[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Pages 11573-11574]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING OUR ARMED FORCES


                 sergeant first class robert v. derenda

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, a bronze plaque hangs at the Joint 
Readiness Center at Fort Dix, NJ. All the new Army recruits there pass 
by it, and all the regulars know the story it tells by heart.
  This plaque declares the Joint Readiness Center to be named after a 
Kentucky soldier who volunteered for his country, served a cause he 
believed to be just and right, and made the ultimate sacrifice.
  So I ask the Senate to pause today in grateful memory of SFC Robert 
V. Derenda, a Ledbetter, KY, resident assigned to the First Brigade, 
98th Division of the U.S. Army Reserve.
  Sergeant Derenda was killed on August 5, 2005, when a civilian fuel 
truck collided with the humvee he was driving as the lead vehicle for a 
convoy mission in Rubiah, Iraq. He was 42 years old.
  It could have been far worse if not for Robert's astute driving 
skills and rapid

[[Page 11574]]

reaction. His quick maneuvering of the humvee just prior to impact 
saved his men in the back seat.
  Sergeant Derenda was there to act because he volunteered to drive the 
lead vehicle, knowing the likely danger inherent in his choice. He 
stepped forward because most of his fellow soldiers had wives and 
children at home. This final heroic act defined who Robert was, how he 
lived, and how he served the country he loved.
  For his valorous actions as a soldier, Sergeant Derenda was made an 
honorary Green Beret, and he received numerous awards and medals 
including the Purple Heart and the Silver Star.
  Not only did the Army name a building after him in Fort Dix, NJ, but 
a street also bears his name in his hometown of Cheektowaga, a suburb 
of Buffalo, NY.
  Robert graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo 
with a degree in psychology. No doubt that degree, combined with his 
long history of military service, is what molded him into a superb 
drill sergeant. At Robert's funeral, MG Bruce E. Robinson called him a 
``natural'' at whipping young men into fighting shape.
  After graduation, Robert served on active duty with the Army for 6 
years. He returned to his alma mater and earned a chemical engineering 
degree while serving in the Army Reserve.
  It was his work as an engineer that brought him to Calvert City, KY, 
leading Robert to live in nearby Ledbetter and call the Bluegrass State 
home.
  However, this outstanding leader was shaped by more than the work 
that he so enjoyed. A cross-country runner in high school, Robert would 
return to his parents' home in New York each Thanksgiving to run in the 
annual Turkey Trot. When he wasn't running, you might see Robert on his 
Harley-Davidson motorcycle, cruising around town.
  Robert was also a deeply religious man. A fellow soldier described 
him as a ``good Catholic boy,'' and his priest, the Reverend Theodore 
C. Rog, said simply that when it came to Robert's faith, ``He lived 
it.''
  Robert also cherished his relationship with his two nephews, Nicholas 
and Thomas Kibby. Although his sister, Caroline Kibby, raised her 
family in a town near Pittsburgh, Robert remained close. He left his 
entire estate to Caroline, but told her that should anything happen to 
him, it was all to go to her boys.
  His devotion to them, however, went deeper than any material wealth 
that he could offer. Robert told Caroline that the reason he wanted to 
go to Iraq with the Army was to make the world a safer place for 
Nicholas and Thomas. He understood the dangers that lurked in the 
world, and wanted his nephews never to know such evil.
  Robert's beloved family members include his father, Valerian, his 
mother, Loretta, his sister, Caroline Kibby, his brother-in-law, Scott 
Kibby, and his two nephews, Nicholas and Thomas Kibby. I ask the entire 
Senate to keep them in your thoughts and prayers. I know they will be 
in mine.
  No plaque or street name can heal the tragic loss of the Derenda 
family after their beloved son, brother, and uncle has been taken from 
them.
  But there are two boys growing up near Pittsburgh right now who will 
always remember the example their uncle set for them.
  And a lifetime of family, friends, and fellow soldiers will be 
inspired by SFC Robert V. Derenda's noble act of sacrifice. Such 
examples are worth far more than any bronze plaque could ever be.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the order for the 
quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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