1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:02,960 President and Dr. Biden, 2 00:00:02,960 --> 00:00:06,080 President and Mrs. Bush, Vice Presidents 3 00:00:06,080 --> 00:00:10,000 Harris, Pence, Quail, and Gore. 4 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:13,040 Distinguished guests and friends, 5 00:00:13,040 --> 00:00:15,599 we gather today in this holy and 6 00:00:15,599 --> 00:00:18,560 magnificent space, one week before 7 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:20,080 Thanksgiving, 8 00:00:20,080 --> 00:00:22,480 to give thanks for the life of Richard 9 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:25,840 Bruce Cheney, the 46th Vice President of 10 00:00:25,840 --> 00:00:27,920 the United States, 11 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:32,160 and to thank his family, Mrs. Cheney, 12 00:00:32,160 --> 00:00:36,960 Liz, Mary, Phil, Heather, Elizabeth, 13 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:39,920 Kate, Grace, Sam, Phillip, Sarah, and 14 00:00:39,920 --> 00:00:41,760 Richard. 15 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:46,320 Thank them for sharing him with us. 16 00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:49,200 I'm Jonathan Ryder, and I was privileged 17 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:53,360 to be the vice president's cardiologist. 18 00:00:53,360 --> 00:00:55,920 I'll admit I'm not very good at letting 19 00:00:55,920 --> 00:00:58,559 go, 20 00:00:58,559 --> 00:01:00,399 but it can take a village to care for a 21 00:01:00,399 --> 00:01:02,640 complicated patient. And I want to 22 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:05,280 acknowledge the many doctors and nurses 23 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:07,520 here with us today who took such 24 00:01:07,520 --> 00:01:11,040 magnificent care of the vice president. 25 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:13,600 Over a span of 27 years, Vice President 26 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:17,280 Cheney gifted me with his trust. 27 00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:18,960 And there's nothing more sacred between 28 00:01:18,960 --> 00:01:23,119 a doctor and their patient than trust. 29 00:01:23,119 --> 00:01:24,880 I'm happy to report that I haven't given 30 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:28,119 many eulogies. 31 00:01:30,240 --> 00:01:32,079 No one no one wants a doctor who's great 32 00:01:32,079 --> 00:01:35,240 at funerals. 33 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:38,479 But I stand here this morning 34 00:01:38,479 --> 00:01:40,159 deeply honored to tell you about my 35 00:01:40,159 --> 00:01:42,880 remarkable patient, Dick Cheney. 36 00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:44,400 20 years before I met the vice 37 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:46,320 president, his career in elected office 38 00:01:46,320 --> 00:01:48,640 almost ended before it began when he 39 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:50,240 suffered a heart attack during his first 40 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:54,479 campaign for Congress. He was only 37. 41 00:01:54,479 --> 00:01:56,079 What Dick Cheney didn't know at the 42 00:01:56,079 --> 00:01:58,320 time, because his doctors never told 43 00:01:58,320 --> 00:02:00,479 him, was that they thought it would be 44 00:02:00,479 --> 00:02:03,040 best for him to withdraw from the race, 45 00:02:03,040 --> 00:02:05,040 that after the heart attack, a vigorous 46 00:02:05,040 --> 00:02:08,640 campaign might be too much for him. 47 00:02:08,640 --> 00:02:11,440 They didn't know Dick Cheney. Or more 48 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:13,599 likely, maybe they did know Dick Cheney 49 00:02:13,599 --> 00:02:15,360 and no one had the guts to tell him to 50 00:02:15,360 --> 00:02:16,879 quit. 51 00:02:16,879 --> 00:02:18,560 So after a period of rest, he told 52 00:02:18,560 --> 00:02:20,480 Wyoming's voters that he was up for the 53 00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:22,560 challenge. He said a little hard work 54 00:02:22,560 --> 00:02:25,200 never hurt anybody. And later in the 55 00:02:25,200 --> 00:02:27,840 summer, he resumed his campaign, won 56 00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:30,959 that election, and then five more. 57 00:02:30,959 --> 00:02:32,800 For a man with very complex heart 58 00:02:32,800 --> 00:02:34,720 disease, the vice president was the 59 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:37,120 easiest patient to care for. He was 60 00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:38,800 meticulously compliant with his 61 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:41,200 prescribed treatment. As it pertained to 62 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:43,360 his health, he lived by the motto, "When 63 00:02:43,360 --> 00:02:45,680 in doubt, check it out." He never 64 00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:47,519 allowed politics to influence his 65 00:02:47,519 --> 00:02:49,840 personal health care decisions. And not 66 00:02:49,840 --> 00:02:52,160 once in all my time as his doctor did he 67 00:02:52,160 --> 00:02:55,360 try to to write or change a single word 68 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:58,400 of a statement I issued. 69 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:00,080 There was only one time in my entire 70 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:01,519 tenure with the vice president that he 71 00:03:01,519 --> 00:03:03,440 said no to a medical recommendation from 72 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:04,800 me. 73 00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:09,040 It was on September 11th, 2001. 74 00:03:09,040 --> 00:03:10,720 I had an appointment to see him that day 75 00:03:10,720 --> 00:03:12,319 at the White House for a scheduled 76 00:03:12,319 --> 00:03:14,720 checkup. I don't typically make house 77 00:03:14,720 --> 00:03:16,400 calls, but sometimes I'm willing to make 78 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:19,640 an exception. 79 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:21,680 In advance of the visit, my colleague, 80 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:23,599 Colonel Lou Hoffman, the vice 81 00:03:23,599 --> 00:03:25,280 president's wonderful full-time White 82 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:27,200 House doctor, had arranged for some 83 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:29,440 routine blood tests. But before the 84 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:32,239 tubes could be sent to the lab, our 85 00:03:32,239 --> 00:03:35,200 world changed. 86 00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:37,200 Amazingly, even with the chaos and 87 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:39,840 horror of that day, somehow late in the 88 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:42,640 afternoon, the blood samples found their 89 00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:44,959 way to a lab. In the early evening, 90 00:03:44,959 --> 00:03:46,799 while the vice president was on the move 91 00:03:46,799 --> 00:03:50,319 to an undisclosed location, Lou called 92 00:03:50,319 --> 00:03:52,080 to tell me that our patients potassium 93 00:03:52,080 --> 00:03:53,840 level was dangerously, maybe even 94 00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:56,959 lethally high. I thought that the result 95 00:03:56,959 --> 00:03:59,760 was probably erroneous, an artifact of 96 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:01,920 the prolonged delay in processing the 97 00:04:01,920 --> 00:04:05,599 blood. But we needed to be sure. I was 98 00:04:05,599 --> 00:04:08,400 worried about him. I asked Lou if we 99 00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:10,319 could repeat the test right away, but 100 00:04:10,319 --> 00:04:14,000 the vice president firmly said, "No, not 101 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:15,680 today." 102 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:17,280 I I didn't think that was the day to 103 00:04:17,280 --> 00:04:20,000 argue with him. 104 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:21,359 You might think that taking care of a 105 00:04:21,359 --> 00:04:23,199 public figure, particularly one who who 106 00:04:23,199 --> 00:04:25,280 carried nuclear launch codes, could be a 107 00:04:25,280 --> 00:04:27,840 bit intimidating, but the vice president 108 00:04:27,840 --> 00:04:30,320 was an unassuming man. His calls to me, 109 00:04:30,320 --> 00:04:32,000 even when originating from the White 110 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:34,000 House, always began in the same modest 111 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:38,160 way. Hi, John is Dick Cheney. 112 00:04:38,160 --> 00:04:40,720 Prior to prior to the 2000 election, one 113 00:04:40,720 --> 00:04:43,199 of my young cardiology fellows, who 114 00:04:43,199 --> 00:04:45,360 somehow had never heard of Dick Cheney, 115 00:04:45,360 --> 00:04:47,199 asked the soon-to-be vice president of 116 00:04:47,199 --> 00:04:48,880 the United States what he did for a 117 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:51,880 living. 