[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 173 (Thursday, November 8, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H13390]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


               THE BOND OF BROTHERS--THE DOZEN RIPKOWSKIS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, today I have the distinct honor of recognizing 
a family in the Second Congressional District in Texas where Veterans 
Day is a daily family event. If you looked up the word ``patriot'' in 
the dictionary, you would most likely find a photograph of the 12 
Ripkowski brothers in Dayton, Texas.
  The lives of all 12 brothers form a company of heroes that served in 
our military in various branches spanning from World War II to the 
Korean War. Most of them served in a time of war, and all 12 of them 
returned home. They truly were a band of brothers who fought for 
America.
  Their family story began in the small town of Dayton, Texas, in the 
1930s. Their parents, Stash and Mattie Ripkowski, had 12 sons and four 
daughters. That's right, 16 all-American children. Their names are 
Felix, August, Raymond, Bernie, Alex, Leon, Bill, Herman, Franklin, 
John, Mike, Stanley, Catherine, Virginia, Pearline, and Anna Lee.
  The Ripkowski family grew corn and cotton on their 200-acre farm. As 
World War II began, the brothers answered their country's call of duty 
to serve in the military one after the other.
  Raymond served in the Air Force and was stationed in New Guinea. He 
was a radio operator and gunner. During his military service, he 
survived and recovered from an airplane crash. Bernie served in the 
Army and was stationed in Alaska during World War II. Felix served in 
the Army in Europe. August served in the Navy and was stationed in the 
Pacific. And Bill was also stationed in the Pacific, but he served in 
the United States Army. Stanley served in the Army during peacetime and 
then during the Korean War.
  Today only 6 of the 12 Ripkowski brothers are still alive. Alex, the 
oldest of the surviving brothers, is 91. He served in the Army and was 
deployed in Europe during World War II. Mike joined the Air Force and 
served as a chief clerk for 2 years on the island of Okinawa. Herman 
served in the Army as an infantryman for 3 years, and he was a member 
of the 78th Lightning Division, which was the first division to cross 
the Rhine River in Germany towards the end of World War II in Europe. 
After crossing the river, German airplanes blew up the bridge, 
separating Herman and his division from the rest of the American 
troops. American troops quickly built a pontoon bridge in the former 
location of the blown-up bridge. At this point, Herman's division met 
up with Russian forces outside of Berlin shortly before the Germans 
surrendered. It was during this battle that Herman earned the Bronze 
Star for laying communications wire during enemy fire.
  Leon served in the Army during World War II, and his tour of duty 
took him to Africa, Italy, and France, where he served in the infantry. 
By miraculous chance, he ran into his brother Felix in Tunisia, Africa 
during the Battle of El Guettar. Leon received five campaign stars 
while in the United States Army. Franklin served as a Merchant Marine 
during World War II dodging German submarines in the Atlantic. He 
crossed the Atlantic three times during his military service. Several 
years later Franklin was drafted again into the Army, and he served his 
country one more time, but this time during the Korean War.
  John ``Buster'' Ripkowski served as a squad leader in the infantry 
division in the Army during the Korean War. He helped take care of 
ammunition for his entire infantry platoon.
  All the brothers, except one, have spent the rest of their lives 
after the military in Dayton, Texas. Herman was the only one to move 
away from his family, and he moved to Liberty, Texas, which is 6 miles 
away.
  What makes the Ripkowski brothers' story so remarkable is how humble 
and modest they are in describing their family's enormous military 
contribution to our great Nation. Their humility is best understood in 
their own words:
  Mike said, ``We did it to serve our country. We're just hard-working 
country folk.''
  ``Thank God we are here and that all of us made it home,'' said 
Herman, when asked to describe his brothers and their service in the 
military.
  ``You had to serve your country,'' said John. ``I enjoyed going into 
the service and doing my job.''
  This band of brothers believed that their service in the military was 
their duty as an American citizen. To them it was not for performing 
heroics or to gain medals but to answer the honorable call of duty for 
our country. ``Medals didn't interest us,'' said Franklin. ``Our minds 
were on doing our jobs and doing it better every day. Nowadays a lot of 
people don't care or put much of their heart into it. But the military 
trained you to put your heart into it. I wish every person in America 
would go into the military for 1 year. It would make a better person 
out of all of them.''
  The Ripkowski brothers' patriotic legacy of military service is one 
of the best examples of our ``Greatest Generation'' doing their job for 
America during the great World War II. They are an eternal example of 
the service and sacrifice given to protect freedom for our Nation. 
They're a good example for all of us, especially our younger 
generation.
  And that's just the way it is.

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