Remembering Senator Robert C. Byrd

Floor Speech

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Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to an extraordinary Senator--Robert Byrd of West Virginia. Chairman Byrd was the longest serving Senator in the history of this country. He served with extraordinary distinction not only on behalf of the people of West Virginia but on behalf of all of us.

The great lesson of his life is that through constant self-improvement, through constant education, not only can one rise to great heights but one can also contribute to one's country and community.

Senator Byrd was born in very humble circumstances. At his birth, I do not think anyone would have predicted he would become the longest serving Senator in the history of the United States. In fact, tragically, within a year of his birth, his mother passed away, and he went to live with his father's sister. But in those difficult circumstances in West Virginia, he rose above it through tenacious effort, through hard work.

Through his life's path, he had an extraordinary companion, the love of his life--Erma. Together they not only had a family but they built a life of service to others. I know how dear his dear Erma was to Senator Byrd.

Their children, Mona, Marjorie, their sons-in-law, their grandchildren, and their great-grandchildren all at this moment are reflecting on the wonderful person Robert Byrd was, how much he meant to them, and also I hope recognizing how much he meant to all of us. In this very difficult moment, I am sure his memory and his example will sustain them as it sustains all of us.

Senator Byrd, from these humble circumstances through hard work in shipyards, in the coal fields of West Virginia, rose up. He rose up because of his incredible talent, not only intellectual talent, but I had the great good fortune once to hear him play the fiddle. Anyone who can play a fiddle like that has great hope of employment, at least in the musical world. But he went beyond that.

Again the lesson Senator Byrd teaches us all is constant striving. He was someone who received his law degree while a member of the Congress, the first and perhaps only person to go to law school while he was also serving the people of West Virginia and the Congress.

He wrote what is regarded as the foremost history of the Senate, not only this Senate but also the Roman Senate. He did that because he was committed to finding out about history, about life, about human challenges, about great human endeavors, and using that knowledge to help others.

He was someone whom we all revered. When I arrived in the Senate, he was gracious and kind and helpful. I can always remember he would greet me as ``my captain.'' He had a deep affection for those who served, even someone as myself who did not serve at the same level of distinction as Dan Inouye, John Kerry, John McCain, and others. He is someone who helped and supported me, and I appreciated very much his kindness.

I also appreciate the passion he brought in defense of the Constitution of the United States and the passion he brought to ensure the Senate and the Congress played its rightful role in the deliberations of this government.

He would say quite often that he had not served under numerous Presidents; he had served with them as a Senator, in the legislature, a coequal branch of government. He fought not simply for personal prerogatives, he fought for principle, that this government would be based on, as our Founding Fathers' designed it, the interplay between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. His passion for the Constitution was evident and obvious.

He also was passionate in the last few years about the foreign policy of the United States. He spoke with eloquence and with passion against our engagement in Iraq. He saw it, as now it is becoming clearer and clearer, as a strategic distraction from the true challenge, which was to defeat our opponents, al-Qaida and their affiliated terrorist groups, and to do that to protect this country.

He was a remarkable man, born of humble origin, self-educated, unceasingly educating himself and always seeking to better and improve himself. I would suspect in his last few days he was still striving to learn more.

I simply close by thanking him for his service, thanking his family for supporting him in his service, and thanking the people of West Virginia for their wisdom in sending Robert Byrd to the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Senate.

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