[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 36 (Tuesday, March 28, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E416]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO VIOLA VAN DORIN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MIKE ROGERS

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 28, 2006

  Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the 
accomplishments of Viola Van Dorin, who served in the armed forces as a 
nurse during the Second World War.
  Viola Van Dorin, as well as her late husband, Forrest Van Dorin, both 
valued their patriotic obligation to enlist in our nation's military 
shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. After her exemplary service 
in the Army Nurse Corps, Viola devoted herself to preserving the memory 
of World War II by donating more than 240 items to the Michigan 
Historical Museum in Lansing. She currently lives in Jackson, Michigan.
  Violet began her career as a nurse, graduating from the Sparrow 
Hospital School of Nursing in 1935. She worked at the Michigan State 
College Hospital, and then moved on to private practice with Dr. 
Kenneth Hodges and Dr. Kenneth Johnson. She excelled as both an office 
receptionist and an assistant to the physicians. Vi had the opportunity 
to even star in a film during the prewar period, a documentary called 
The Case History of Lucy X, which was the first to educate the public 
and medical professionals on the contagious disease tuberculosis.
  In 1942, Vi was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army Nurse 
Corps and assigned to Torney General Hospital in Palm Springs, 
California. There she met her future husband, then a dashing young 
Sergeant in the Army. They married on June 7, 1943, and their marriage 
lasted until Forrest's death in 2003.
  In 1944, Vi was assigned to the 82nd General Hospital unit and 
transported to Wales where the unit helped rehabilitate wounded 
soldiers. Before the end of the War, Vi was promoted to First 
Lieutenant and received several citations: the American Theater Ribbon, 
three Overseas Service Bars and a Victory Medal. She and her husband 
were reunited in 1946, and they settled down in the Lansing area. She 
and Forrest had a son, Ken Van Dorin, as well as three grandchildren: 
Rebecca Louise, Natalie Ann and Robert Kenneth.
  Violet's service in both the military and the medical field has 
demonstrated her commitment to serving our nation, caring for others, 
and preserving historical treasures. She should also be commended for 
her tireless devotion to preserving the memory of World War II and 
honoring the sacrifices of our veterans. Across Michigan's counties and 
communities, her legacy will be realized long into the future. I am 
pleased to know her remarkable story, and to share it with my 
Congressional colleagues.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Violet Van 
Dorin, a citizen and a veteran truly deserving of our respect and 
admiration.

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