[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16732]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 A TRIBUTE HONORING ROGER DURBIN, PETER DURBIN, AND MELISSA GROWDEN OF 
                          BLISSFIELD, MICHIGAN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. NICK SMITH

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 20, 2004

  Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, on May 29, 2004, members of the 
Greatest Generation gathered for the unveiling of the World War II 
Memorial on the Mall in Washington, D.C. It is right that we, as 
Americans, commemorate the men and women who selflessly gave their 
lives on foreign shores to halt the march of tyranny during the darkest 
days of World War II.
  Roger Durbin was a young man and father when he enlisted in the U.S. 
Army in 1942. After the war, the former tank mechanic went on to work, 
raised a family, and lived a normal life, but he never forgot what he 
had seen and experienced in the War. At the Jerusalem Township Fish Fry 
in 1986, Roger Durbin approached Congresswoman Nancy Kaptur about a 
memorial to commemorate the sacrifices made by the Greatest Generation. 
That conversation would be the beginning of a 17-year quest for Roger 
Durbin, which culminated on May 30, 2004 with the dedication of the 
World War II Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC.
  Roger Durbin would not live to see his dream become a reality; he 
passed away in February of 2000. It would fall to his son, Peter 
Durbin, and his granddaughter, Melissa Growden, to continue to advance 
the memorial through to completion. From maintaining Roger's collection 
of letters and war memorabilia to serving on the Battle Monuments 
Committee, Peter and Melissa have kept Roger's dream alive.
  I rise today to honor the dedication of the Durbin family to the 
World War II Memorial. Their hard work and determination to honor those 
who have fallen in service to their country is a testament of what can 
be accomplished when we persevere in a task to honor not ourselves, but 
others.

                          ____________________