[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 13] [Senate] [Page 19017] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]CAPTAIN ROBERT E. DOLAN, U.S. NAVY Mr. WARNER. Madam President, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to the life of one of our servicemen who perished at the Pentagon during the horrific events of 11 September, Navy Captain Robert E. Dolan. During one of my many recent visits to the site where so many tragically lost their lives, I met Captain Dolan's widow, Mrs. Lisa Dolan. As we stood together on the southwest lawn of the Pentagon, we spoke of her husband and of his devotion to his family and the Navy in which he was so proud to serve. Mrs. Dolan then handed me a copy of a letter of tribute to her husband which she had written. While this letter was written to specifically honor Mrs. Dolan's husband, it could easily apply to many of those who paid the ultimate price on that terrible morning. Captain Bob Dolan, a 1981 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, was first and foremost, a loving husband and devoted father to his two children. He was also a model Naval officer, having spent nearly half of his 20 year career on sea duty. Captain Dolan served on a variety of surface ships, ranging from the amphibious helicopter carrier, U.S.S. Inchon, LPH-12, to the state-of-the art Aegis cruiser, U.S.S. Thomas S. Gates, CG-51, and culminating in his superb command of the destroyer, U.S.S. John Hancock, DD-981, with its very appropriate motto, ``First for Freedom''. His shore tours included time on the staff of the Chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff and his exceptional service was recognized with multiple awards, including the Defense Meritorious Service Medal. I ask unanimous consent that the letter of tribute which Mrs. Dolan wrote to the friends and family of her late husband be printed in the Record. I hope it will serve as a reminder to us all of the terrible losses inflicted on this Nation by an unseen and cowardly enemy. There being no objection, the letter was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: My husband, Captain Robert E. Dolan, and the people who perished along with him at the Pentagon, died as he lived: a hero. He saw himself as an American with a simple life. He was a man who saw his duty clearly, and did it unselfishly. He was a man who knew honor as a badge, and wore it proudly. He was a man who viewed service as a privilege, and performed it to the best of his ability. To him, that was a simple life. But Captain Robert E. Dolan was anything but simple. He was a leader of men. He influenced thousands of members of the military family as Commander of the USS John Hancock, which has a motto of ``First for Freedom.'' He influenced many more as a fellow citizen, because Bob Dolan was every American. A quiet patriot. A good neighbor. A friend and fellow citizen. You see him every week coaching at Little League games and chaperoning at school dances. You sit next to him in churches and synagogues. You stand in line with him to vote. And he was so much more than just a military leader to those who knew him best. He was: A loving father to his daughter, Rebecca, and son, Beau, A faithful and devoted husband, A dutiful and respectful son, A wonderful brother, A good and true friend. Bob Dolan was the best and the brightest this country had to offer to the altar of freedom. That very freedom is an ideal that the rest of the world can only wonder at, and strive to comprehend the magnitude and glory of. The Americans--both civilian and military--killed and wounded in the past few days under this unwarranted attack, join the ranks of patriots fallen in other conflicts. They are Americans all, and our duty is to remember them as heroes. Let us record that as their tribute. Let history record that as their legacy. Abraham Lincoln once said: ``there is a divinity that shapes our ends.'' That divinity has now shaped Bob's destiny. Like Lincoln, ``he belongs to the ages.'' We pray that his rest is peaceful. Although ours cannot be, we rest easy in the memories of an American hero, and many more like him, so very much touched by the hand of God. Sincerely, Lisa Dolan ____________________