Blake Farenthold

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. H.R. 1228, introduced by the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Ribble), would designate the facility of the United States Postal Service, located at 123 South 9th Street, in DePere, Wisconsin, as the Corporal Justin D. Ross Post Office Building. Army Specialist Justin Ross was killed in action while serving in Operation Enduring Freedom. Assigned to the 863rd Engineer Battalion, Army Reserve, Wausau, Wisconsin, he died on March 26 in Afghanistan. Justin was posthumously honored and promoted to corporal. Corporal Ross was wounded when his unit came under small arms fire from insurgents while on a route clearance mission. He was the only casualty and the first of the unit. Only 22 at the time of his death, Corporal Ross was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and meritorious service medals. Corporal Ross was a 2007 graduate of Bay Port High School and joined the military in October of 2007. Those close to him understood that serving in the Army was a lifelong dream of Justin's. His parents knew that he loved being part of the mission in Afghanistan. His unit had high praise for their fallen brother. They said he was an outstanding soldier that loved being in the Army and loved working with his fellow soldiers. He will be remembered by his family, friends, church, community, and fellow soldiers as a wonderful man who was proud to serve his country. Madam Speaker, it is an honor and a privilege to stand before this body today and honor the memory of a true American hero. I am grateful for the service of Corporal Ross and for all those who serve and protect us each and every day. I urge all Members to join me in strong support of this bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Ribble), my friend and colleague.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I am moved by Mr. Ribble's speech. I am moved by the sacrifices that men and women make every day serving this country. I do think nothing could be more appropriate than honoring the memory of Corporal Justin D. Ross by naming the post office building in De Pere, Wisconsin, after him. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in voting for this bill, H.R. 1228, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3060) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 232 Southwest Johnson Avenue in Burleson, Texas, as the ``Sergeant William Moody Post Office Building''.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 3060, introduced by the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Roger Williams, would designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 232 Southwest Johnson Avenue in Burleson, Texas, as the Sergeant William Moody Post Office Building. As a fellow Texan, I am proud to join my colleague, Mr. Williams, in urging this body to name this postal facility in honor of Sergeant William Moody. Sergeant Moody went above and beyond the call of duty, serving in both the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps. He served two tours of duty in Iraq while he was a marine, and he was finishing his second and last tour of duty in Afghanistan with the Army when a Taliban rocket attack on Bagram Air Force Base took his life on June 18 of 2013. William Moody was a 30-year-old husband and father of three. Madam Speaker, I was particularly touched to read about the special homecoming surprise that Sergeant Moody had in store for his family. While deployed in Afghanistan, he contacted the fire department in Burleson and asked if he could surprise his children by picking them up from school in a fire truck on the day of his return. Of course, the chief and the firefighters responded with a resounding ``yes'' to this request, and they exchanged emails with Sergeant Moody, making plans for his return up until the afternoon of the day before his death. Even in the midst of a war zone, Sergeant Moody's thoughts and hopes were back home in Texas, with his wife and children, demonstrating his deep dedication to family. His example and his love of his family should move, touch, and inspire all of us, and it should be an example that we should all follow. Sergeant Moody was a highly decorated soldier and marine. Among his honors were an Army Commendation Medal, a Combat Action Ribbon, an Army Good Conduct Medal, a Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, a Bronze Star, and a Purple Heart, just to name a few. Madam Speaker, it is an honor to pay tribute before this body to a fellow Texan who gave his life in the defense of our country. I am grateful to Sergeant William Moody for his service, and I urge all Members to join me in the strong support of this bill. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Williams), my good friend, colleague, and fellow Texan.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I join with all of my Texas colleagues and especially with Mr. Williams in urging that we do honor Sergeant William Moody by renaming the postal facility in Burleson in his honor. I join in the remarks that Mr. Williams made about the necessity to pay honor and tribute to those who make the ultimate sacrifice to this country, and I agree that naming the post office will actually serve as a memorial that, perhaps, will ease the pain of the loss of Sergeant William Moody's family. So I urge all Members to join me in supporting H.R. 3060. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1451) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 14 Main Street in Brockport, New York, as the ``Staff Sergeant Nicholas J. Reid Post Office Building''.