[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 117 (Wednesday, September 27, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H8278-H8279]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                LANCE CORPORAL HAROLD GOMEZ POST OFFICE

  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
Senate bill (S. 1295) to designate the United States Post Office 
located at 3813 Main Street in East Chicago, Indiana, as the ``Lance 
Corporal Harold Gomez Post Office.''
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                S. 1295

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION OF LANCE CORPORAL HAROLD GOMEZ POST 
                   OFFICE.

       The United States Post Office located at 3813 Main Street 
     in East Chicago, Indiana, shall be known and designated as 
     the ``Lance Corporal Harold Gomez Post Office''.

     SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

       Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, 
     or other record of the United States to the post office 
     referred to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a reference to 
     the ``Lance Corporal Harold Gomez Post Office''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. McHugh) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh).


                             General Leave

  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
on S. 1295.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, we have before us S. 1295 introduced by the 
distinguished senator from Indiana, Senator Lugar, on June 6, 1999. The 
legislation passed the Senate on November 19, 1999 and was received in 
the House soon thereafter.
  Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky) introduced 
identical legislation, H.R. 2358, on June 24 of 1999 and, pursuant to 
the policy on the Committee on Government Reform, the entire House 
delegation of the State of Indiana cosponsored H.R. 2358, and the 
committee passed the bill.
  Both of these bills has been noted to designate the United States 
Post Office located at 3813 Main Street in East Chicago, Indiana as the 
Lance Corporal Harold Gomez Post Office.
  Mr. Speaker, we have had the opportunity and, indeed, the honor to do 
a number of these bills in this session as in previous years, and it is 
always truly a pleasure. I want to begin by extending my compliments 
both to Senator Lugar and to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky) 
for their efforts in bringing this worthy nominee to our attention.
  One of the true joys of having the opportunity to handle these kinds 
of proposals, Mr. Speaker, is that it provides us with the opportunity 
to honor the widest possible range of United States citizens and to, in 
that fashion, recognize their achievements, and they are the kinds of 
achievements that really do span the entire horizon of contributions to 
country, contributions to community, and all worthy points in between.
  Mr. Speaker, today, we have in Corporal Gomez just such an example. 
The corporal was a fire team leader in a rifle company of the Third 
Marine Division when in 1967, he was killed by a land mine explosion in 
South Vietnam. He was the first citizen from Northwest Indiana to die 
of casualties in that war.
  Corporal Gomez received numerous awards, including the Purple Heart, 
the Combat Action Ribbon, the Presidential Unit Citation, the National 
Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, RVN, Military Merit 
Medal, RVN Gallantry Cross Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal and the 
Rifle Sharp Shooters Badge.
  Corporal Gomez was posthumously awarded the Silver Star Medal for his 
courageous leadership and heroism. As these medals so eloquently 
attest, Mr. Speaker, Corporal Gomez was truly a hero.
  He was a man who put the needs and the safety of his troops, of his 
fellow servicepeople before himself; and through him, we have again 
underscored the history of this Nation, a Nation founded upon the 
principle that in the pursuit of life and liberty and happiness, there 
is no cost too great, no price too high, that citizens like Corporal 
Gomez are willingly to extend it, even when that means the loss of 
their life. That kind of lesson can never be restated too often, I 
would suggest respectfully, Mr. Speaker.
  Certainly, his heroism, his example was felt far and wide. And in his 
hometown, I think it is important to note that after his death, Central 
High School in East Chicago, the place from which Corporal Gomez had 
graduated, named and dedicated the library to him and the American GI 
Forum of the United States chartered the Harold Gomez Chapters in East 
Chicago.
  I am proud, Mr. Speaker, to join with Senator Lugar, the gentleman 
from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky), with the entire House delegation from 
that great State, and in working with, as always, the minority on the 
Subcommittee on Postal Service, particularly the gentleman from 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah), the ranking member, in 
ensuring that these kinds of worthy initiatives are brought quickly to 
this floor.
  Mr. Speaker, just one final word of urging that all of our colleagues 
join us in supporting of this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, let me thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh), 
the chairman of our Subcommittee on Postal Service, for his efforts in 
helping us bring to the floor this very important legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to make a note, even though we act today on a 
Senate bill, it was the House bill of the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. 
Visclosky) that was introduced, as the gentleman from New York 
(Chairman McHugh) has indicated, first and in cooperation with 
obviously the entire congressional delegation, we now move this Senate 
bill. I want to commend the gentleman from Indiana for introducing this 
bill decades after the death of this young man in service to his 
country.
  The gentleman, my good friend, took it upon himself to introduce this 
legislation to acknowledge the sacrifice of Mr. Gomez and his family on 
behalf of a grateful Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Indiana (Mr. Visclosky), my good friend.
  Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania 
(Mr. Fattah) for yielding the time to me.
  Mr. Speaker, I do rise today to urge my colleagues to support S. 
1295, a bill that was sponsored in the United States Senate by Senator 
Lugar, a bill to rename the Harbor Branch Post Office at 3813 Main 
Street in East Chicago in honor of a true hero, Lance Corporal Harold 
Gomez.
  I did have the privilege of introducing the House version of this 
measure, as the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah) mentioned, 
H.R. 2358 and would like to thank each of my colleagues from the State 
of Indiana, Republican and Democrat alike, for their complete 
bipartisan support of the measure.
  Mr. Speaker, I would also like to give special thanks to the 
gentleman from Indiana (Chairman Burton), chairman of the Committee on 
Government Reform, for all of his assistance in bringing this bill to 
the floor and would like to thank the gentleman from New York (Chairman 
McHugh) and the ranking member, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Fattah), for all of

