[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Page 6781]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO TERRY GAINER

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, Terry Gainer, the Senate's skilled and 
energetic Sergeant At Arms, is leaving the Senate family, after 8 years 
of devoted service to the Senate and the Nation in this vital role.
  Overseeing the Senate's largest administrative office, Terry Gainer 
has led during a difficult time of change, as the Senate has continued 
to adjust to a wide range of challenges, from burgeoning technology, to 
budget squeezes, to the shadowy threat of terrorism. I have watched the 
way he has handled these duties, and I have admired not only his talent 
and ability but also the style of his leadership. He has been a credit 
to this body.
  Terry Gainer is a decorated veteran of the Vietnam war. He was a 
captain in the U.S. Navy Reserve, and he went on to serve as an 
accomplished law enforcement officer.
  Appointed to the post of Sergeant At Arms in 2006, Mr. Gainer came to 
the Senate with an admirable record of public service. He cut his teeth 
as a homicide detective on the streets of Chicago, and while working on 
the Chicago force he earned both a master's and a law degree. From 
there, he rose through the ranks to be appointed as director of the 
Illinois State Police.
  In 2002, he assumed the role of chief of the U.S. Capitol Police. It 
was just a few, short years later, when the Senate was attacked with 
ricin poison, that Terry Gainer's calm disposition, professionalism, 
and experience guided the Senate through a malicious act of terrorism.
  Chief Gainer then carried over this experience as he took on his new 
role as the 38th U.S. Senate Sergeant At Arms. Frequently described as 
a jack-of-all-trades, he fit right in. From overseeing security, to 
escorting foreign dignitaries, and leading the largest administrative 
office in the Senate, Terry Gainer was a valued leader and a trusted 
presence within the Senate family.
  As he returns to the private sector, Marcelle and I offer Terry, his 
wife Irene, and the Gainer family our thanks and all best wishes in the 
years ahead.

                          ____________________