118 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:56,320 The soon-to-be vice president answered, 119 00:04:56,320 --> 00:05:00,040 "Government work. 120 00:05:00,800 --> 00:05:02,479 He was also very grateful and very 121 00:05:02,479 --> 00:05:04,240 generous. Prior to taking office in 122 00:05:04,240 --> 00:05:06,400 2001, the vice president, Mrs. Cheney, 123 00:05:06,400 --> 00:05:08,479 quietly donated a large gift to George 124 00:05:08,479 --> 00:05:11,039 Washington University, which became the 125 00:05:11,039 --> 00:05:12,479 founding support for our heart 126 00:05:12,479 --> 00:05:14,560 institute, enabling us to provide 127 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:16,160 defibrillators to churches in the 128 00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:18,479 poorest parts of the nation's capital 129 00:05:18,479 --> 00:05:21,039 and pacemakers to patients in the 130 00:05:21,039 --> 00:05:23,680 poorest parts of the world. 131 00:05:23,680 --> 00:05:26,240 In his 2006 eulogy for President Ford, 132 00:05:26,240 --> 00:05:27,840 Vice President Cheney referred to his 133 00:05:27,840 --> 00:05:30,479 boss, the 38th president of the United 134 00:05:30,479 --> 00:05:33,440 States as the still point in the turning 135 00:05:33,440 --> 00:05:36,320 wheel. It's a beautiful image derived 136 00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:39,520 from a passage in a TS Elliott poem. I 137 00:05:39,520 --> 00:05:41,199 remember hearing his words then and 138 00:05:41,199 --> 00:05:43,199 thinking how aptly the phrase described 139 00:05:43,199 --> 00:05:46,160 the vice president himself. In all our 140 00:05:46,160 --> 00:05:48,800 time together, in moments of true 141 00:05:48,800 --> 00:05:51,600 existential risk for him, the vice 142 00:05:51,600 --> 00:05:53,440 president was always the calmst person 143 00:05:53,440 --> 00:05:57,600 in the room, including me. 144 00:05:57,600 --> 00:06:00,160 One evening in July 2010, as he lay 145 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:02,240 literally dying in the cardiac surgical 146 00:06:02,240 --> 00:06:04,639 intensive care unit, I told the vice 147 00:06:04,639 --> 00:06:06,000 president that the mechanical heart 148 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:09,120 assist device scheduled for the next day 149 00:06:09,120 --> 00:06:11,520 couldn't wait until morning. It would be 150 00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:14,160 too late. He looked for a moment towards 151 00:06:14,160 --> 00:06:17,120 Miss Cheney, Liz, and Mary, and then 152 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:21,199 said calmly, "Okay, let's do it." 153 00:06:21,199 --> 00:06:24,800 That's all he said, "Okay, let's do it." 154 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:27,120 Months later, as he recalled that night, 155 00:06:27,120 --> 00:06:28,319 he said that he thought he would 156 00:06:28,319 --> 00:06:30,400 probably die and he was at peace with 157 00:06:30,400 --> 00:06:32,319 it. 158 00:06:32,319 --> 00:06:35,600 The Latin word for heart is core. It's 159 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:38,479 also the source for the word courage. To 160 00:06:38,479 --> 00:06:41,280 have heart is to have courage. I don't 161 00:06:41,280 --> 00:06:43,840 think courage is necessarily the absence 162 00:06:43,840 --> 00:06:46,000 of fear. Rather, it's the ability to 163 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:48,880 persevere even in the presence of fear. 164 00:06:48,880 --> 00:06:50,560 Time and time again, that's what Vice 165 00:06:50,560 --> 00:06:53,520 President Cheney was able to do. His 166 00:06:53,520 --> 00:06:55,919 wasn't a false courage cloaked by a thin 167 00:06:55,919 --> 00:06:58,880 veneer of bravado, but rather a genuine 168 00:06:58,880 --> 00:07:01,120 fortitude in the face of true mortal 169 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:04,080 peril. He lived most of his li adult 170 00:07:04,080 --> 00:07:06,560 life chased by a relentless disease 171 00:07:06,560 --> 00:07:09,120 intent on killing him. But he never 172 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:11,360 looked over his shoulder. 173 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:13,759 He only looked ahead. 174 00:07:13,759 --> 00:07:15,360 The hospitalization to implant a 175 00:07:15,360 --> 00:07:17,440 ventricular cyst device was long and 176 00:07:17,440 --> 00:07:19,919 complicated. He was in the ICU for more 177 00:07:19,919 --> 00:07:22,560 than a month, but not for a single 178 00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:25,039 moment without his family watching over 179 00:07:25,039 --> 00:07:28,400 him. When I entered his ICU room on his 180 00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:30,880 sickest days, I would often find Mrs. 181 00:07:30,880 --> 00:07:33,919 Cheney at the base of the bed rubbing 182 00:07:33,919 --> 00:07:35,520 his feet. 183 00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:37,520 Liz and Mary took turns sleeping in the 184 00:07:37,520 --> 00:07:41,360 hospital. He just barely survived, but 185 00:07:41,360 --> 00:07:43,280 the device ultimately enabled him to 186 00:07:43,280 --> 00:07:46,400 recover and last the 20 months until he 187 00:07:46,400 --> 00:07:49,440 was gifted with a new heart. 188 00:07:49,440 --> 00:07:50,880 Today, as we remember the vice 189 00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:54,560 president's life, I ask you also to 190 00:07:54,560 --> 00:07:57,039 think about the anom anonymous family 191 00:07:57,039 --> 00:08:00,240 who, in their time of terrible grief 13 192 00:08:00,240 --> 00:08:03,199 years ago, donated the heart of someone 193 00:08:03,199 --> 00:08:06,000 they treasured to a stranger they would 194 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:09,280 never know. It was a blessing and an act 195 00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:11,199 of love. 196 00:08:11,199 --> 00:08:13,360 A a gift that gave him many more summer 197 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:15,120 afternoons on the Snake River with his 198 00:08:15,120 --> 00:08:18,639 fly rod. and most profoundly precious 199 00:08:18,639 --> 00:08:21,039 time to watch his seven grandchildren 200 00:08:21,039 --> 00:08:24,479 grow up. This what this was what was 201 00:08:24,479 --> 00:08:27,599 most important to Dick Cheney. At a 202 00:08:27,599 --> 00:08:30,560 recent birthday party, he told them, "I 203 00:08:30,560 --> 00:08:34,240 am so proud of all of you." 204 00:08:34,240 --> 00:08:37,279 He was an American patriot and a man who 205 00:08:37,279 --> 00:08:40,159 loved his family. I was honored to be 206 00:08:40,159 --> 00:08:42,159 his doctor. 207 00:08:42,159 --> 00:08:44,399 It was an even greater honor to be his 208 00:08:44,399 --> 00:08:47,360 friend. 209 00:08:49,519 --> 00:08:51,839 As someone who grew up in the same town 210 00:08:51,839 --> 00:08:54,720 Casper, went to the same high school, 211 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:57,680 enjoyed the same wide open spaces, I 212 00:08:57,680 --> 00:08:59,440 can't think of anybody who better 213 00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:02,320 embodied Wyoming values than Dick 214 00:09:02,320 --> 00:09:05,040 Cheney. He was comfortable in the saddle 215 00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:08,000 on horseback. He judged people by what 216 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:09,600 they accomplished and what they stood 217 00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:12,720 for. He loved the state where he grew up 218 00:09:12,720 --> 00:09:15,839 and met Lynn. and Wyoming loved him 219 00:09:15,839 --> 00:09:18,240 back, electing him six times to the 220 00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:20,240 House of Representatives. 221 00:09:20,240 --> 00:09:22,320 He enjoyed the solitude of the Wyoming 222 00:09:22,320 --> 00:09:24,480 wilderness, too, and was an expert at 223 00:09:24,480 --> 00:09:27,279 finding the best places to deploy a fly 224 00:09:27,279 --> 00:09:30,160 rod. In fact, if you wanted his 225 00:09:30,160 --> 00:09:32,320 attention in the office, and you saw 226 00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:34,560 that the Orvis catalog was open on his 227 00:09:34,560 --> 00:09:36,720 desk, you knew to come back some other 228 00:09:36,720 --> 00:09:38,560 time. 229 00:09:38,560 --> 00:09:41,360 For my 50th birthday, he offered to let 230 00:09:41,360 --> 00:09:43,680 me come with him for a day's fly fishing 231 00:09:43,680 --> 00:09:47,200 in the Tetons. I told him that the best 232 00:09:47,200 --> 00:09:49,680 gift I could give in return was to 233 00:09:49,680 --> 00:09:52,560 respectfully decline because I'm no 234 00:09:52,560 --> 00:09:54,240 fisherman. And I knew that if I spoke 235 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:57,360 even 10 words all day, he would say, "I 236 00:09:57,360 --> 00:10:00,160 talk too much." 237 00:10:00,160 --> 00:10:02,160 When I was his press secretary, I once 238 00:10:02,160 --> 00:10:04,080 wrote a news release that contained the 239 00:10:04,080 --> 00:10:06,240 word bureaucrat. 