for his State and his country 
every day here in the U.S. Senate. As a former military pilot and 
recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross, Senator Stevens was a 
champion for the military here in the Senate. And he fought for the 
prerogatives of this institution, sometimes taking on politically 
unpopular causes to make the Senate stronger.
  All of my colleagues will remember when Ted Stevens managed 
legislation. He would put on his ``Incredible Hulk'' tie, his best 
scowl to deter Members from offering amendments, and dare anyone to get 
in the way of passing his bills.
  Ted knew Alaska inside and out, and he did everything he could to 
make his State a better place for future generations of Alaskans. He 
recognized that in isolated, rural States the Federal Government was 
sometimes the only entity capable of truly transforming the lives of 
individuals and the prosperity of communities.
  And he recognized that other states sometimes faced similar 
circumstances.
  I will never forget the role Ted Stevens played during the Grand 
Forks flooding of 1997. The Red River overtopped the levee that year 
and covered most of the city, including all of downtown. And the 
flooding caused a major fire in the historic downtown, further 
devastating the community. At the time, the evacuation of Grand Forks 
was the largest evacuation of a city since the Civil War.
  In the aftermath, the city could have accepted a diminished future. 
It could have watched people leave and reemerged as a shadow of its 
former self. But it did not. The city's leaders pledged to rebuild. And 
the North Dakota delegation went to work here in

[[Page 16654]]

