[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Page 10665]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         REMEMBERING JIM MALONE

 Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, today I honor James ``Jim'' Malone, 
a retired Navy veteran from Chandler, AZ who tragically passed away at 
the young age of 55 after a hard-fought battle with Adenocarcinoma, a 
terminal form of cancer.
  Jim served honorably in the U.S. Navy from 1977 to 1981 before 
retiring as a disbursing clerk second class. Having served during 
peacetime, Jim wrote that his most meaningful memory was pulling out of 
port and seeing the land disappear. ``I always got a charge over 
that,'' he said. ``When I was on watch, I would look out and realize 
that I was protecting family and loved ones back home.''
  Before his untimely death, Jim received word that the Dream 
Foundation, a national dream-granting organization for adults and their 
families suffering from life-threatening illness, would help him 
achieve a life-long wish to visit Washington, DC. My office helped the 
foundation do everything we could to plan a memorable trip for Jim and 
his wife and son, including tours of the White House and U.S. Capitol 
and visits to historic landmarks around the city.
  Jim was deeply proud of his military service, and looked forward to 
sharing the rich cultural history of the Nation's capital with his 
family, writing: ``I am hoping this trip will help them to fully 
understand why I felt the call to duty in my youth and why my service 
to this country is so important to me.'' He described his ``deep love 
of this country and its history'' and the importance of sharing that 
patriotic spirit with his family.
  Tragically, Jim's health sharply declined in the week leading up to 
his trip, and he passed away the day before he was expected to depart 
for his dream experience. While Jim left this world far too early, we 
should all take comfort in knowing that his memory and selfless service 
has left a mark on Arizona and our Nation.
  I am also comforted by the work that organizations like the Dream 
Foundation have and will continue to do to honor veterans like Jim 
through dream-granting programs that give dying veterans and their 
families the opportunity to make the most of the time they have left, 
while also improving their end-of-life care.
  As Sheri, Jim's wife, explained, ``[My husband was] overwhelmed by 
the Foundation granting him his dream. Even though he didn't get to go 
on the trip,'' she continued, ``it helped to restore his faith in the 
goodness of people.''
  I hope we might all keep in our thoughts and prayers the Malone 
family as they mourn the loss of their beloved husband and father, 
whose service to our State and Nation will always be 
remembered.

                          ____________________