240 00:10:06,240 --> 00:10:09,040 He crossed it out and substituted 241 00:10:09,040 --> 00:10:11,839 federal official. As the son of a man 242 00:10:11,839 --> 00:10:13,279 who worked for the agriculture 243 00:10:13,279 --> 00:10:16,000 department, he respected people who 244 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:18,800 chose to serve their country. 245 00:10:18,800 --> 00:10:20,800 Many Americans got their first look at 246 00:10:20,800 --> 00:10:22,399 Dick Cheney during the Gulf War, 247 00:10:22,399 --> 00:10:24,320 Operations Desert Shield and Desert 248 00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:27,519 Storm. My office at the Pentagon was the 249 00:10:27,519 --> 00:10:29,519 place where letters made their first 250 00:10:29,519 --> 00:10:32,800 stop. And one in particular stands out 251 00:10:32,800 --> 00:10:36,320 in my memory. A woman in Indiana wrote 252 00:10:36,320 --> 00:10:39,200 to say this. During these difficult 253 00:10:39,200 --> 00:10:41,440 times for our country, it is reassuring 254 00:10:41,440 --> 00:10:43,839 to turn on the television and see 255 00:10:43,839 --> 00:10:46,160 someone in charge of our military who is 256 00:10:46,160 --> 00:10:49,120 plain speaking, resolute, and strong. 257 00:10:49,120 --> 00:10:51,839 And then she added, "I find these 258 00:10:51,839 --> 00:10:54,880 qualities to be very attractive. I'm not 259 00:10:54,880 --> 00:10:56,480 sure whether you're married, but if 260 00:10:56,480 --> 00:10:58,480 you're ever in Indianapolis, you can 261 00:10:58,480 --> 00:11:00,959 look me up." 262 00:11:00,959 --> 00:11:03,040 I showed this letter to check Secretary 263 00:11:03,040 --> 00:11:05,760 Cheney and he took it home to brag about 264 00:11:05,760 --> 00:11:08,760 it. 265 00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:10,959 Shortly after Dick Cheney became 266 00:11:10,959 --> 00:11:13,600 Secretary of Defense, one of our senior 267 00:11:13,600 --> 00:11:15,680 policy officials had a request for me as 268 00:11:15,680 --> 00:11:18,000 the Pentagon spokesman. A New York Times 269 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:21,200 reporter wanted to know more about a new 270 00:11:21,200 --> 00:11:23,279 effort by the George HW Bush 271 00:11:23,279 --> 00:11:25,279 administration to reach a nuclear 272 00:11:25,279 --> 00:11:27,600 weapons agreement with the Soviet Union. 273 00:11:27,600 --> 00:11:29,360 The official sought permission to give 274 00:11:29,360 --> 00:11:32,320 the Times some background. I relayed the 275 00:11:32,320 --> 00:11:34,160 request to Secretary Cheney, who gave 276 00:11:34,160 --> 00:11:37,839 his okay, but he said, "Make absolutely 277 00:11:37,839 --> 00:11:39,920 sure our guy talks it over with the 278 00:11:39,920 --> 00:11:41,920 White House first to get a clear idea of 279 00:11:41,920 --> 00:11:44,480 what he can say." 280 00:11:44,480 --> 00:11:46,320 The following Sunday morning, the paper 281 00:11:46,320 --> 00:11:48,240 revealed that the president would soon 282 00:11:48,240 --> 00:11:51,920 propose a new negotiating tactic. 283 00:11:51,920 --> 00:11:54,480 The problem was that the president 284 00:11:54,480 --> 00:11:56,720 planned to reveal that strategy in a 285 00:11:56,720 --> 00:11:59,839 speech on Monday, and he was none too 286 00:11:59,839 --> 00:12:01,200 pleased to see it spelled out 287 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:03,040 beforehand. 288 00:12:03,040 --> 00:12:05,279 I received a call at home on Sunday 289 00:12:05,279 --> 00:12:07,760 informing me that this official and I 290 00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:09,760 were to report to Secretary Cheny's 291 00:12:09,760 --> 00:12:12,800 office first thing Monday morning. 292 00:12:12,800 --> 00:12:14,959 We walked in and sat down, braced for 293 00:12:14,959 --> 00:12:19,040 the worst. The secretary said, "I've got 294 00:12:19,040 --> 00:12:21,519 some good news and some bad news. Which 295 00:12:21,519 --> 00:12:24,480 do you want first?" So I asked for the 296 00:12:24,480 --> 00:12:27,279 bad news. He looked at us sternly and he 297 00:12:27,279 --> 00:12:30,160 said, "The bad news is that the 298 00:12:30,160 --> 00:12:32,399 president of the United States is very 299 00:12:32,399 --> 00:12:35,040 angry with you both." 300 00:12:35,040 --> 00:12:36,639 And then I asked for the good news and 301 00:12:36,639 --> 00:12:39,519 he said, "I only have to fire one of 302 00:12:39,519 --> 00:12:42,519 you." 303 00:12:42,959 --> 00:12:45,440 I could tell he was joking. I'm not sure 304 00:12:45,440 --> 00:12:48,880 the senior official realized it. 305 00:12:48,880 --> 00:12:52,079 And then Secretary Chenini said, "It's 306 00:12:52,079 --> 00:12:55,279 okay, guys. I told the president it was 307 00:12:55,279 --> 00:12:57,200 my idea." 308 00:12:57,200 --> 00:12:59,120 He could have told President Bush that 309 00:12:59,120 --> 00:13:01,920 it was our fault, but he took the blame 310 00:13:01,920 --> 00:13:04,399 and saved us from ourselves. 311 00:13:04,399 --> 00:13:06,959 When the boss that you serve cleans up 312 00:13:06,959 --> 00:13:09,600 after your mistakes, you can bet that 313 00:13:09,600 --> 00:13:12,240 inspires loyalty. And Dick Cheney 314 00:13:12,240 --> 00:13:14,480 demonstrated that kind of decency and 315 00:13:14,480 --> 00:13:16,399 concern for all the people who served 316 00:13:16,399 --> 00:13:18,880 him during his more than 40 years in 317 00:13:18,880 --> 00:13:22,560 public life. In 1991, a magazine planned 318 00:13:22,560 --> 00:13:25,680 to run a story outing me. I knew it was 319 00:13:25,680 --> 00:13:28,160 coming, so I went up to his office and 320 00:13:28,160 --> 00:13:30,720 offered to resign. He wouldn't hear of 321 00:13:30,720 --> 00:13:33,120 it. And for several days after that 322 00:13:33,120 --> 00:13:35,279 article appeared, he would call me on 323 00:13:35,279 --> 00:13:36,959 the direct line to my desk at the 324 00:13:36,959 --> 00:13:39,440 Pentagon to ask how I was doing and to 325 00:13:39,440 --> 00:13:42,399 tell me to get on with the job. 326 00:13:42,399 --> 00:13:44,959 Washington attracts ambitious people 327 00:13:44,959 --> 00:13:46,720 driven by a desire to serve their 328 00:13:46,720 --> 00:13:49,120 country. But many of those who become 329 00:13:49,120 --> 00:13:52,399 big names acquire staffers and then cast 330 00:13:52,399 --> 00:13:55,519 them aside as they rise in stature. 331 00:13:55,519 --> 00:13:58,639 Not Dick Cheney. Throughout his life, on 332 00:13:58,639 --> 00:14:00,399 his steady rise through the quarters of 333 00:14:00,399 --> 00:14:02,639 power, his circle of friends kept 334 00:14:02,639 --> 00:14:05,279 growing. He did not abandon those who 335 00:14:05,279 --> 00:14:07,839 helped him along the way. And when 336 00:14:07,839 --> 00:14:10,240 George W. Bush chose him to be the vice 337 00:14:10,240 --> 00:14:12,880 presidential candidate in 2000, their 338 00:14:12,880 --> 00:14:15,920 first campaign stop together was Casper, 339 00:14:15,920 --> 00:14:18,000 a demonstration of Dick's loyalty to his 340 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:20,399 home state. I don't think he was worried 341 00:14:20,399 --> 00:14:21,920 about locking up Wyoming's three 342 00:14:21,920 --> 00:14:24,079 electoral votes. 343 00:14:24,079 --> 00:14:26,160 Those of us fortunate to work for him 344 00:14:26,160 --> 00:14:28,560 knew that he had a sly sense of humor. 345 00:14:28,560 --> 00:14:30,560 He loved to tell a story about attending 346 00:14:30,560 --> 00:14:32,079 a political event when he ran for 347 00:14:32,079 --> 00:14:35,040 reelection as Wyoming's congressman. He 348 00:14:35,040 --> 00:14:36,720 said he walked up to one old rancher, 349 00:14:36,720 --> 00:14:38,320 stuck out his hand, and said, "I'm Dick 350 00:14:38,320 --> 00:14:39,920 Cheney. I'm running for Congress, and 351 00:14:39,920 --> 00:14:41,920 I'd like to have your vote." And the 352 00:14:41,920 --> 00:14:44,240 rancher replied, "You got it. That guy 353 00:14:44,240 --> 00:14:48,920 we got in there now is no damn good." 354 00:14:49,360 --> 00:14:51,440 In my seven years of working for him in 355 00:14:51,440 --> 00:14:53,760 the Congress and at the Pentagon, I 356 00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:55,839 seldom came away from a meeting with him 357 00:14:55,839 --> 00:14:57,440 without thinking that I'd learned 358 00:14:57,440 --> 00:15:00,399 something about politics and government. 359 00:15:00,399 --> 00:15:03,440 Lynn captured that experience perfectly 360 00:15:03,440 --> 00:15:05,440 when she introduced him at the 2000 361 00:15:05,440 --> 00:15:07,760 Republican Convention. Here's what she 362 00:15:07,760 --> 00:15:10,800 said. Conversations with Dick have a way 363 00:15:10,800 --> 00:15:14,079 of taking unexpected turns. Problems get 364 00:15:14,079 --> 00:15:16,800 redefined and you find yourself thinking 365 00:15:16,800 --> 00:15:19,839 about things in new ways. and she added, 366 00:15:19,839 --> 00:15:21,839 "I cannot imagine the discussion that 367 00:15:21,839 --> 00:15:25,120 would not benefit from his presence." 368 00:15:25,120 --> 00:15:28,560 Dick Cheney was a good and decent man. 369 00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:31,120 He loved his family and his home state. 