Darrell Issa

Mr. ISSA

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5468) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1103 USPS Building 1103 in Camp Pendleton, California, as the ``Camp Pendleton Medal of Honor Post Office''.

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

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I have but two things to say. First of all, I want to thank the California delegation for their unique, bipartisan, unanimous support for this bill. Lastly, whether it is that bandleader who was a bandleader first, but would have said, ``I am an infantryman first,'' who served in World War II and died there in Korea, or it is the marines and corpsmen who have given their lives, their blood, their tears, their sweat, whether they were awarded the Medal of Honor, lesser medals, or were not fully recognized for their dedication, all of them, I now know, will have their daily activities, passing the post office or dropping a letter, they will have an opportunity to in fact realize that Congress is grateful for their contributions with the naming of this post office. I urge support for the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, of the several postal namings that we are voting on today, almost all of them are honoring members of the military and, disproportionately, members who have given their lives in service to their country, and it is fitting that we should do that. However, H.R. 5468 seeks something very different. Currently called the ``Mainside'' Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Post Office, it is not named for anyone. Camp Pendleton has produced more Medal of Honor recipients--most of them posthumously--through World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the various gulf wars. Even as we speak today, marines are engaged now in Iraq again, having completed their missions in Afghanistan, and, undoubtedly, the valor they show will someday result in additional Medal of Honor recipients. It is impossible to name the post office at Camp Pendleton after one marine, no matter how great, or after a few marines, even if they died together in battle--therefore, the unusual naming here at Camp Pendleton, a base that opened in 1942 and that, today, is the largest base of marines anywhere in the world. Over 42,000 marines and corpsmen call Camp Pendleton their home when they are not away from home. I am humbled and honored to be able to represent Camp Pendleton for my entire nearly 14 years of service in the Congress. As a former Army officer, I have learned a great deal about marines. I have learned even more about their valor. Only in a place like Camp Pendleton would you find that the base band is named after a band leader who earned a Medal of Honor during the Korean conflict as he, in fact, laid covering fire for his fellow marines from a burning tank. Therefore, today, we are considering--and I am confident we will name--this post office after all of those who earned America's highest honor. I envision that the post office will bear the names and, in a book, the recitation of how they each earned America's highest honor. It has been inspiring to represent them. Those Medal of Honor recipients, I must mention, will include Navy corpsmen, and they will include officers and enlisted men. They will include all of those battles from World War II to tomorrow and the days beyond. As I ask for this post office to be named, one that I have had the honor of authoring, I might note, for all of those who wonder why we name post offices, I believe, if they come to Camp Pendleton, they will find out why this post office bears the name of a medal and not any one soldier, sailor, marine, or airman. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ISSA

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

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 1093) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 130 Caldwell Drive in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, as the ``First Lieutenant Alvin Chester Cockrell, Jr. Post Office Building''.

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 1093, introduced by Senator Thad Cochran of Mississippi, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 130 Caldwell Drive in Hazlehurst, Mississippi, as the First Lieutenant Alvin Chester Cockrell, Jr. Post Office. Mr. Speaker, this is yet another first lieutenant. First Lieutenant Cockrell served his country in World War II. He enlisted in the Marine Corps back in 1937. He was assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, Fleet Marine Force. He landed at Guadalcanal. It was his 24th birthday. It was September 18, 1942. First Lieutenant Cockrell led his platoon in assaulting a strongly held enemy position against heavy machine gun fire. During that battle, charging into the face of machine gun fire, something we know all too well for United States Marines, he was killed in action. He died in that engagement. Mr. Speaker, we often recognize marines because they have given a great deal in this war, along with the other forces. We often recognize Iraq and Afghanistan, and on occasion, we recognize Vietnam veterans as we did today. It is unusual for this body to reach back, as Senator Cochran has done, and find such a fitting individual from a war so long ago, the war that gave us America's Greatest Generation, and realize that we have not yet finished thanking those who gave us the freedom to pursue our lives, every person on the floor perhaps having been born after Lieutenant Cockrell died. So it is altogether fitting that, as we remember the freedoms we enjoy, the opportunity we enjoy, the economy we enjoy, the lieutenant gave his all for that freedom. With that, I would urge passage, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, there is no question at all, this is, again, another befitting naming. I would like to thank the Senator for reaching back and finding such a worthy candidate, and I would like to remind all of us, coming off of Veterans Day, that, in fact, this generation of veterans is departing but will be remembered in our hearts for the rest of our lives. With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ISSA

