E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 110 CONGRESS, SECOND SESSION Vol. 154 WASHINGTON, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2008 No. 160 Senate (Legislative Day of Wednesday, September 17, 2008) The Senate met at 10 a.m., on the ex- U.S. SENATE, we read in his book, an occasional scuf- piration of the recess, and was called to PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE, fle off the field. Senator HAGEL is a order by the Honorable MARK L. Washington, DC, October 2, 2008. man who won a football scholarship to To the Senate: PRYOR, a Senator from the State of Ar- go to college because of his athletic Under the provisions of rule I, paragraph 3, kansas. of the Standing Rules of the Senate, I hereby prowess but had to change his plans appoint the Honorable MARK L. PRYOR, a when injury left him with an PRAYER Senator from the State of Arkansas, to per- uncorrectable pinched nerve in his The Chaplain, Dr. Barry C. Black, of- form the duties of the Chair. neck. fered the following prayer: ROBERT C. BYRD, Senator HAGEL is a man who risked Let us pray. President pro tempore. his own life on many occasions, but on Eternal God, today we open our Mr. PRYOR thereupon assumed the one occasion risked his own life and hearts to You as we remember that chair as Acting President pro tempore. suffered terribly to save his brother’s life in the jungle of Cambodia during You are our help in ages past and our f hope for years to come. Lead our Sen- the Vietnam conflict. Senator HAGEL is ators as they recall Your care over our RECOGNITION OF THE MAJORITY a man who still carries shrapnel from Nation in the past and Your mercy LEADER his heroic uniformed service to our Na- which follows us all our days. Bless the The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- tion. many people who work long hours on pore. The majority leader is recog- Senator HAGEL tells the story in his the Senate staffs and reward them for nized. book about his childhood, that when he their diligent faithfulness. and his brother Tom were growing up, f the Hagel family moved around Ne- Heal the sick, make strong the wa- braska to seven different houses in vering, guide the perplexed, and be- SCHEDULE small Nebraska towns. The seven friend the lonely. Today, may faith re- Mr. REID. Mr. President, this morn- places he lived formed a loop around place fear, justice triumph over greed, ing following leader remarks, we are the State. So when CHUCK first ran for and peace conquer strife. going to be in morning business with the Senate in 1996, he could go almost We pray in the Redeemer’s Name. Senators allowed to speak for up to 10 anyplace in Nebraska and tell local Amen. minutes each. There will be no rollcall crowds, ‘‘it’s good to be home.’’ votes today. When CHUCK HAGEL’s draft number f f was called in 1967, he was given an order to ship out to Germany after TRIBUTE TO SENATORS PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE being inducted. But he said: I don’t CHUCK HAGEL The Honorable MARK L. PRYOR led want to go to Germany. The war is in the Pledge of Allegiance, as follows: Mr. REID. Mr. President, I want to Vietnam. So he asked to change his or- spend just a few minutes today talking I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the ders to go to Vietnam where the action United States of America, and to the Repub- about CHUCK HAGEL, the Senator from was. What this young man from Ne- lic for which it stands, one nation under God, the State of Nebraska. braska believed was that fighting a war indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. I was raised in an environment where meant going to the front lines, not things were physical—football, base- someplace thousands of miles away. So f ball, boxing, fighting, and being tough. that is where he wound up. That was important. And as I have Since the Sullivan brothers’ deaths APPOINTMENT OF ACTING looked through the Senate over these in World War II, it was not very often PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE years, there is no one that fits that bill that siblings found themselves in the more than CHUCK HAGEL. The senior same combat zone fighting, but that The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from the State of Nebraska is isn’t what happened in this situation clerk will please read a communication both physically and mentally very with the Hagel brothers. No one really to the Senate from the President pro tough. knows how—they think it was a stroke tempore (Mr. BYRD). Senator HAGEL is a person who suf- of luck, but it remains a bit of a mys- The assistant legislative clerk read fered multiple broken noses playing tery—CHUCK HAGEL and Tom Hagel the following letter: high school and college football and, as wound up in the same infantry, same ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. S10399 . VerDate Aug 31 2005 01:24 Oct 03, 2008 Jkt 079060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4624 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A02OC6.000 S02OCPT1 rfrederick on PROD1PC67 with SENATE S10400 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE October 2, 2008 fighting unit, fighting shoulder to icit hawk when others in his party RESERVATION OF LEADER TIME shoulder in the jungles of Cambodia. abandoned fiscal restraint. The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- Mr. President, in the span of less He crossed the aisle and worked with pore. Under the previous order, the than a month, these two brothers each my predecessor, Senator Daschle, as leadership time is reserved. had the chance to save the other’s life. well as Senator KENNEDY and Senator f Not only did they have the chance, but MARTINEZ on the Republican side, to they took that chance and they were seek a comprehensive immigration MORNING BUSINESS successful. Here is one account: plan that would be both tough and The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- One of the soldiers . hit a trip wire, set- compassionate but, above all, fair. pore. Under the previous order, the ting off a mine that had been placed in a tree He served the people of Nebraska well Senate will proceed to a period of so that it would detonate at face level. Bod- as a member of the Foreign Relations morning business, with Senators per- ies, body parts and shrapnel were blasted Committee, the Banking Committee, mitted to speak therein for up to 10 back into the ranks as the squad was cross- the Housing and Urban Affairs Com- minutes each. ing a stream. Tom picked himself up and mittee, the Intelligence Committee, Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I sug- looked for his brother. What he saw was a and the Rules Committee. gest the absence of a quorum. ‘geyser’ of blood gushing from Chuck’s chest. I will be forever grateful for the cour- Tom, then only 19, stanched the bleeding and The assistant legislative clerk pro- bandaged the wound, only then noticing that age Senator HAGEL has shown on the ceeded to call the roll. he’d been hit himself in the arm. Twenty-five Iraq war. He spoke out early against Mr. REED. Mr. President, I ask unan- days later, it was Chuck’s turn to rescue the war, he spoke out often, and he was imous consent that the order for the Tom when their troop carrier hit a hand-det- right. As all Senators know, speaking quorum call be rescinded. onated mine as it emerged from a village in up against a hallmark policy of one’s The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- the delta. Tom had been in the turret behind own party is no easy task. With Sen- pore. Without objection, it is so or- a .50-caliber machine gun. He was uncon- ator HAGEL’s help, we were able to dered. scious, not obviously alive, when his brother move the debate forward and to finally Mr. REED. I ask unanimous consent got to him. The blast had blown out Chuck’s eardrums and severely burned his left side, provide some oversight on the incom- that I be allowed to speak as in morn- but knowing the carrier might soon explode, petent management of the war. Al- ing business. he worked feverishly to pull Tom from the though Senator HAGEL will not see the The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem- wreckage, then threw his body on top of end of the war as a Member of this pore. Without objection, it is so or- Tom’s as Vietcong fighters in ambush body, there is no doubt that his cour- dered. sprayed the area with gunfire. age has brought us closer to that day. f For this remarkably courageous serv- One of the most remarkable days in TRIBUTE TO SENATORS ice, SGT CHUCK HAGEL was decorated my political career was the time when with the Vietnamese Cross of Gal- we were working on how to do some- Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise this lantry, the Army Commendation thing to change the course on the war morning to recognize and pay tribute Medal, the Combat Infantryman Badge, in Iraq. I went and visited Senator to several colleagues who are con- and two Purple Hearts. HAGEL in his office. As you walk in, cluding distinguished careers in the After the war, CHUCK HAGEL came to you see a picture of Tom and CHUCK Senate.