370 00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:33,360 His highest aspiration was serving the 371 00:15:33,360 --> 00:15:36,800 country, and I'm so lucky and so deeply 372 00:15:36,800 --> 00:15:39,040 grateful that I was along for part of 373 00:15:39,040 --> 00:15:42,279 that ride. 374 00:15:42,880 --> 00:15:44,800 Lynn, Liz, and Mary, and all the Cheney 375 00:15:44,800 --> 00:15:46,720 family, honored guests, ladies and 376 00:15:46,720 --> 00:15:48,480 gentlemen. 377 00:15:48,480 --> 00:15:50,480 I appreciate this chance to say a few 378 00:15:50,480 --> 00:15:53,279 words about a man I was proud to call my 379 00:15:53,279 --> 00:15:57,199 vice president and my friend. 380 00:15:57,199 --> 00:15:59,839 Though not a happy assignment, I do 381 00:15:59,839 --> 00:16:02,880 consider it an easy one because there 382 00:16:02,880 --> 00:16:04,959 was so much to like and admire about 383 00:16:04,959 --> 00:16:07,279 Dick Cheney. 384 00:16:07,279 --> 00:16:09,360 Dick was a stoical man and I doubt he 385 00:16:09,360 --> 00:16:12,000 left his life with any complaints about 386 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:16,399 the time given to him or its end. 387 00:16:16,399 --> 00:16:18,160 He was also a grateful man, grateful 388 00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:20,320 above all for three loyal, loving women 389 00:16:20,320 --> 00:16:23,040 who shared in his journey. 390 00:16:23,040 --> 00:16:25,279 As I quickly discovered in 2000, when 391 00:16:25,279 --> 00:16:29,800 you choose one Cheney, you get four. 392 00:16:30,320 --> 00:16:32,639 His busy and purposeful life was an 393 00:16:32,639 --> 00:16:35,600 adventure they experienced together. 394 00:16:35,600 --> 00:16:37,680 In a family so close you dread the day 395 00:16:37,680 --> 00:16:40,480 when the circle is broken. 396 00:16:40,480 --> 00:16:42,079 Lynn and the girls Heather, Phil, and 397 00:16:42,079 --> 00:16:44,480 all the grandchildren. He sure loved you 398 00:16:44,480 --> 00:16:48,480 all. And he was proud of his family. 399 00:16:48,480 --> 00:16:50,399 I hope it helps to know that many people 400 00:16:50,399 --> 00:16:52,079 in this country share your sense of 401 00:16:52,079 --> 00:16:53,680 loss. 402 00:16:53,680 --> 00:16:57,120 And we're here today as your friends. 403 00:16:57,120 --> 00:16:58,959 25 years ago, I had a big choice to 404 00:16:58,959 --> 00:17:02,320 make. a big job to fill. 405 00:17:02,320 --> 00:17:04,079 I want to know all my options. So, I 406 00:17:04,079 --> 00:17:05,760 enlisted the help of a distinguished 407 00:17:05,760 --> 00:17:07,600 former White House Chief of Staff and 408 00:17:07,600 --> 00:17:10,160 Secretary of Defense to lead my search 409 00:17:10,160 --> 00:17:12,640 for running mate. 410 00:17:12,640 --> 00:17:14,240 Dick Cheney and I went through the files 411 00:17:14,240 --> 00:17:17,439 name by name. We talked over the various 412 00:17:17,439 --> 00:17:19,280 qualities I was looking for in a vice 413 00:17:19,280 --> 00:17:21,839 president. Preparedness, mature 414 00:17:21,839 --> 00:17:25,360 judgment, rectitude, and loyalty. 415 00:17:25,360 --> 00:17:27,199 Above all, I wanted someone with the 416 00:17:27,199 --> 00:17:29,760 ability to step into the presidency 417 00:17:29,760 --> 00:17:31,520 without getting distracted by the 418 00:17:31,520 --> 00:17:34,320 ambition to seek it. 419 00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:36,080 After weeks of these meetings, I began 420 00:17:36,080 --> 00:17:38,880 to have a thought I could not shake. 421 00:17:38,880 --> 00:17:40,720 I realized the best choice for the vice 422 00:17:40,720 --> 00:17:42,240 president was the man sitting right in 423 00:17:42,240 --> 00:17:46,320 front of me. And I told him that 424 00:17:46,320 --> 00:17:48,240 at such a moment, most in this position 425 00:17:48,240 --> 00:17:50,799 would have jumped at the chance. 426 00:17:50,799 --> 00:17:53,919 But Dick stayed detached and he analyzed 427 00:17:53,919 --> 00:17:55,840 it. 428 00:17:55,840 --> 00:17:57,919 Before I made my decision, he insisted 429 00:17:57,919 --> 00:18:00,160 on giving me a complete rundown of all 430 00:18:00,160 --> 00:18:03,840 the reasons I should not choose him. 431 00:18:03,840 --> 00:18:05,760 He also heard one of my top adviserss 432 00:18:05,760 --> 00:18:08,960 was against the choice. So Dick invited 433 00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:11,440 him to make the case. 434 00:18:11,440 --> 00:18:14,400 As he did so, he sat there unfazed and 435 00:18:14,400 --> 00:18:16,640 expressionless. 436 00:18:16,640 --> 00:18:19,679 In the end, I trusted my judgment. 437 00:18:19,679 --> 00:18:21,520 I remember my dad's words when I told 438 00:18:21,520 --> 00:18:23,200 him what I was planning. He said, "Son, 439 00:18:23,200 --> 00:18:27,640 you couldn't pick a better man." 440 00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:29,840 The way this all unfolded followed a 441 00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:32,640 pattern Dick Cheny's life. 442 00:18:32,640 --> 00:18:34,559 Summing up his career a few years ago, 443 00:18:34,559 --> 00:18:37,440 he said, "A few breaks came my way, and 444 00:18:37,440 --> 00:18:40,080 one job always led to another. And in a 445 00:18:40,080 --> 00:18:42,160 life that's taken me far to more places 446 00:18:42,160 --> 00:18:45,200 than I ever expected." 447 00:18:45,200 --> 00:18:47,039 That was Dick's typically understated 448 00:18:47,039 --> 00:18:48,480 version of events. But there's a little 449 00:18:48,480 --> 00:18:50,960 more to the story. 450 00:18:50,960 --> 00:18:52,799 His abilities were self-evident without 451 00:18:52,799 --> 00:18:55,760 need of calculation or self-promotion. 452 00:18:55,760 --> 00:18:58,480 His talent and restraint exceeded his 453 00:18:58,480 --> 00:19:00,320 ego. 454 00:19:00,320 --> 00:19:02,160 Even before the Cheney name reached the 455 00:19:02,160 --> 00:19:04,960 national stage, people always saw 456 00:19:04,960 --> 00:19:08,240 something in the man. Solid, reliable, 457 00:19:08,240 --> 00:19:10,880 and rare. 458 00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:12,240 One of the first to really notice was 459 00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:14,720 Lyn Vincent. 460 00:19:14,720 --> 00:19:16,320 She can recall a time in their college 461 00:19:16,320 --> 00:19:18,960 years when Dick, as he freely admitted, 462 00:19:18,960 --> 00:19:20,400 lacked direction and needed some 463 00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:23,280 straightening out. 464 00:19:23,280 --> 00:19:27,320 I think we had that in common. 465 00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:30,640 That was Lynn's kind of project. 466 00:19:30,640 --> 00:19:33,600 And it did not take her long. He said 467 00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:35,520 many times that his life would have 468 00:19:35,520 --> 00:19:37,679 turned out a whole lot different if he 469 00:19:37,679 --> 00:19:39,679 had never met her. 470 00:19:39,679 --> 00:19:41,919 It may explain how in just over a decade 471 00:19:41,919 --> 00:19:44,000 a guy can going from laying transmission 472 00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:47,120 lines outside Cheyenne to serving as 473 00:19:47,120 --> 00:19:48,799 chief of staff of the president of the 474 00:19:48,799 --> 00:19:51,200 United States. 475 00:19:51,200 --> 00:19:53,120 In Dick's telling those years working 476 00:19:53,120 --> 00:19:54,799 for Gerald Ford were special and 477 00:19:54,799 --> 00:19:56,400 formative. 478 00:19:56,400 --> 00:19:58,960 He cherished the association 479 00:19:58,960 --> 00:20:02,559 and the high regard went both ways. 480 00:20:02,559 --> 00:20:04,640 In his memoir, President Ford described 481 00:20:04,640 --> 00:20:06,640 Dick's steadiness, his low-key style, 482 00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:09,520 and his absolute loyalty. 483 00:20:09,520 --> 00:20:12,559 I know exactly what he meant. 484 00:20:12,559 --> 00:20:14,400 These are not traits easy to come by in 485 00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:16,320 Washington. 486 00:20:16,320 --> 00:20:18,240 Being calm, reticent, undramatic, and 487 00:20:18,240 --> 00:20:20,080 untru unt untrustworthy are not 488 00:20:20,080 --> 00:20:21,840 everyone's formula for success in 489 00:20:21,840 --> 00:20:23,760 politics. 490 00:20:23,760 --> 00:20:26,400 But they were the Cheney way and they 491 00:20:26,400 --> 00:20:28,000 worked. 492 00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:29,679 I'm reminded of a renowned senator who 493 00:20:29,679 --> 00:20:31,440 once gave this advice to a junior 494 00:20:31,440 --> 00:20:33,840 colleague. Perhaps he said you could 495 00:20:33,840 --> 00:20:35,600 occasionally allow yourself the luxury 496 00:20:35,600 --> 00:20:39,720 of an unexpressed thought. 497 00:20:42,159 --> 00:20:45,280 Dick Cheney was like that, sparing and 498 00:20:45,280 --> 00:20:47,679 measured with words. 499 00:20:47,679 --> 00:20:50,480 In a profession that attracts talkers, 500 00:20:50,480 --> 00:20:53,200 he was a thinker and a listener. 