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 1451, introduced by the gentlelady from New York (Ms. Slaughter), would designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 14 Main Street in Brockport, New York, as the Staff Sergeant Nicholas J. Reid Post Office Building. H.R. 1451 is cosponsored by the entire New York delegation. Army Staff Sergeant Reid was born in Brockport on April 2, 1986. He graduated from Brockport High School in 2004 and enlisted in the Army thereafter in 2006. He was serving his second tour of duty in Afghanistan when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He tragically succumbed to his wounds in Germany on December 13, 2012. He was only 26 years old. He leaves behind his loving parents, Ken and Dorothy Reid; his sister, Susie; and several aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. Madam Speaker, Nicholas, who went by ``Nick,'' enlisted as an explosive ordnance disposal technician. He knew the dangers of IEDs. He knew how many of our troops had been killed by these devices, how many had been wounded. Yet he chose this hazardous duty and excelled at it, and he showed great courage. Nick Reid is a true hero. It is my privilege to urge the strong support for this bill to honor his memory. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, we are prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, Staff Sergeant Nicholas J. Reid deserves the post office in Brockport to be named after him, so I urge all Members to join me in voting for the passage of this bill to honor Nick. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1376) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 369 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Jersey City, New Jersey, as the ``Judge Shirley A. Tolentino Post Office Building''.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, H.R. 1376, introduced by the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne), would designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 369 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Jersey City, New Jersey, as the Judge Shirley A. Tolentino Post Office Building. Judge Tolentino was a remarkable woman, and her life was marked by several accomplishments. Judge Tolentino was born in Jersey City and graduated from Henry Snyder High School as an honor student. She attended the College of St. Elizabeth's and Seton Hall University School of Law, where she was the only African American in her class when she received her juris doctor degree in 1971. Judge Tolentino also went on to receive a specialized master of laws degree in criminal justice from New York University Graduate School of Law in 1980. Judge Tolentino was appointed to the Superior Court of the State of New Jersey on January 11, 1984. She was the first female appointed to that position. She had previously been appointed as the first female to the Jersey City Municipal Court in 1976. In 1981, she became the first female presiding judge of the Jersey City Municipal Court. One of her proudest accomplishments was serving on the Coleman Commission, which later became the New Jersey Supreme Court Task Force on Minorities, as well as chairing the Commission on Criminal Justice and Minority Defendants and serving on the Committee on Criminal Practice. In addition to her fine public service, Judge Tolentino was a leader in many service-oriented organizations, including the Urban League, Girl Scouts, and the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. She also served on the boards of various academic institutions, including her alma mater, St. Elizabeth's. Unfortunately, Judge Tolentino passed away at the age of 67 on October 31, 2010. She is survived by her husband, Dr. Ernesto Tolentino, two daughters, and many beloved family members and friends. She was a pillar of her community and a strong role model for women and men of all ages. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 1376, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I join with my friends and colleagues across the aisle, Mr. Payne and Mr. Clay, in urging passage of H.R. 1376, designating the postal facility in New Jersey to be named after Judge Tolentino, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. FARENTHOLD

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1813) to redesignate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 162 Northeast Avenue in Tallmadge, Ohio, as the ``Lance Corporal Daniel Nathan Deyarmin Post Office Building'', as amended.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. H.R. 1813 was introduced by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) and would redesignate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 162 Northeast Avenue in Tallmadge, Ohio, as the Lance Corporal Daniel Nathan Deyarmin Post Office Building. Marine Lance Corporal Daniel Nathan Deyarmin, Jr., who went by ``Nathan,'' was born on July 30, 1983, in Akron, Ohio. His family moved to Tallmadge when he was just a year and a half old, and Nathan grew up there. He was a 2002 graduate of Tallmadge High School. Nathan joined the Marines in 2003, and served with Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division. In March of 2005, Nathan was deployed to Iraq. Sadly, just 5 months later, he was killed on August 1 by enemy small arms fire while conducting dismounted operations outside Haditha. Five other marines died at his side. Madam Speaker, Representative Ryan's staff shared with me that when Nathan was asked why he wanted to join the military, he said that he ``wanted a brother'' and that he ``wanted to become a respectable, responsible, productive American.'' He certainly achieved all of those goals. In the eyes of his family, friends, fellow marines, countrymen, and those of us standing here today to honor his tremendous sacrifice, he is one of the most respected Americans this body has had the great privilege of honoring. Those brave men and women who put themselves in harm's way to defend our safety and freedom deserve our honor, respect, and heartfelt gratitude. I ask my colleagues for their strong support of H.R. 1813, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, we are prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I urge this body to join the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan) and me in supporting H.R. 1813, renaming the United States Postal Service facility at 162 Northeast Avenue in Tallmadge, Ohio, to honor Nate, naming it as the Lance Corporal Daniel Nathan Deyarmin, Jr., Post Office Building. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.