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 1512) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1335 Jefferson Road in Rochester, New York, as the ``Specialist Theodore Matthew Glende Post Office''.

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I also urge support for the bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ISSA. Mr. 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. ISSA

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5331, introduced by my fellow Californian, Mr. Paul Cook, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 73839 Gorgonio Drive in Twentynine Palms, California, as the Colonel M.J. ``Mac'' Dube, U.S. Marine Corps Post Office Building. First, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from California, Congressman Cook, the author of the bill, to speak more about this Vietnam war veteran.

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5331) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 73839 Gorgonio Drive in Twentynine Palms, California, as the ``Colonel M.J. `Mac' Dube, USMC Post Office Building''.

Mr. ISSA. Mr. 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. ISSA. I urge strong support for this bipartisan bill and yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ISSA

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I am going to defer my comments since the sole House Member from Vermont is available to make his comments. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 885) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 35 Park Street in Danville, Vermont, as the ``Thaddeus Stevens Post Office''.

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

Mr. ISSA

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Army Sergeant Mracek was killed on January 27, 2004, while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He died of wounds sustained during yet another roadside bomb attack in Iraq. He was only 26 years old, and he had been in Iraq for just 8 days. Mr. Speaker, loved ones remember Sergeant Mracek as a man who loved Army life and was proud to serve his country. His bravery and his selflessness have inspired us all, and the naming of this post office in his memory is clearly appropriate. It is my honor to ask the body to honor Sergeant Mracek's service and sacrifice by voting in favor of this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 1499) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 278 Main Street in Chadron, Nebraska, as the ``Sergeant Cory Mracek Memorial Post Office''.

Mr. ISSA

Mr. ISSA. Mr. 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. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, this bill, authored by Congresswoman Ann Wagner of Missouri, recognizes the last full measure of support for Lieutenant Daniel P. Riordan, and I can add nothing more than the author will add, so I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner).

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. In closing, I have no doubt that this will pass, as rightfully it should, but if I can take a moment, looking at that picture of the young lieutenant wearing his cavalry insignia, Armor is the only branch that I know of that has two insignias: one when you are stationed when you have heavy armor, one for the cav. The fact is, in most wars, the enemy is ahead of you and you look for the enemy. In World War II and Korea, people talked about going to the front. In Iraq, there is no front. So every day Lieutenant Riordan knew he was at the front. Every day he knew in the light-armored vehicle he was riding in that, in fact, an IED could be cranked off either remotely or on his vehicle nearing it at any time. Our men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan are not faced by an enemy who has a front. They are faced by an enemy that almost to a person hides behind improvised explosives. More of our soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen have died because of these devices, not by an enemy at a front, but by a bomb on the road. Lieutenant Riordan was no different. So when you look at his awards and you look at the way he lived and died, he wasn't fighting a war in which he went to the front to face an enemy; he faced that enemy, and at any moment his life could end, as it did end, by a sneak attack that had no face on it. The courage of our men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan is greater in many ways than those who had a reprieve from the front from time to time and who knew when they were going toward their enemy, whether it was toward, if you will, heavy fire or sniper. In Iraq and Afghanistan in the past, the present, and now in the future, our soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen face an enemy that they will likely never see, and they are in peril virtually every moment of the day and night. That special relationship is one that I hope the American people understand no generation has faced the way this generation faces. Mr. Speaker, I urge support of the bill and yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ISSA

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.