501 00:20:53,200 --> 00:20:54,960 And when he did speak up, conveying 502 00:20:54,960 --> 00:20:57,520 thoughts in that even tone of voice, 503 00:20:57,520 --> 00:21:00,480 that orderly, unexitable manner, you 504 00:21:00,480 --> 00:21:01,919 knew you were getting the best of a 505 00:21:01,919 --> 00:21:04,720 highly disciplined mind. 506 00:21:04,720 --> 00:21:07,039 No colleague, no legislature, no foreign 507 00:21:07,039 --> 00:21:08,880 leader who ever met Dick Cheney ever 508 00:21:08,880 --> 00:21:11,280 doubted that they were dealing with a 509 00:21:11,280 --> 00:21:13,440 serious man. 510 00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:15,039 Of course, not every political counselor 511 00:21:15,039 --> 00:21:18,080 is cut out to be a political candidate. 512 00:21:18,080 --> 00:21:19,919 But Dick Cheney put himself to the test 513 00:21:19,919 --> 00:21:23,039 and never lost an election. 514 00:21:23,039 --> 00:21:24,799 In fact, it happens that he and I both 515 00:21:24,799 --> 00:21:28,000 ran for Congress in 1978. 516 00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:30,000 And let me just say, the Republican wave 517 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:34,600 didn't reach West Texas that year. 518 00:21:34,880 --> 00:21:36,799 He told me a few times what it's like to 519 00:21:36,799 --> 00:21:39,600 campaign in Wyoming. Lots of small 520 00:21:39,600 --> 00:21:42,400 gatherings and long drives. 521 00:21:42,400 --> 00:21:44,480 It's easy to imagine imagine the 522 00:21:44,480 --> 00:21:46,080 impression that young Dick Cheney made 523 00:21:46,080 --> 00:21:49,120 when he was asking for the vote. I wish 524 00:21:49,120 --> 00:21:50,880 more Americans got to know Dick Cheney 525 00:21:50,880 --> 00:21:52,640 the way the folks in Casper, Cody, and 526 00:21:52,640 --> 00:21:55,120 Larman got to know him. Smart and 527 00:21:55,120 --> 00:21:58,159 polished, without heirs, 528 00:21:58,159 --> 00:21:59,679 courteous and approachable, seeing 529 00:21:59,679 --> 00:22:02,400 everyone as an equal, a gentleman by 530 00:22:02,400 --> 00:22:06,799 nature and a true man of the West. 531 00:22:06,799 --> 00:22:08,799 Dick was funny and easygoing in a style 532 00:22:08,799 --> 00:22:10,559 that his public image never caught up 533 00:22:10,559 --> 00:22:13,200 with, though we can all agree wasn't 534 00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:16,000 your standard issue politician. 535 00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:17,919 If any voters came hoping for a kind 536 00:22:17,919 --> 00:22:20,400 word and a hug, they'd have to settle 537 00:22:20,400 --> 00:22:23,960 for the kind word. 538 00:22:25,120 --> 00:22:27,840 But you can't question the appeal of the 539 00:22:27,840 --> 00:22:30,400 only person from America's 540 00:22:30,400 --> 00:22:33,280 Mountain West ever elected to national 541 00:22:33,280 --> 00:22:35,360 office. 542 00:22:35,360 --> 00:22:36,960 On that score, history should record 543 00:22:36,960 --> 00:22:40,080 that I chose my vice president not once, 544 00:22:40,080 --> 00:22:42,559 but twice. 545 00:22:42,559 --> 00:22:45,039 In 2004, he offered to step aside in 546 00:22:45,039 --> 00:22:47,760 case I wanted to replace him. I thought 547 00:22:47,760 --> 00:22:50,480 about it for a while, but after four 548 00:22:50,480 --> 00:22:52,880 years of seeing how he treated people, 549 00:22:52,880 --> 00:22:55,679 how he how he carried responsibility, 550 00:22:55,679 --> 00:22:57,280 how he handled pressure and took the 551 00:22:57,280 --> 00:23:00,559 hits, I arrived back at the conclusion 552 00:23:00,559 --> 00:23:02,400 that they do not come any better than 553 00:23:02,400 --> 00:23:04,960 Dick Cheney. 554 00:23:04,960 --> 00:23:06,640 Colleagues from every chapter of his 555 00:23:06,640 --> 00:23:08,159 career will tell you that he lifted the 556 00:23:08,159 --> 00:23:11,120 standards of those around him just by 557 00:23:11,120 --> 00:23:14,240 being who he was, so focused and so 558 00:23:14,240 --> 00:23:16,080 capable. 559 00:23:16,080 --> 00:23:17,840 In our years in office together, on the 560 00:23:17,840 --> 00:23:20,480 quiet days and on the hardest ones, he 561 00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:22,720 was everything a president should expect 562 00:23:22,720 --> 00:23:25,120 in his second in command. 563 00:23:25,120 --> 00:23:27,120 In moments of testing, Dick Cheney was 564 00:23:27,120 --> 00:23:30,480 the model of concentration, alertness, 565 00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:32,880 and composure. 566 00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:36,000 His memoir was titled My Time. 567 00:23:36,000 --> 00:23:38,000 His time produced an old breed of public 568 00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:40,720 servant defined by their substance and 569 00:23:40,720 --> 00:23:42,640 character. 570 00:23:42,640 --> 00:23:44,480 This was a vice president totally 571 00:23:44,480 --> 00:23:46,400 devoted to protecting the United States 572 00:23:46,400 --> 00:23:48,880 and its interests. 573 00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:50,960 There was never any agenda or angle 574 00:23:50,960 --> 00:23:52,880 beyond that. 575 00:23:52,880 --> 00:23:54,880 You did not know Dick Cheney unless you 576 00:23:54,880 --> 00:23:57,520 understood his greatest concerns and 577 00:23:57,520 --> 00:24:00,720 ambitions were for his country. 578 00:24:00,720 --> 00:24:04,000 Across 40 years of service, 579 00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:05,840 across 40 years, his service was 580 00:24:05,840 --> 00:24:10,880 consistent, faithful, and noble. 581 00:24:10,880 --> 00:24:12,480 All in all, not a bad showing for a 582 00:24:12,480 --> 00:24:14,080 career and a life, especially when you 583 00:24:14,080 --> 00:24:18,080 consider his sheer physical endurance. 584 00:24:18,080 --> 00:24:19,919 As Dr. Rener pointed out, he became an 585 00:24:19,919 --> 00:24:22,960 authority on cardiovascular disease 586 00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:25,039 and a marvel at what resourceful doctors 587 00:24:25,039 --> 00:24:26,880 and one very determined patient can 588 00:24:26,880 --> 00:24:29,120 accomplish. 589 00:24:29,120 --> 00:24:31,679 Dick had faced down fears and hardships, 590 00:24:31,679 --> 00:24:34,480 but he really didn't speak about him. 591 00:24:34,480 --> 00:24:36,400 The reward was more of a life than he 592 00:24:36,400 --> 00:24:38,559 ever expected, including seven 593 00:24:38,559 --> 00:24:41,760 grandchildren to complete the picture. 594 00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:43,279 One of them, Richard, even asked his 595 00:24:43,279 --> 00:24:45,520 grandfather to attend kindergarten class 596 00:24:45,520 --> 00:24:48,400 for a show and tell. 597 00:24:48,400 --> 00:24:51,679 I wish I'd have been there. 598 00:24:51,679 --> 00:24:53,120 As a matter of fact, the teacher told 599 00:24:53,120 --> 00:24:54,559 Dick that that was the most exciting 600 00:24:54,559 --> 00:24:56,240 show and tell since the morning a little 601 00:24:56,240 --> 00:25:00,360 girl brought her cow to class. 602 00:25:01,279 --> 00:25:02,880 That might have been amongst Dick's last 603 00:25:02,880 --> 00:25:05,520 moments in the spotlight. In his final 604 00:25:05,520 --> 00:25:08,400 years, he was content to grow go his 605 00:25:08,400 --> 00:25:11,760 way. At a rare public appearance in 20ou 606 00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:14,080 uh 2022, he offered a kind of parting 607 00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:16,480 reflection. He said, "When you can look 608 00:25:16,480 --> 00:25:18,240 back on a lifetime in politics and 609 00:25:18,240 --> 00:25:20,559 government and what you value most are 610 00:25:20,559 --> 00:25:22,320 the friendships, 611 00:25:22,320 --> 00:25:25,520 then I guess you've done all right." 612 00:25:25,520 --> 00:25:27,360 A lot of us know that feeling as we say 613 00:25:27,360 --> 00:25:29,679 an affectionate farewell to the 46th 614 00:25:29,679 --> 00:25:32,720 vice president of the United States. 615 00:25:32,720 --> 00:25:34,240 It's something to be cherished when a 616 00:25:34,240 --> 00:25:35,679 man of his caliber has been your 617 00:25:35,679 --> 00:25:38,159 colleague and friend. 618 00:25:38,159 --> 00:25:40,240 The son of Wyoming, son of Marjgery and 619 00:25:40,240 --> 00:25:43,200 Richard Cheney of Casper went far in 620 00:25:43,200 --> 00:25:46,159 this world and in our own lives left a 621 00:25:46,159 --> 00:25:48,240 very fine mark. 622 00:25:48,240 --> 00:25:50,480 We are grateful for his good life. We 623 00:25:50,480 --> 00:25:52,960 honor her service and we pray that 624 00:25:52,960 --> 00:25:55,600 somewhere up the trail we will meet him 625 00:25:55,600 --> 00:25:58,600 again. 626 00:26:01,120 --> 00:26:03,039 Seven of us were blessed to be Dick 627 00:26:03,039 --> 00:26:05,679 Cheny's grandchildren. The only one of 628 00:26:05,679 --> 00:26:07,760 us not here today is our older sister 629 00:26:07,760 --> 00:26:11,520 Katie who is about to have a baby. 630 00:26:11,520 --> 00:26:14,320 When I was 18, my grandpa helped me pack 631 00:26:14,320 --> 00:26:16,080 my things in his truck and drove me 632 00:26:16,080 --> 00:26:17,840 eight hours from Jackson Hole to 633 00:26:17,840 --> 00:26:19,840 Colorado Springs for my first year of 634 00:26:19,840 --> 00:26:21,919 college. 