Remembering Senator Ted Stevens

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

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 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,

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

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.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source