[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 17] [Senate] [Page 21980] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]IN HONOR OF MR. STAN MINKINOW Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, today I wish to pay tribute to Mr. Stan Minkinow of Huntsville, AL. Mr. Minkinow is an American patriot whose life epitomizes the American dream. He immigrated to this country under the Lodge Act, which provided a pathway for eastern European refugees to earn American citizenship through honorable service in the U.S. military. Today we see the result of that legislation in Mr. Minkinow and his lifetime of service to this Nation and a family legacy of selfless service. Mr. Minkinow was born in Lodz, Poland, in 1932. Mr. Minkinow and his family hid from the Gestapo until betrayed and forced to the Warsaw Ghetto. Mr. Minkinow and his parents survived the severe deprivations of ghetto life and accomplished a daring escape. The family survived the war, only to confront postwar life under the harsh control of a Soviet-controlled authoritarian regime. Mr. Minkinow's journey to U.S. citizenship began in a German village in 1951 where he saw a U.S. Army recruiting film at a train station. Ready for adventure, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, where he became a member of the elite, newly created Special Forces training at Fort Bragg, NC. After marrying Doris, a local girl, the Army sent Sergeant Minkinow back to Germany where he became an American Cold Warrior serving on the frontlines. He served with the 10th Special Forces Group in Bad Tolz from 1955 to 1958. Ambition and achievement are hallmarks of so many of our immigrant population and Mr. Kinkinow is no exception. He completed Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Infantry. After a tour in Korea, he completed Army flight school at Fort Rucker, AL, and became an Army aviator. Mr. Minkinow settled his family in Enterprise, AL, while he twice fought for his country in Vietnam. Cited by the Army for valor in combat and service, Mr. Minkinow possesses numerous medals, including the Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, and the Air Medal. After completing a distinguished 27-year Army career, Mr. Minkinow retired to Huntsville, AL, where he has become a prominent local businessman known for his generosity for local causes and charities. Mr. Minkinow frequently shares his Holocaust experiences with children at local schools, and gave a presentation on his childhood wartime experiences to a class at the National Defense University in Washington, DC. Stan and Doris have three adult children in whom they instilled a profound pride of citizenship and an urgent calling to serve the Nation. All three children have served in the Armed Forces. Their oldest daughter and her husband together served for over 28 years in the Army. Their son is a graduate of the Air Force Academy and retired as a lieutenant colonel from the Alabama Air National Guard. Their youngest daughter and her husband will soon retire from the Army as colonels in the Judge Advocate General's Corps with a combined service of 46 years. I applaud Mr. Minkinow and his fellow veterans for their steadfast devotion to this Nation and his many years of service. From a child, wide-eyed with fright in the streets of Nazi ghettos, to his brave escape from the Soviet fist and subsequent faithful service as a soldier and later as a businessman, Mr. Minkinow epitomizes how this great country is made even greater by such talented immigrants. We are a stronger country today because of men like Stan and the contributions of his family. I am pleased, to bring this example of Alabama patriotism to the Nation's attention as we continue to celebrate those who have served, our veterans, who have assured our freedom and prosperity. ____________________