635 00:26:21,919 --> 00:26:24,400 Along the way, he gave me advice, 636 00:26:24,400 --> 00:26:26,480 warning about the potential dangers 637 00:26:26,480 --> 00:26:28,240 associated with your freshman year of 638 00:26:28,240 --> 00:26:30,720 college, reminiscing about the days when 639 00:26:30,720 --> 00:26:32,880 he was taking my mom to college, and 640 00:26:32,880 --> 00:26:35,760 just talking about life in general. 641 00:26:35,760 --> 00:26:38,880 I will forever see him that way, driving 642 00:26:38,880 --> 00:26:40,960 along an open road and telling me 643 00:26:40,960 --> 00:26:42,799 stories about his life while talking 644 00:26:42,799 --> 00:26:44,400 about the family that he loved so 645 00:26:44,400 --> 00:26:46,159 dearly. 646 00:26:46,159 --> 00:26:48,000 I'll forever see him in his leather 647 00:26:48,000 --> 00:26:50,400 chair by the fire in his study in 648 00:26:50,400 --> 00:26:53,279 Wyoming, snow outside the windows, books 649 00:26:53,279 --> 00:26:55,600 piled up, and his beloved dogs at his 650 00:26:55,600 --> 00:26:57,440 feet. 651 00:26:57,440 --> 00:26:59,679 I'll forever see him on horseback riding 652 00:26:59,679 --> 00:27:01,360 up Spencer's Mountain for Sunrise 653 00:27:01,360 --> 00:27:02,880 breakfast. 654 00:27:02,880 --> 00:27:04,720 I'll forever see him on the south fork 655 00:27:04,720 --> 00:27:07,360 of the snake, fly rod in hand, perfect 656 00:27:07,360 --> 00:27:10,159 cast after perfect cast. 657 00:27:10,159 --> 00:27:12,080 Sometimes he even gave one of his 658 00:27:12,080 --> 00:27:14,000 grandchildren the coveted seat in the 659 00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:16,320 front of the boat. And he didn't even 660 00:27:16,320 --> 00:27:18,799 complain too much when more than once we 661 00:27:18,799 --> 00:27:23,200 hooked him with an outofcrol cast. 662 00:27:23,200 --> 00:27:25,279 I'll forever see him at Thanksgiving and 663 00:27:25,279 --> 00:27:27,120 Christmas in the kitchen with a towel 664 00:27:27,120 --> 00:27:29,279 thrown over his shoulder cooking for us 665 00:27:29,279 --> 00:27:32,559 all. and we will forever be asking him, 666 00:27:32,559 --> 00:27:36,320 "Is the turkey ready yet?" 667 00:27:36,320 --> 00:27:38,720 The day after my grandpa died, I pulled 668 00:27:38,720 --> 00:27:40,880 down the huge boxes of challenge coins 669 00:27:40,880 --> 00:27:43,679 he kept in the top of his closet. 670 00:27:43,679 --> 00:27:45,679 I spent several hours looking at the 671 00:27:45,679 --> 00:27:48,640 coins, turning each one over in my hand 672 00:27:48,640 --> 00:27:51,360 to see its unique inscription. 673 00:27:51,360 --> 00:27:53,919 As I held each coin, I was struck by 674 00:27:53,919 --> 00:27:56,399 just how many places my grandpa had been 675 00:27:56,399 --> 00:27:58,159 and how many people he must have met 676 00:27:58,159 --> 00:27:59,919 along the way. 677 00:27:59,919 --> 00:28:02,559 But this is who Grandpa was. Every 678 00:28:02,559 --> 00:28:04,880 person he met meant something to him. 679 00:28:04,880 --> 00:28:07,120 And every coin he was handed he kept 680 00:28:07,120 --> 00:28:09,039 forever. 681 00:28:09,039 --> 00:28:11,200 Let me close with a few words prepared 682 00:28:11,200 --> 00:28:13,039 by our sister Katie, who could not be 683 00:28:13,039 --> 00:28:15,840 with us today. 684 00:28:15,840 --> 00:28:18,320 Dear Grandpa, the mark you left on our 685 00:28:18,320 --> 00:28:20,720 world is remarkable, but it pales in 686 00:28:20,720 --> 00:28:22,480 comparison to the one you left on our 687 00:28:22,480 --> 00:28:23,760 family. 688 00:28:23,760 --> 00:28:26,000 Your unwavering love for us is a legacy 689 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:28,480 we will forever hold close and will pass 690 00:28:28,480 --> 00:28:31,760 on to our own children one day. As we 691 00:28:31,760 --> 00:28:33,440 prepare to welcome your first great 692 00:28:33,440 --> 00:28:35,840 grandson into the world, please know 693 00:28:35,840 --> 00:28:38,399 that we are thinking of you. And if this 694 00:28:38,399 --> 00:28:40,399 baby boy grows up to become even half 695 00:28:40,399 --> 00:28:42,480 the man that you were, we will consider 696 00:28:42,480 --> 00:28:45,279 ourselves profoundly blessed. And rest 697 00:28:45,279 --> 00:28:47,440 assured, your great grandson will be on 698 00:28:47,440 --> 00:28:49,520 the water with a fly rod in his hand the 699 00:28:49,520 --> 00:28:53,159 moment he can stand. 700 00:29:00,720 --> 00:29:03,919 I am named after my grandpa and for my 701 00:29:03,919 --> 00:29:06,880 whole life he was always there for me. 702 00:29:06,880 --> 00:29:09,039 As Mr. Bush mentioned, one of my 703 00:29:09,039 --> 00:29:10,720 favorite stories of my grandpa is when 704 00:29:10,720 --> 00:29:14,559 he came to my kindergarten class. 705 00:29:14,559 --> 00:29:16,240 My teacher said that grandpa was the 706 00:29:16,240 --> 00:29:18,240 best showand tell since my classmate 707 00:29:18,240 --> 00:29:21,120 brought her cow to class. He truly loved 708 00:29:21,120 --> 00:29:23,200 that story. 709 00:29:23,200 --> 00:29:25,520 We both played high school football and 710 00:29:25,520 --> 00:29:27,360 my grandpa kept the schedule of my games 711 00:29:27,360 --> 00:29:29,760 on his desk and he was nearly at almost 712 00:29:29,760 --> 00:29:32,799 all of my games. 713 00:29:32,799 --> 00:29:35,679 We were both running backs. I recently 714 00:29:35,679 --> 00:29:37,360 read a comment from one of Grandpa's 715 00:29:37,360 --> 00:29:40,000 coaches. He said, "Dick Cheney ran with 716 00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:44,120 the speed of a fence post." 717 00:29:48,080 --> 00:29:49,919 Grandpa might not have been blessed with 718 00:29:49,919 --> 00:29:52,480 great speed, but he taught me that raw 719 00:29:52,480 --> 00:29:54,799 determination and grit can lead you to 720 00:29:54,799 --> 00:29:56,880 success. 721 00:29:56,880 --> 00:29:59,520 He was the captain of his team, and his 722 00:29:59,520 --> 00:30:01,679 high school field in Casper is now named 723 00:30:01,679 --> 00:30:03,840 after him. 724 00:30:03,840 --> 00:30:05,919 Every Christmas, Grandpa would cook our 725 00:30:05,919 --> 00:30:07,760 dinner while we hung out in the kitchen 726 00:30:07,760 --> 00:30:10,320 watching his favorite John Wayne movies 727 00:30:10,320 --> 00:30:13,600 year after year. We loved to do this, 728 00:30:13,600 --> 00:30:15,200 even though we had seen these movies 729 00:30:15,200 --> 00:30:18,399 dozens of times. 730 00:30:18,399 --> 00:30:20,640 I will always remember the hot Wyoming 731 00:30:20,640 --> 00:30:23,440 summer days when I was a kid. Days that 732 00:30:23,440 --> 00:30:25,200 my siblings and I would spend sitting 733 00:30:25,200 --> 00:30:27,360 together on our back porch talking with 734 00:30:27,360 --> 00:30:30,000 our grandpa. He would give us important 735 00:30:30,000 --> 00:30:33,600 life lessons as well as make us laugh. 736 00:30:33,600 --> 00:30:35,760 What I remember specifically about the 737 00:30:35,760 --> 00:30:38,080 time I spent with my grandpa was the way 738 00:30:38,080 --> 00:30:41,039 he looked at me, how he looked at each 739 00:30:41,039 --> 00:30:44,320 of us. This was because when my grandpa 740 00:30:44,320 --> 00:30:47,039 looked at you and smiled, he didn't even 741 00:30:47,039 --> 00:30:49,679 have to say a word. You could just feel 742 00:30:49,679 --> 00:30:53,279 his love. In a way, his gaze alone said, 743 00:30:53,279 --> 00:30:57,520 "I love you more than anything." 744 00:30:57,520 --> 00:30:59,440 He always told us how proud he was of 745 00:30:59,440 --> 00:31:02,159 us. And we will always try to follow his 746 00:31:02,159 --> 00:31:03,760 example. 747 00:31:03,760 --> 00:31:05,520 To be people driven to love our 748 00:31:05,520 --> 00:31:09,120 families, to be respectful, and to live 749 00:31:09,120 --> 00:31:12,320 through the lessons he taught us. to put 750 00:31:12,320 --> 00:31:15,279 love and our families first. I love you, 751 00:31:15,279 --> 00:31:18,279 Grandpa. 752 00:31:26,880 --> 00:31:29,039 When I was on the high school rodeo team 753 00:31:29,039 --> 00:31:31,919 in Jackson, Wyoming, my grandpa was my 754 00:31:31,919 --> 00:31:35,520 driver. In his Ford F350 pickup, he 755 00:31:35,520 --> 00:31:37,360 hauled me and my horses hundreds of 756 00:31:37,360 --> 00:31:41,039 miles to rodeos all across the state. He 757 00:31:41,039 --> 00:31:43,120 taught me how to have integrity, how to 758 00:31:43,120 --> 00:31:45,840 work hard, how to have grit, how to face 759 00:31:45,840 --> 00:31:48,320 adversity, and how to look danger and 760 00:31:48,320 --> 00:31:51,200 fear right in the eye and say, "Is that 761 00:31:51,200 --> 00:31:53,760 all you got?" 762 00:31:53,760 --> 00:31:55,679 I'm pretty sure he's the only person who 763 00:31:55,679 --> 00:31:57,760 ever had the title vice president turned 764 00:31:57,760 --> 00:31:59,840 rodeo grandpa. 765 00:31:59,840 --> 00:32:03,039 And I'm blessed he was mine. After one 766 00:32:03,039 --> 00:32:05,440 high school rodeo in Casper, grandpa 767 00:32:05,440 --> 00:32:06,799 drove me to places that had been 768 00:32:06,799 --> 00:32:09,200 important to him growing up. He showed 769 00:32:09,200 --> 00:32:11,120 me the house he was raised in and told 770 00:32:11,120 --> 00:32:13,200 me how he and his brother Bob would 771 00:32:13,200 --> 00:32:15,519 shoot rabbits out on the prairie and 772 00:32:15,519 --> 00:32:17,200 bring them home for his mom to cook for 773 00:32:17,200 --> 00:32:20,640 dinner. He showed me Hatsix Road, where 774 00:32:20,640 --> 00:32:23,039 his dad taught him to drive, and Natrona 775 00:32:23,039 --> 00:32:24,880 County High School, where he and my 776 00:32:24,880 --> 00:32:28,720 grandma graduated in 1959. 