the Congress to secure Federal assistance to help make that vision a 
reality. We quickly concluded that community development block grant 
funding would be the best source of assistance because CDBG money is 
very flexible and could be used to meet the city's highest priority 
needs. Unfortunately, the Appropriations Subcommittee chairman at the 
time was adamantly opposed. He simply refused to support the level of 
CDBG funding we badly needed.
  Normally, that might have been the end of the story. But in this 
case, Ted Stevens, the full Appropriations Committee chairman, 
intervened. He saw that Federal funding was absolutely critical for the 
community to rebuild. I think maybe he saw a city in North Dakota that 
needed funding just as badly as many of his Alaska communities needed 
Federal funding to build a brighter tomorrow. And he overruled his 
subcommittee chairman and made sure that Grand Forks got the CDBG 
funding it needed.
  The results have been spectacular. Grand Forks did rebuild bigger and 
better than ever. When some say that Federal spending is wasteful, 
Grand Forks is a tremendous example of how the Federal Government can 
make things better.
  So it was with profound sorrow that I learned last month that Ted 
Stevens had died in a plane crash on a fishing trip in his beloved 
State. His country owes him thanks for his long service to his Nation, 
both in the military and here in the Congress. The State of North 
Dakota and the city of Grand Forks owe him thanks for his role in 
bringing needed funding to projects all across our State.
  Lucy and I send our deepest condolences to his wife Catherine, his 
family, and his friends. Ted was one of a kind. We will miss him.
  Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, today at Arlington National Cemetery the 
final resting place for so many national heroes, the burial service of 
our friend and former distinguished colleague, Ted Stevens of Alaska, 
was attended by a large number of friends. It was my honor and 
privilege to serve as a Member of the Senate with Ted Stevens. From him 
I learned the importance of hard work and seriousness of purpose that 
characterized his exemplary service in this body.
  He was energetic and tenacious, and he used those assets to 
accomplish so much for the people of his State. His quick wit and 
capacity for hard work were formidable assets that enabled him to get 
things done for his country and his fellow citizens of Alaska.
  It was a special pleasure to visit Alaska with him and especially to 
participate in his annual Kenai River fishing tournament which raised 
money for the preservation of that river and the unique beauty of its 
river basin.
  Alaska and our Nation have lost a great leader and a true patriot, 
and I have lost a highly valued friend.
  Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, it wasn't an hour ago that we saw the 
lofty formation of four jets flying in formation over the burial site 
of Ted Stevens. Then, just as it passes over the site, one of the jets 
heads up, breaks formation, and heads into the sky above the others. It 
is such a memorable moment. I have seen this now twice, this formation. 
It is so memorable for me on this particular occasion because it is 
about a man who is so memorable.
  Senator Ted Stevens served in this body for many years and is ``Mr. 
Alaska'' to this Nation's Capital and to many of the people in his home 
State. He is one of those soaring, towering figures who served in this 
body. He died at age 86 in a tragic accident, but he leaves a memory 
and a legacy that won't be forgotten.
  One of the things I find so endearing about the memory of Ted Stevens 
is his tenacity in his work and his belief in the body. This guy would 
fight tirelessly for his State, for his beliefs, and for this body. He 
did it for a lengthy period of time through a number of different 
administrations and was an institution in and of his own right in what 
he did. I know the Presiding Officer, who works in this body and has 
served in this body, is someone who remembers Ted Stevens similarly.
  I didn't realize some of the other aspects the Chaplain of the Senate 
talked about. There were about 6 years when Ted was President pro 
tempore of the Senate, so he would open the Senate every day. He would 
open the Senate, pledge allegiance to the flag, and then came the 
prayer. Senator Stevens at that time would go to the Chaplain and say: 
Let's bring up the prayer pressure, Chaplain--really urging him and us 
forward and to do things better and better for this country. It is a 
marvelous legacy to think about and to know about.
  One of the beauties of serving in this body--and this is my last year 
in this body--is the people you get to meet and get to know. One thing 
that is always so striking to me is that while we deal with policy 
issues all the time, it is the people whom you touch who are so 
important and so critical. I think too often we look at it as a policy 
debate when I think we really should be looking at people's 
relationships. I say that from the standpoint that we need to be better 
in working together.
  Ted Stevens had a beautiful relationship with Chairman Inouye across 
the aisle in the Appropriations Committee. It is often those 
relationships that get things done. People lament in leaving this body 
that it has gotten less civil, it is this or it is that. My analysis is 
that it has gotten less relational, and that is the real problem, is 
that people don't have relationships across the aisle with people whom 
they talk with and with whom they are friends. They disagree. They 
disagree on a lot of different things. They disagree probably on most 
things that are voted on. Yet when it comes to the end of the day and 
we have to get something moving and done, it is that relationship of 
trust and that here is a person who is a friend that you can work with 
is what counts. I think that is what we really need to look at much 
more, the relational needs. It is not something you can artificially 
do. It is something that has to take place over a period of time. It is 
something that has to take place over probably a period of a series of 
projects where, after a period of time, you say, you know, this is a 
person whom I can work with, whom I relate well with, and whom I trust. 
I think it is that trust that gets things done at the end of the day. 
It is that sort of thing you could often see in Ted Stevens.
  Whenever Ted Stevens gave his word, you knew it was going to happen. 
If he had any way of doing it, it would be according to what he said. I 
had a friend of mine who once said that when a man breaks his word, it 
breaks the man. You could look at Ted Stevens and the guy was 
consistent; if he said he was going to do something, it was something 
he would stand with, and that is a good trait.
  I bring these memories of Ted to the floor at a time when we have 
just witnessed the jet fly up toward the sky in memory of Ted Stevens 
and of his spirit and of his relational nature that he had within this 
body, with people he knew and who knew him, who trusted him and whom he 
trusted. I really commemorate that way of service, that time of 
service. I also commend to Members continuing in this body that we be a 
lot more relational and intentional about relating to one another so 
that we really look for those chances to do that.
  God bless you, Ted Stevens.
  Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and to the survivors, 
certainly, of that terrible plane crash that took Senator Stevens.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, this afternoon at Arlington National 
Cemetery, this Nation laid to rest a great American, a great patriot, 
an extraordinary Senator, Ted Stevens.
  I had the privilege of serving with Senator Stevens for 13 years. In 
that time, he impressed not only myself but everyone with his deep 
commitment to his State of Alaska, to the Nation and, in particular, to 
the men and women of the Armed Forces.
  Ted Stevens began his commitment to service above self at the age of 
19, when he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps. He became a pilot and at 
age 20 received his wings. Then he was deployed to the China-Burma-
India theater, where he undertook some of the

[[Page 16655]]

