[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 128 (Tuesday, November 14, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S10918]
From the Congressional Record Online through the 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.

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