777 00:32:28,720 --> 00:32:30,880 For the last stop, he pulled up outside 778 00:32:30,880 --> 00:32:33,760 a small house on West Bridge Drive. "You 779 00:32:33,760 --> 00:32:37,200 know what that is, Gracie?" he said. 780 00:32:37,200 --> 00:32:38,880 That's where I picked your grandma up 781 00:32:38,880 --> 00:32:42,000 for our very first date. 782 00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:44,480 On drives to rodeos with my grandpa, he 783 00:32:44,480 --> 00:32:47,600 imparted important life lessons. Once we 784 00:32:47,600 --> 00:32:49,200 were talking about how much I like to 785 00:32:49,200 --> 00:32:52,240 ride bikes. In response, my grandpa 786 00:32:52,240 --> 00:32:54,799 said, "Never ride a bike down the 787 00:32:54,799 --> 00:32:57,600 stairs. 788 00:32:57,600 --> 00:33:00,240 You will not make it and your head will 789 00:33:00,240 --> 00:33:02,880 go through the drywall." 790 00:33:02,880 --> 00:33:04,399 He seemed to be speaking from 791 00:33:04,399 --> 00:33:07,399 experience. 792 00:33:07,600 --> 00:33:09,760 Dick Cheney was a great rodeo grandpa 793 00:33:09,760 --> 00:33:11,360 because he never went anywhere 794 00:33:11,360 --> 00:33:13,679 unprepared. You could always count on 795 00:33:13,679 --> 00:33:16,240 him to have emergency blankets, 796 00:33:16,240 --> 00:33:18,880 flashlights, headlamps, tool kits, 797 00:33:18,880 --> 00:33:21,600 different kinds of knives, emergency 798 00:33:21,600 --> 00:33:25,360 meals, fly rods, rain gear, pens, and 799 00:33:25,360 --> 00:33:27,919 butterscotch lifesavers. 800 00:33:27,919 --> 00:33:29,840 Since we usually stayed in the small 801 00:33:29,840 --> 00:33:31,760 living quarters of our horse trailer, 802 00:33:31,760 --> 00:33:34,240 things got pretty crowded. 803 00:33:34,240 --> 00:33:36,080 At one point, the Wall Street Journal 804 00:33:36,080 --> 00:33:37,760 got wind that Dick Cheney had turned 805 00:33:37,760 --> 00:33:40,320 into a full-time rodeo grandpa and asked 806 00:33:40,320 --> 00:33:43,200 to send a reporter to interview him. Few 807 00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:44,799 minutes before the reporter was 808 00:33:44,799 --> 00:33:46,799 scheduled to arrive, Grandpa and I 809 00:33:46,799 --> 00:33:48,399 looked around the living quarters and 810 00:33:48,399 --> 00:33:52,159 realized there was stuff everywhere. 811 00:33:52,159 --> 00:33:54,799 "Grandpa, we cannot have a Wall Street 812 00:33:54,799 --> 00:33:56,720 Journal reporter in here. They're going 813 00:33:56,720 --> 00:33:59,679 to take pictures." I said, "You're 814 00:33:59,679 --> 00:34:02,240 right." He said, "Let's shove everything 815 00:34:02,240 --> 00:34:05,640 in the bathroom." 816 00:34:06,080 --> 00:34:09,200 We ran around and did just that. When we 817 00:34:09,200 --> 00:34:10,960 were done, grandpa looked at me and 818 00:34:10,960 --> 00:34:14,480 said, "Gracie, whatever you do, do not 819 00:34:14,480 --> 00:34:19,079 let the reporter use the bathroom." 820 00:34:19,599 --> 00:34:21,520 Long haul road trips with my grandma 821 00:34:21,520 --> 00:34:23,839 were grandpa were extra educational 822 00:34:23,839 --> 00:34:25,599 because he did not believe in the use of 823 00:34:25,599 --> 00:34:28,720 any navigational devices. 824 00:34:28,720 --> 00:34:31,040 We often took the scenic route. He 825 00:34:31,040 --> 00:34:33,200 always knew the history of every area we 826 00:34:33,200 --> 00:34:35,119 drove through and taught me to stop at 827 00:34:35,119 --> 00:34:37,520 all the points of interest markers along 828 00:34:37,520 --> 00:34:39,679 the highways. 829 00:34:39,679 --> 00:34:42,720 I'll forever see my grandpa in his Stson 830 00:34:42,720 --> 00:34:45,200 right before a barrel race, telling me, 831 00:34:45,200 --> 00:34:47,440 "Ride hard. 832 00:34:47,440 --> 00:34:50,399 Go get him, Grace." And no matter the 833 00:34:50,399 --> 00:34:52,560 result, when my run was over, he would 834 00:34:52,560 --> 00:34:56,079 say, "Great job. I'm proud of you." 835 00:34:56,079 --> 00:34:58,400 My grandpa had a love for the land, a 836 00:34:58,400 --> 00:35:00,480 love for his country, and a love for 837 00:35:00,480 --> 00:35:03,760 Wyoming. Any day of the week, any hour 838 00:35:03,760 --> 00:35:07,440 of the day, he was there to help. He was 839 00:35:07,440 --> 00:35:10,560 tough with a kind heart. Dick Cheney 840 00:35:10,560 --> 00:35:13,440 wasn't just my grandpa. He was my best 841 00:35:13,440 --> 00:35:17,839 friend, my hero, my role model, and the 842 00:35:17,839 --> 00:35:21,359 most influential person in my life. 843 00:35:21,359 --> 00:35:24,400 And I know he's up in heaven right now 844 00:35:24,400 --> 00:35:27,839 with his beloved labs Nelson, Davey, and 845 00:35:27,839 --> 00:35:31,760 Jackson driving his Ford pickup and 846 00:35:31,760 --> 00:35:33,520 catching the biggest cutthroats and 847 00:35:33,520 --> 00:35:38,359 rainbows we could only ever imagine. 848 00:35:47,920 --> 00:35:50,480 following your um kids to talk about 849 00:35:50,480 --> 00:35:54,960 your dad is uh not good scheduling. 850 00:35:54,960 --> 00:35:56,560 Um 851 00:35:56,560 --> 00:35:59,680 but distinguished guests, presidents and 852 00:35:59,680 --> 00:36:02,960 vice presidents, dear friends, my mom 853 00:36:02,960 --> 00:36:05,520 and Mary and I and our families, thank 854 00:36:05,520 --> 00:36:08,560 you for being here to honor the good and 855 00:36:08,560 --> 00:36:12,079 great man we loved so much. A few years 856 00:36:12,079 --> 00:36:15,200 ago, reflecting back on nearly 40 years 857 00:36:15,200 --> 00:36:17,920 in public service, Dick Cheney said 858 00:36:17,920 --> 00:36:19,440 this. 859 00:36:19,440 --> 00:36:21,760 The path I had traveled was partly due 860 00:36:21,760 --> 00:36:24,800 to the circumstance of my birth. Not 861 00:36:24,800 --> 00:36:27,040 that I had been born into a powerful or 862 00:36:27,040 --> 00:36:30,560 privileged family. I wasn't. But I was 863 00:36:30,560 --> 00:36:33,839 born an American, a blessing surely 864 00:36:33,839 --> 00:36:36,480 among life's greatest. 865 00:36:36,480 --> 00:36:38,480 My dad thought deeply about what this 866 00:36:38,480 --> 00:36:40,880 blessing meant, about the duties it 867 00:36:40,880 --> 00:36:42,400 imposed. 868 00:36:42,400 --> 00:36:44,640 Shortly after he became Secretary of 869 00:36:44,640 --> 00:36:48,560 Defense in 1989, he described departing 870 00:36:48,560 --> 00:36:50,640 from the Pentagon. 871 00:36:50,640 --> 00:36:53,119 As my helicopter lifted off the Pentagon 872 00:36:53,119 --> 00:36:56,480 helipad, I could look across the river 873 00:36:56,480 --> 00:36:59,040 to the great monuments of Washington, 874 00:36:59,040 --> 00:37:01,599 Jefferson, and Lincoln to the White 875 00:37:01,599 --> 00:37:04,240 House and the Capitol building where all 876 00:37:04,240 --> 00:37:07,040 the great decisions that have shaped 200 877 00:37:07,040 --> 00:37:10,560 years of American history were made. And 878 00:37:10,560 --> 00:37:13,200 I could look directly out on Arlington 879 00:37:13,200 --> 00:37:16,480 National Cemetery and remember what a 880 00:37:16,480 --> 00:37:18,720 terrible price thousands of brave 881 00:37:18,720 --> 00:37:21,520 Americans have paid so that all of us 882 00:37:21,520 --> 00:37:24,800 could enjoy the blessings of liberty. 883 00:37:24,800 --> 00:37:27,599 My dad's devotion to America was deep 884 00:37:27,599 --> 00:37:30,720 and substantive. He spent his life 885 00:37:30,720 --> 00:37:32,400 studying the history of our great 886 00:37:32,400 --> 00:37:35,280 republic. He knew you couldn't truly 887 00:37:35,280 --> 00:37:37,520 appreciate what it means to live in 888 00:37:37,520 --> 00:37:39,839 freedom if you didn't understand the 889 00:37:39,839 --> 00:37:42,480 sacrifices of the generations who came 890 00:37:42,480 --> 00:37:44,079 before. 891 00:37:44,079 --> 00:37:46,400 And he made sure that his children and 892 00:37:46,400 --> 00:37:50,000 grandchildren understood this, too. When 893 00:37:50,000 --> 00:37:52,640 Mary and I were little, my dad would 894 00:37:52,640 --> 00:37:54,320 load up our station wagon on the 895 00:37:54,320 --> 00:37:56,800 weekends to take us to visit Civil War 896 00:37:56,800 --> 00:37:58,560 battlefields. 897 00:37:58,560 --> 00:38:00,960 With the back seat down and no need for 898 00:38:00,960 --> 00:38:03,440 seat belts in those days, we would 899 00:38:03,440 --> 00:38:06,240 stretch out eating crispy cream donuts 900 00:38:06,240 --> 00:38:09,119 for breakfast while my dad drove us to 901 00:38:09,119 --> 00:38:12,320 places like Gettysburg, Antidum, 902 00:38:12,320 --> 00:38:15,359 Chancellor'sville, and Manasses. 903 00:38:15,359 --> 00:38:18,720 To be clear, even with the donuts, Mary 904 00:38:18,720 --> 00:38:21,680 and I were not enthusiastic participants 905 00:38:21,680 --> 00:38:24,880 in these outings. 