[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 20208]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                PAYING TRIBUTE TO LELAND PAT DURAND, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SCOTT McINNIS

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 9, 2002

  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, it is with great admiration that I 
recognize the life and passing of Mr. Leland Durand Jr. of Cortez, 
Colorado. Mr. Durand, known to his family as Pat, recently passed away 
in September and as his family mourns their loss, I would like to pay 
tribute to his achievements and the irreplaceable contributions he made 
to his community and to his country.
  Mr. Durand was born on February 14, 1923 in Bozeman, Montana. As a 
young man, Mr. Durand enlisted in the United States Army and served in 
our nation's military with honor, courage, and distinction. Mr. Durand 
was one of the first of those heroic individuals who stormed the beach 
at Normandy on D-Day in 1944. He was later wounded in Germany in 
another engagement and received a purple heart in recognition for the 
service and sacrifice he had made to his country. Mr. Durand also 
received the Medal of Freedom from the French Government just two years 
ago at a ceremony in Cortez, Colorado.
  After the war, Pat continued to serve his country in a variety of 
other ways. In 1949, he began working in oil explorations and in 1966 
opened his own oil and uranium exploration business, the Durand 
Drilling Company. He was a member of the American Legion for 50 years 
and was a member of the NRA throughout his entire life. A lifetime gun 
enthusiast, Mr. Durand became a skilled gunsmith and built and repaired 
guns at his own business in Cortez, Colorado.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with deep respect that I recognize the life and 
passing of Mr. Leland Pat Durand before this body of Congress and this 
nation for the sacrifices he has made to his country, for the 
protection of freedom and democracy throughout the world. My sincere 
condolences go out to his former wife Harriet Durand, their two 
children Harry and Theresa, and his many grandchildren and great 
grandchildren. Mr. Durand truly was an American hero, his loss will be 
deeply felt and a grateful nation will be forever in his debt.

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