Goodbye Uncle Ted. Thanks for everything you've done for us.

I came to Alaska in 1985 with the Air Force. I quickly fell in love with the state and became a citizen. I have voted in every election and everyone that Ted Stevens was in, I voted for him. In my mind and many others, there is not one person who has done so much for the people of Alaska.

I've written about Uncle Ted before. He's helped me out personally, and I never forgot it. There are many Alaskans with similar stories. He got a bad rap a few years back and was convicted of 7 felony counts of ethics violations.

Uncle Ted, a 40-year incumbent known for delivering billions of dollars of federal money and projects to Alaska, was met in an airplane hangar in Anchorage two days after his conviction with chants of “We need Ted.”

After narrowly loosing reelection, his conviction was overturned. In a stunning development, Justice Department lawyers told a federal court that they had discovered a new instance of prosecutorial misconduct in the case and asked that the convictions be voided. There would be no new trial in the case.

There is still construction going on today that was started by money gotten by Uncle Ted while he was in office.

I can go on and on. He has always cared about the people of Alaska, and the American Veteran. Uncle Ted's death is not only a tragedy for Alaska but for all of America. From World War II Hero to a hero at home. He will be missed.