most dangerous missions any pilot had to face in World War II. He flew 
over the Hump. He flew supplies to Chinese nationalist forces, and he 
would frequently fly behind enemy lines to deliver his precious cargo 
and to keep that fight going. They would fly at night, and they would 
have to muffle the flights--their engines--to avoid detection by the 
Japanese. They would land and camouflage the planes, because they were 
in enemy territory, and then they would take another dangerous flight 
out in the evening--to return again and again. That kind of sacrifice 
and service and courage is remarkable.
  Also, typical of Ted Stevens, it was not something he boasted and 
bragged about a lot. He just did it. That was one of the great 
strengths of Ted Stevens. He just did things he thought were right.
  When he returned to the United States, he attended college. He went 
off to Harvard Law School and became a lawyer. Although he had 
midwestern roots, he saw his future in the great State of Alaska. He 
packed up and went to Alaska, and Alaska changed him, but I suspect he 
changed Alaska more. One of the things I believe he felt very strongly 
about, having seen the great effort of World War II, having seen 
citizens come together from across this land from different 
communities, different ethnicities and races, to forge a unified effort 
to do a great thing, he was convinced that government could make a 
positive and important contribution to the life of his community in 
Alaska. He worked very hard. He worked hard to build roads, to build 
bridges, to literally bring together the people of Alaska. He supported 
consistently and enthusiastically the military forces--not just there 
but across the globe. He too served, and he knew what these men and 
women were doing and how important it was.
  Something also struck me, too, while I was at the services today. A 
gentlemen from New England came up to me and said, ``Hi, Senator.'' I 
wondered why he would be there. He was involved in the fishing industry 
in New England, and he appreciated what Senator Ted Stevens did for the 
fishing industry in Alaska, because he extended some of the same help 
to us in the Northeast. That was another thing about him. If he thought 
it was important enough for his constituents, he equally felt it was 
important for all people. He helped all of our constituents, and he 
would do it in a positive way.
  I always found Ted Stevens to be somebody who was clear on where he 
stood. If he was with you, you didn't have to worry. If he was against 
you, you should worry. But he was consistent and honest. He represented 
the values we all appreciate--candor, honesty, and decency.
  Today, America has laid to rest a great patriot. To his family, our 
deepest condolences. But what he has done--and not just for the people 
of Alaska but for all of us--has left an example of patriotism, of 
diligence, of hard work, and of commitment to this Senate, which will 
sustain and inspire us in the difficult days ahead. For that, I thank 
him.
  Mr. AKAKA. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to Senator Ted 
Stevens, a great American.
  Senator Stevens cared deeply for the people of Alaska, and all the 
people of the United States of America.
  He dedicated his career to the security and well being of this 
country, from his early days as an Army Air Corps pilot in World War II 
where he served multiple deployments across several continents, through 
his long career here in the U.S. Senate, as the longest serving 
Republican in the history of this institution.
  Ted Stevens was a brother and a dear friend. We were ohana, family. 
We worked together on so many issues to serve the needs of our 
noncontiguous States.
  Senator Stevens knew well the unique challenges both Alaska and 
Hawaii face, as the newest States, farthest from the U.S. mainland.
  Ted Stevens' love of Alaska is well known. But many people do not 
know Ted was actually a great surfer, and he was a frequent visitor to 
Hawaii. He loved to surf Kaimana Hila, Diamond Head, and Waikiki.
  When his surfing days were over, he brought his favorite surfboard 
here to Washington and displayed it in his Senate office, alongside the 
many treasures from Alaska. Ted loved Hawaiian music and song, and I 
enjoyed singing with him.
  Ted Stevens was a friend of America's first people. He constantly 
reminded the United States of its responsibility to its indigenous 
people in Alaska, Hawaii, and across the country.
  While the people of Alaska will always remember him, visitors to our 
Nation's Capitol will also be reminded of Ted Stevens' work. Together 
we were successful in moving the 1965 model of the Statue of Freedom 
out of storage and into its prominent place today in the Capitol 
Visitor Center Emancipation Hall.
  Ted Stevens brought strength and passion to the Senate for many 
decades. He was a constant presence in this institution.
  My wife Millie and I send our warm aloha and deepest condolences to 
Catherine and all of Ted's family. I also want to extend my condolences 
to Senator Stevens' staff who worked tirelessly for him and for all of 
Alaska for so many years.
  Aloha, farewell to Senator Ted Stevens.
  Mr. WICKER. Mr. President, I rise this evening, as so many colleagues 
have done, to pay tribute to and remember one of the Senate's most 
enduring Members, the late Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, who was 
buried today. For 40 years, Senator Stevens represented the people of 
Alaska in this body with zeal, with dignity, with intellect, and with 
strength.
  Ted Stevens came in a small package, but he was indeed a giant--a 
giant for Alaska and for the Senate. He helped to chart a course for 
America's 49th State and our entire Nation through his vigorous 
dedication and passion. As one of the earliest proponents of statehood 
for Alaska, Ted Stevens' legacy remains intertwined with Alaska's 
development. His pride in Alaska was unmatched.
  Fighting on behalf of Alaska, Senator Stevens was instrumental in 
developing America's energy policy and highlighting the incredible 
natural resources available in our own country. He saw the danger posed 
by a lack of energy security for this country, and drawing on Alaska's 
vast resources, he tirelessly advocated American energy independence. 
His work, including the Trans-Alaskan Pipeline Authorization Act of 
1973, created good jobs for Alaskans and helped supply the power 
America desperately requires to fuel our economic growth.
  A true American patriot who was concerned about U.S. security, 
Senator Stevens was determined that we maintain the ability to stand 
alone, if necessary, against the international forces of evil that plot 
our destruction. When it came to national defense, Ted Stevens 
demonstrated his commitment at an early age, long before his days in 
the Senate. I once heard Ted refer to the men and women of today's 
Armed Forces as ``the next greatest generation.'' He truly knew whereof 
he spoke. At 19 years of age, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps, during 
one of the darkest periods in American history. Having seen combat, Ted 
Stevens knew what service, valor, and bravery meant, and he saw that in 
the courageous men and women admirably serving now.
  Retired Air Force COL Walter J. Boyne wrote a tribute to Senator 
Stevens that appeared in the Washington Post on August 11. I will quote 
excerpts from Colonel Boyne's memorable piece:

