Thomas Foley: “one of the great privileges and pleasures we have as Members of Congress is to appoint our fine young people to our…”

“one of the great privileges and pleasures we have as Members of Congress is to appoint our fine young people to our service academies, be it Air Force, West Point, Annapolis, Merchant Marine, or Coast Guard. It always impresses me when I hear from some of them who have either told me about their experiences or, in fact, have written on issues that may concern them relative to our country. I had a great opportunity last week to receive over my fax, obviously, a letter from a proud father, George Liedel, who is a doctor in Sebring, Florida, at Highlands Regional Medical Center. He sent this from Jennifer, Jennifer Liedel, his daughter who is at West Point. I nominated her in 1997. She sent this Friday, February 23, from her computer to her mom and dad. The subject: ``I think this puts things in perspective as to where our priorities really are as a nation.'' On 18 February 2001, while racing for fame and fortune, Dale Earnhardt died in the last lap of the Daytona 500. It was surely a tragedy for his family, friends and fans. He was 49 years old with grown children, one who was in the race with him. I am new to the NASCAR culture, so much of what I know has come from the newspaper and TV. He was a winner and earned everything he had. This included more than ``$41 million in winnings and 10 times that from endorsements and souvenir sales.'' He had a beautiful home and a private jet.…”