[[Page H8279]]

their diligent service in ensuring that this legislation would be 
heard.
  Mr. Speaker, as the first resident of East Chicago, Indiana to be 
killed while in service to his country during the Vietnam war, Corporal 
Gomez is a hero and his community would like to honor him in this 
special way.
  The gentleman from New York has already reiterated on the House floor 
the numerous awards and battle ribbons that the corporal has received 
and though Harold Gomez' life was tragically cut short, he touched many 
lives and was admired by both friends and colleagues alike.
  Mr. Speaker, I am deeply honored to offer this legislation to honor a 
true hero of Northwest Indiana. Corporal Gomez distinguished himself in 
combat and is a source of inspiration to both the residents of East 
Chicago and the rest of our Nation.
  He is worthy of the recognition. On behalf of all of the citizens of 
Northwest Indiana, particularly our young people and our veterans, I am 
proud to support this legislation to name the East Chicago Post Office 
in honor of Corporal Harold Gomez and do ask my colleagues to support 
it.
  Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, let me say in conclusion, because we have no 
further speakers on our side, that I thank the gentleman from New York 
(Chairman McHugh) and I would hope that the naming of this post office, 
even though it is in East Chicago, Indiana, in some symbolic way 
represents our appreciation for so many young men who gave their lives 
in service to this country in the conflict that we now refer to as the 
Vietnam War.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time but let me just 
state for the Record what many of us understand, but I think it is an 
important note, that was very legitimately raised by the gentleman from 
Indiana (Mr. Visclosky) who has worked tirelessly on this beginning in 
1998, the adoption of the Senate bill today is merely a parliamentary 
procedure that in no way reflects his lack of concern and, indeed, I 
would suggest that without his hard work and without his ensuring that 
indeed the Committee on Government Reform has considered his bill and, 
to my recollection, unanimously endorsed it, we may not be here today. 
So I want to pay a final compliment to him and to his diligence and a 
word of thanks again for his bringing to us a very worthy individual. 
With that, Mr. Speaker, I urge all of our colleagues to join us in 
support of this initiative.
  Mr. ROMERO-BARCELO. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to speak in support of 
H.R. 2358, a bill to honor Lance Corporal Harold Gomez, a hero of the 
Vietnam War. My colleague, Pete Visclosky, has introduced the bill to 
name the East Chicago, Indiana, Post Office for this young hero, the 
first resident of East Chicago to be killed during the Vietnam War. It 
is appropriate to recognize Corporal Gomez' bravery and gallantly in 
battle.
  Corporal Gomez was born in East Chicago in 1946 and perished in 
action on February 21, 1967, at the young age of 21. His adventuresome 
spirit and love for America led him to volunteer in the Marine Corps. 
He was sent to Vietnam in 1966, where he became a fire team leader in a 
rifle company of the Third Marine Corps. In the brief one year period 
he fought in Vietnam, he received numerous military awards, including 
the Purple Heart Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit 
Citation, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal and 
the Rifle Sharpshooters Badge. Posthumously, he was awarded the Silver 
Star Medal for valiant leadership and bravery during the battle that 
took his life.
  This young man of Hispanic (Mexican) heritage of the East Chicago 
neighborhood represents the best of what it means to be an American. 
His heroism is a proud symbol of his love for his country and his 
willingness to defend American democratic principles at the expense of 
his own life.
  His spirit lives on and today we have the opportunity to honor this 
young hero, whose audacity and fighting spirit will shine as an example 
for his fellow citizens in the East Chicago, Indiana, neighborhood.
  In addition, I think it is important to note that Corporal Gomez is 
only survived by his mother. She stands as a symbol of the thousands of 
parents who share in the ultimate sacrifice of losing their only son. 
Nobody can prepare another for battle, however, it is clear that 
parents such as Mrs. Gomez ingrained the desire for liberty, courage 
and selflessness that was so exemplary in their sons. Of such Americans 
is our country made of.
  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I y8ield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the Senate bill, S. 1295.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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