       At age 20, Lt. Stevens flew twin-engine transports ``over 
     the Hump,'' carrying vital supplies from bases in India to 
     the Chinese armies resisting Japan. On these often-
     unaccompanied missions, he had crossed the Himalayas; in 
     Asia, the mountains were higher than in Alaska, the weather 
     worse, and there was always the threat of a Japanese fighter 
     plane showing up to dispute the passage.

  Boyne continues:

       Young Lt. Stevens was probably disappointed to find himself 
     in the cockpit of a transport plane. He had completed flying

[[Page 16656]]

     school at Douglas, Ariz., earning his wings by May 1944, and 
     probably expected to be assigned to Lockheed P-38 fighters. 
     The urgent requirement for transports dictated otherwise, 
     however, and he was assigned to the 322nd Troop Carrier 
     Squadron, part of the 14th Air Force commanded by Gen. Claire 
     Chennault.

  Boyne writes:

       While the route over the Himalayas demanded piloting skill 
     and endurance, Stevens also flew many missions within the 
     interior of China, some going behind Japanese lines, bringing 
     supplies in direct support of Chinese troops.

  For his service, Stevens received two Distinguished Flying Crosses, 
which Boyne points out ``can be awarded to any member of the U.S. armed 
forces who distinguishes him or herself by `heroism or extraordinary 
achievement while participating in aerial flight.'''
  I ask unanimous consent that the entire article be printed in the 
Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

               [From The Washington Post, Aug. 11, 2010]

                Ted Stevens: A Flier Who Faced the Risks

                          (By Walter J. Boyne)

       The crash of a famed ``bush'' aircraft, the de Havilland 
     DHC-3T Otter, near Aleknagik, Alaska, that killed former U.S. 
     senator Ted Stevens, 86, on Monday brought to a close a life 
     filled with the dangers of flying. Before Stevens began the 
     career in elected politics that culminated in 40 years in the 
     Senate, he left college to serve in the U.S. Army Air Corps 
     in World War II. And in 1978, Stevens survived the crash of a 
     Learjet at the Anchorage airport in which his wife, Ann, was 
     killed.
       Stevens had long accepted the hazards of flight in Alaska 
     as being part of the political scene. Doubtless he was one of 
     the few people who could fly over the state's rugged terrain 
     with serene confidence. He had often flown over far more 
     hostile territory during World War II.
       At age 20, Lt. Stevens flew twin-engine transports ``over 
     the Hump,'' carrying vital supplies from bases in India to 
     the Chinese armies resisting Japan. On these often-
     unaccompanied missions he had crossed the Himalayas; in Asia, 
     the mountains were higher than in Alaska, the weather worse, 
     and there was always the threat of a Japanese fighter plane 
     showing up to dispute the passage. For his dedication and 
     heroism flying the Hump and other flights behind Japanese 
     lines, Stevens was awarded the fourth-highest federal medal, 
     the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC).
       The ``Hump'' route had a more sinister nickname: the 
     ``Aluminum Trail,'' for all the aircraft wreckage that 
     glinted brightly when the sun made its rare appearances. 
     American pilots began flying the 530-mile route in 1942, 
     taking off from bases in India and Burma. In October that 
     year, all of the transport units operating in the theater 
     were brought into the 10th Air Force, by direct order of Gen. 
     Henry H. Arnold, chief of staff of the U.S. Army Air Forces.
       The Douglas C-47 aircraft that were initially used strained 
     to reach and maintain the altitudes necessary to clear the 
     Himalayas. When the larger, more powerful (but more difficult 
     to fly) Curtiss C-46 was introduced to the 322nd in September 
     1944, it allowed slightly more margin for error. Yet the 
     route took its toll: At least 600 aircraft and more than 
     1,000 lives were lost in the three years it was used. In 
     1945, airlift needs ended when the Burma Road, from Lashio, 
     India, to Kunming, China, was reopened.
       Young Lt. Stevens was probably disappointed to find himself 
     in the cockpit of a transport plane. He had completed flying 
     school at Douglas, Ariz., earning his wings by May 1944, and 
     probably expected to be assigned to Lockheed P-38 fighters. 
     The urgent requirement for transports dictated otherwise, 
     however, and he was assigned to the 322nd Troop Carrier 
     Squadron, now part of the 14th Air Force commanded by Gen. 
     Claire Chennault.
       The unit was based primarily at Kunming, the original home 
     of Chennault's famous American Volunteer Group, the Flying 
     Tigers. The 322nd was equipped with the C-47 ``Skytrain,'' 
     which came to be known as the ``Gooney Bird.'' The C-47 had 
     been derived from the revolutionary Douglas DC-3 transport 
     and was used by the armed services until the 1970s.
       In September 1944, Stevens later recalled, he transitioned 
     into the C-46, which after initial (and too often fatal) 
     troubles with its Curtiss Electric propellers, turned into an 
     aerial workhorse that substantially increased the capacity of 
     the 322nd to move supplies.
       While the route over the Himalayas demanded piloting skill 
     and endurance, Stevens also flew many missions within the 
     interior of China, some going behind Japanese lines, bringing 
     supplies in direct support of Chinese troops. Stevens often 
     had to land at tiny camouflaged airports, some with primitive 
     crushed-stone runways that were narrower than the wingspan of 
     his plane. He flew throughout Indochina, over what is now 
     Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, and even made flights into 
     Mongolia. The 322nd was also tasked with bringing vital 
     supplies to the small American fighter bases that had sprung 
     up far from road or rail traffic.
       On one 1945 trip to Beijing (then Peking), Stevens 
     encountered bad weather, and there was no local ground 
     control to assist him. He improvised a non-precision approach 
     using the local radio station and his plane's radio direction 
     equipment. After the war, he returned and found that the 
     approach he had devised was still being used.
       The Distinguished Flying Cross, first awarded in 1927 to 
     Charles Lindbergh, can be awarded to any member of the U.S. 
     armed forces who distinguishes him or herself by ``heroism or 
     extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial 
     flight.'' While Stevens was also awarded the Air Medal and 
     the Yuan Hai medal by the Chinese Nationalist government, he 
     surely must have been most proud of his DFC.

