[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 146 (Tuesday, November 14, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S11530]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                     TRIBUTE TO COL. ROBERT F. SINK

 Mr. MILLER. Mr. President, history gives us many examples of 
men and women who went above and beyond the call of duty to serve our 
great country. In our military, there have always been men and women 
who were not satisfied with maintaining the status quo, but who, 
instead, strove to make our armed forces the world's finest and the 
most powerful. One such individual was the late Colonel Robert F. Sink, 
commander of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment in Toccoa, Georgia.
  The 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment was constituted on July 1, 1942 
in the Army of the United States, activated July 20, 1942 at Camp 
General Robert Toombs at Toccoa, Georgia, attached to the 101st 
Airborne Division on June 1, 1943 and assigned to the 101st Airborne 
Division on March 1, 1945. The camp located at Currahee Mountain in 
Toccoa was soon renamed Camp Toccoa and was chosen because of its 
rugged terrain. The 506th Regiment selected the symbol of the Currahee 
Mountain as its Coat of Arms and ``Currahee'' became its battle cry.
  It was here, in Toccoa, that Col. Sink initiated his rigorous 
training program called ``Muscle College'' and set many of the 
standards for the paratrooper basic training program of the 101st 
Airborne Division. Because of Col. Sink's efforts, the 506th Parachute 
Infantry established records never before reached by any military unit 
in the world. Furthermore, Airborne infantrymen around the nation 
recognized the ``Currahee trained'' men from Camp Toccoa as a cut above 
their peers in strength and performance.
  Col. Sink led his 506th Regiment into combat on D-Day at Normandy, 
then to Holland, Bastogne, France, Germany, and all the way to Hitler's 
``Eagle Nest.'' By the end of World War II, the 506th had received 
several coveted awards and decorations. The courageous service of the 
506th Parachute Infantry Regiment was due, in no small measure, to the 
tireless efforts of Colonel Robert F. Sink, a true American hero. In 
honor of this great man, the Currahee Mountain Road, which changed the 
boys of the famous ``Currahee'' Regiment into men, will be fittingly 
renamed the ``Col. Robert F. Sink Memorial Trail.''
  I hope my colleagues will join with me today in honoring this great 
man and his groundbreaking work on behalf of our nation's security. For 
those under Colonel Sink's tutelage who will travel back to Toccoa for 
this important reunion and celebration, I wish you the best and thank 
you for your service. Finally, special thanks should be extended to 
State Representative Mary Jeanette Jamieson for her work on this 
project. It was a pleasure to be involved in such a worthy 
effort.




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