[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 1391]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO ROBERT L. CORBIN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL R. TURNER

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 13, 2013

  Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to pay tribute to a 
respected community leader and a dear friend from my congressional 
district, Mr. Robert L. Corbin. He is part of our ``Greatest 
Generation'' who fought in the Second World War--an ordinary American 
who did extraordinary things to serve our country and protect the 
freedom we cherish today.
  As a young man, Bob answered his country's call to duty, at a time 
when his fellow countrymen needed him the most. He enlisted in the U.S. 
Army in 1942, and was deployed to Europe, assigned to the 84th Infantry 
Division. Bob was a 22-year-old Army second lieutenant when he was 
captured by the Germans and sent to a POW camp for American officers in 
Poland. After escaping during a botched rescue attempt from the Stalag 
13 POW camp, Bob and two other offices endured nine harsh winter nights 
on the run, to avoid recapture. He wrote a novel chronicling his 
experiences as a prisoner of war titled, ``Captured! The POW Saga of 
Frank Battle.'' Looking back on this experience, Bob said: ``I 
absolutely believe that a number of times God, or a divine being, was 
looking over our shoulders because the difference between life and 
death was whether we took the left trail in the woods or the right 
trail in the woods.''
  After his return home, Bob contributed generous amounts of his time 
and energy to better our community. He earned a bachelor's degree in 
business administration from Otterbein College, and entered the food 
service industry. He became CEO of Foodcraft Management Company, and 
served as president of the Ohio Restaurant Association and the Miami 
Valley Restaurant Association. He served for 24 years in the Ohio State 
House of Representatives, from 1977 to 2001. As chair of both the 
Commerce Committee and the Labor and Finance Committee, Bob earned a 
reputation as a voice of reason and fairness.
  After retiring from the legislature, Bob served a four-year term as a 
member of the Centerville City Council, where he applied his wisdom and 
guidance to help make the city a better place to live and raise a 
family. Bob's career in public service set an example for all of us who 
work to serve our communities and our nation. At age 90, he recently 
retired as a member of the Board of Trustees at Sinclair Community 
College. Bob and his wife Ede have been married for 62 years, and he is 
the father of two daughters, Lynn and Carol.
  Bob Corbin is one of the most honorable men it has been my privilege 
to know. I ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to a truly 
outstanding citizen for his lifetime of service to our country and to 
the people of Ohio.

                          ____________________