  Mr. WICKER. Only 3 years before Senator Stevens earned his wings, 
Pilot Officer John Gillespie Magee, Jr., of the Royal Canadian Air 
Force composed a poem after being struck by the sheer wonder of flying 
a test flight at 30,000 feet. This poem was sent home to John Magee's 
parents just a few days before his death. It is entitled ``High 
Flight.''
  I will close with those words in remembrance of an American hero, 
Senator Ted Stevens:

     ``Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
     ``And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
     ``Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
     ``Of sun-split clouds--and done a hundred things
     ``You have not dreamed of--wheeled and soared and swung
     ``High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there
     ``I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
     ``My eager craft through footless halls of air.
     ``Up, up the long delirious, burning blue,
     ``I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace
     ``Where never lark, or even eagle flew--
     ``And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod
     ``The high untresspassed sanctity of space,
     ``Put out my hand and touched the face of God.''

  On August 9, 2010, Ted Stevens slipped the bonds of Earth one final 
time. He died, literally and figuratively, with his boots on, among 
friends, enjoying the rugged and dangerous beauty of nature and of the 
State of loved. We will miss his leadership and his friendship and the 
Nation will long be indebted to him for his lifetime of service.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, Ted Stevens was as dedicated to his State as 
anyone to ever serve in this body. From his fight for Alaska's 
statehood to the four decades he represented that State in the U.S. 
Senate, he never forgot where he came from or who elected him.
  Although he set the record as the longest-serving Republican Senator 
in American history, his legacy is not measured by his longevity but by 
the indelible impact he had on Alaska.
  He made much of that impact during from his time on the 
Appropriations Committee, and I learned a lot from working with him 
there. He once gave me a necktie with a picture of ``The Incredible 
Hulk'' on it as a token of his appreciation for my work on an 
appropriations bill. It was his unique way of saying ``thank you,'' and 
it meant a lot to me. I still have that tie.
  Public service was more than a career for Senator Stevens; it was his 
life's calling. He served his country from halfway around the globe, 
fighting with the Flying Tigers in World War II, and served his State 
from clear across the continent when he came to the U.S. Senate. But no 
matter how far away from home, he always kept it close to his heart.
  Senator Stevens loved flying, loved the outdoors, and loved his 
State. He died doing what he loved, and his footprint will forever be 
visible across the Last Frontier.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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