906 00:38:24,880 --> 00:38:28,480 As you might imagine, Dick Cheney read 907 00:38:28,480 --> 00:38:32,079 every word of every sign at every 908 00:38:32,079 --> 00:38:35,520 battlefield, museum, and national park 909 00:38:35,520 --> 00:38:38,640 he ever visited. When you're five or six 910 00:38:38,640 --> 00:38:41,359 years old, this is not your idea of a 911 00:38:41,359 --> 00:38:43,200 good time. 912 00:38:43,200 --> 00:38:45,520 Mary and I usually moaned and groaned 913 00:38:45,520 --> 00:38:48,400 about how long he was taking. And Dick 914 00:38:48,400 --> 00:38:51,680 Cheney ignored us, and he just kept 915 00:38:51,680 --> 00:38:54,720 reading the signs. He didn't lecture us 916 00:38:54,720 --> 00:38:57,520 or demand that we read anything, but we 917 00:38:57,520 --> 00:39:00,160 pretty quickly realized no one was going 918 00:39:00,160 --> 00:39:03,440 anywhere until he got done. And so we 919 00:39:03,440 --> 00:39:05,359 figured we might as well start reading 920 00:39:05,359 --> 00:39:08,720 the signs, too. And what an education we 921 00:39:08,720 --> 00:39:10,960 got. 922 00:39:10,960 --> 00:39:13,599 That was the thing about Dick Cheney. He 923 00:39:13,599 --> 00:39:16,240 wouldn't force his opinion on you or 924 00:39:16,240 --> 00:39:19,200 demand you do things his way. He might 925 00:39:19,200 --> 00:39:21,040 not share his opinion at all if you 926 00:39:21,040 --> 00:39:24,240 didn't ask. In fact, he was known to go 927 00:39:24,240 --> 00:39:27,440 long stretches of time without saying a 928 00:39:27,440 --> 00:39:31,280 single word. But if you watched closely, 929 00:39:31,280 --> 00:39:33,760 if you asked questions, if you listened 930 00:39:33,760 --> 00:39:36,160 when he did speak, you had the 931 00:39:36,160 --> 00:39:38,960 experience of seeing the world opening 932 00:39:38,960 --> 00:39:41,760 up in front of you, of looking at things 933 00:39:41,760 --> 00:39:44,720 in new ways, of benefiting from his 934 00:39:44,720 --> 00:39:47,119 clarity of thought, his ability to 935 00:39:47,119 --> 00:39:49,440 crystallize what was important and what 936 00:39:49,440 --> 00:39:53,839 wasn't. and he was always surprising. 937 00:39:53,839 --> 00:39:57,040 Many know the story of his time at Yale. 938 00:39:57,040 --> 00:39:59,760 If my dad heard you say he flunked out, 939 00:39:59,760 --> 00:40:02,560 he would correct you. No, no, I was 940 00:40:02,560 --> 00:40:06,119 asked to leave 941 00:40:06,880 --> 00:40:09,520 twice. 942 00:40:09,520 --> 00:40:11,599 He took a break from school and he spent 943 00:40:11,599 --> 00:40:13,599 several years building power line across 944 00:40:13,599 --> 00:40:16,560 the West. I had heard this part of the 945 00:40:16,560 --> 00:40:20,160 story my whole life, but it wasn't until 946 00:40:20,160 --> 00:40:22,720 I worked with him on his memoirs that I 947 00:40:22,720 --> 00:40:25,359 learned how he spent his evenings. At 948 00:40:25,359 --> 00:40:28,000 the end of long days, he'd unroll his 949 00:40:28,000 --> 00:40:31,119 sleeping bag by a campfire or on a cot 950 00:40:31,119 --> 00:40:33,760 in the cook tent. And by the light of 951 00:40:33,760 --> 00:40:36,240 his poem and lantern, he read Winston 952 00:40:36,240 --> 00:40:38,640 Churchill's six volume history of World 953 00:40:38,640 --> 00:40:40,640 War II. 954 00:40:40,640 --> 00:40:43,280 By the fall of 1963, 955 00:40:43,280 --> 00:40:45,760 Dick Cheney was convinced, some would 956 00:40:45,760 --> 00:40:49,040 say threatened, by my mother, to return 957 00:40:49,040 --> 00:40:50,960 to school. 958 00:40:50,960 --> 00:40:53,040 He'd been at the University of Wyoming 959 00:40:53,040 --> 00:40:56,480 just a few weeks when he climbed to a 960 00:40:56,480 --> 00:40:59,440 seat up near the rafters of the packed 961 00:40:59,440 --> 00:41:02,000 fieldhouse to hear President John F. 962 00:41:02,000 --> 00:41:05,200 Kennedy urge the students to dedicate 963 00:41:05,200 --> 00:41:07,599 their lives to the service of our 964 00:41:07,599 --> 00:41:09,200 nation. 965 00:41:09,200 --> 00:41:11,760 I think this is the moment my dad 966 00:41:11,760 --> 00:41:14,240 decided what direction his life should 967 00:41:14,240 --> 00:41:16,240 take. 968 00:41:16,240 --> 00:41:18,400 Though he was inspired to service by 969 00:41:18,400 --> 00:41:21,359 President Kennedy, Dick Cheney became a 970 00:41:21,359 --> 00:41:23,040 Republican, 971 00:41:23,040 --> 00:41:26,800 but he knew that bonds of party must 972 00:41:26,800 --> 00:41:30,000 always yield to the single bond we share 973 00:41:30,000 --> 00:41:32,160 as Americans. 974 00:41:32,160 --> 00:41:35,200 For him, a choice between defense of the 975 00:41:35,200 --> 00:41:37,520 Constitution and defense of your 976 00:41:37,520 --> 00:41:41,599 political party was no choice at all. 977 00:41:41,599 --> 00:41:44,000 When he was vice president, he wrote in 978 00:41:44,000 --> 00:41:47,839 this letter to all of his grandchildren. 979 00:41:47,839 --> 00:41:50,880 As you grow, you will come to understand 980 00:41:50,880 --> 00:41:53,440 the sacrifices that each generation 981 00:41:53,440 --> 00:41:56,400 makes to preserve freedom and democracy 982 00:41:56,400 --> 00:41:58,880 for future generations. 983 00:41:58,880 --> 00:42:00,560 and you will assume the important 984 00:42:00,560 --> 00:42:03,040 responsibilities of citizens in our 985 00:42:03,040 --> 00:42:05,760 society. I ask of you as my 986 00:42:05,760 --> 00:42:07,760 grandchildren what I asked of my 987 00:42:07,760 --> 00:42:11,119 daughters that you always strive in your 988 00:42:11,119 --> 00:42:14,720 lives to do what is right. 989 00:42:14,720 --> 00:42:18,240 In the last few years, God gave me one 990 00:42:18,240 --> 00:42:20,720 of the greatest blessings of my life, 991 00:42:20,720 --> 00:42:24,319 the gift of time with my dad. We spent 992 00:42:24,319 --> 00:42:26,640 hours sitting by the fire at his house 993 00:42:26,640 --> 00:42:29,440 or mine, watching football and old 994 00:42:29,440 --> 00:42:32,400 movies. We went to grandkids games and 995 00:42:32,400 --> 00:42:35,760 matches. And we hit the road again, this 996 00:42:35,760 --> 00:42:38,880 time with me in the driver's seat. 997 00:42:38,880 --> 00:42:42,079 Now, let me be clear. He did not like my 998 00:42:42,079 --> 00:42:44,079 driving. 999 00:42:44,079 --> 00:42:46,480 And in his defense, I had wrecked far 1000 00:42:46,480 --> 00:42:49,040 too many of his cars over the years for 1001 00:42:49,040 --> 00:42:51,680 him to be happy with this arrangement. 1002 00:42:51,680 --> 00:42:53,680 But we reached an accommodation of 1003 00:42:53,680 --> 00:42:57,839 sorts. My dad agreed to let me drive if 1004 00:42:57,839 --> 00:43:02,560 I agreed to let him choose the music. 1005 00:43:02,560 --> 00:43:06,720 Johnny Cash, John Denver, and yes, even 1006 00:43:06,720 --> 00:43:09,200 the Carpenters were the soundtrack of 1007 00:43:09,200 --> 00:43:12,240 our road trips. We went to places he'd 1008 00:43:12,240 --> 00:43:15,359 taken us 50 years ago to Manasses and 1009 00:43:15,359 --> 00:43:18,800 Antidum and Mount Vernon. My dad and his 1010 00:43:18,800 --> 00:43:22,319 Stson, the latest copy of The Economist, 1011 00:43:22,319 --> 00:43:25,280 that day's newspapers, and a book always 1012 00:43:25,280 --> 00:43:28,079 tucked into the door pocket. We drove 1013 00:43:28,079 --> 00:43:30,880 for hours. We talked about life and 1014 00:43:30,880 --> 00:43:35,040 family, history, and America. 1015 00:43:35,040 --> 00:43:37,839 Sometimes my dad's yellow lab, Max, 1016 00:43:37,839 --> 00:43:39,520 would jump in the back seat and come 1017 00:43:39,520 --> 00:43:43,680 with us. Max, like every dog we ever 1018 00:43:43,680 --> 00:43:47,920 had, loved my dad the best. 1019 00:43:47,920 --> 00:43:50,480 To be in my dad's company was to know 1020 00:43:50,480 --> 00:43:54,000 safety and love and laughter and 1021 00:43:54,000 --> 00:43:55,760 kindness. 1022 00:43:55,760 --> 00:43:57,599 There's a picture taken several years 1023 00:43:57,599 --> 00:44:01,280 ago of him in his cowboy hat and jeans 1024 00:44:01,280 --> 00:44:04,319 in a fleece jacket. He has his arm 1025 00:44:04,319 --> 00:44:07,040 around one of his young grandsons who's 1026 00:44:07,040 --> 00:44:09,920 leaning into his warm embrace. 1027 00:44:09,920 --> 00:44:12,480 Looking at that picture last week, my 1028 00:44:12,480 --> 00:44:14,880 mom put it best when she said that's 1029 00:44:14,880 --> 00:44:18,720 what he was to all of us. He was a giant 1030 00:44:18,720 --> 00:44:22,160 to the end, a lion of a man who loved 1031 00:44:22,160 --> 00:44:25,520 and served this great republic. 1032 00:44:25,520 --> 00:44:28,720 The night before my dad died, the sky 1033 00:44:28,720 --> 00:44:31,680 above my parents' house filled with 1034 00:44:31,680 --> 00:44:35,839 clouds in the shape of winged angels. 1035 00:44:35,839 --> 00:44:38,640 I had never seen anything like it. It 1036 00:44:38,640 --> 00:44:42,240 seemed indeed that angels and archangels 1037 00:44:42,240 --> 00:44:44,720 and all the company of heaven had come 1038 00:44:44,720 --> 00:44:47,280 to watch over him. 1039 00:44:47,280 --> 00:44:50,079 As my dad left this earth, his last 1040 00:44:50,079 --> 00:44:52,400 words were to tell my mother he loved 1041 00:44:52,400 --> 00:44:57,359 her. And now all of us who loved him so 1042 00:44:57,359 --> 00:45:00,960 dearly say to him, "Good night, sweet 1043 00:45:00,960 --> 00:45:04,319 dad. May flights of angels sing thee to 1044 00:45:04,319 --> 00:45:07,560 thy rest.