[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 2] [Senate] [Page 2025] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]HONORING ROY PALMER VARNER Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, today I wish to remember the life of Roy Palmer Varner of Marietta, GA. Like many of his generation, Roy Varner bore witness to some of the most important moments and changes in our Nation's history. But Roy Varner wasn't merely a passing observer of the events of the 20th Century, he was an active and influential participant in them. A native son of Georgia, Roy Varner possessed a deep sense of duty and service, which was tested on December 7, 1941. Without hesitation, he joined the effort to defend freedom by enlisting in the Army and soon found himself in the 101st Airborne Division. On June 6, 1944, Mr. Varner joined thousands of his brothers in parachuting ahead of the Allied invasion at Normandy. A few months later, the effort to liberate Europe turned toward Holland, and when his name was called again, Mr. Varner did not hesitate to reenter the fray as a part of Operation Market Garden. For men like Roy Varner, there was no question of the righteousness of their task. They knew it would be a difficult journey, and that not all of them would live to see it through. But they were loyal, patriotic men of faith who understood the weight of their responsibility and never questioned their belief that their mission would be successful. And that, is why we call them the Greatest Generation. After the war, Mr. Varner returned to his home in Cobb County, GA, and married Mary Munro, who would stand loyally by his side for the next 56 years. In the early 1950s, Mr. Varner began what would become a long and successful career as a commercial real estate developer. Although his work took him all over the Southeast, the mark that he left on the early development of Cobb County was his most lasting. As a real estate businessman in Atlanta for over 30 years, I knew him personally and saw the product of his vision and hard work take shape in the projects he developed. Mr. Varner's influence on the community was also evident in his work as the chairman of the industrial committee for the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce and his service as a member of the Marietta Rotary Club. As a businessman, Roy Varner personified the values of honesty and hard work, but he was also a man of intellect and faith, and, above all, a family man. The son of a minister, Mr. Varner embarked on his life with a certain zeal that only comes with a belief in God, and he actively served his church community as a lay leader and fundraiser. A firm believer in the value of education, Mr. Varner attended Woodrow Wilson Law School after being honorably discharged from the Army and remained a scholar of history, art, literature, and world events for the rest of his life. He lived by his ideals and passed his principles on to his four children and ten grandchildren, who have continued his work and his legacy and who are the living embodiment of the values and beliefs that shaped his life and influenced the lives of so many others. On February 8, 2006, Mary Varner lost her husband and the world lost a truly great man. He deeply influenced his family and community, left an indelible mark on the landscape of Cobb County and, as a member of the Greatest Generation, helped influence the course of history. He fought for our country and he helped to build our Nation. But, as is often the case with men like Roy Varner, his contributions cannot easily be measured. He will be remembered by many different people for many different reasons, but Roy Varner should be remembered by this body as nothing less than an American hero. ____________________