[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 29 (Tuesday, March 9, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H884-H885]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ARMY PVT. SHAWN PAHNKE MANHATTAN POST OFFICE
Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 3537) to designate the facility of the United
States
[[Page H885]]
Postal Service located at 185 State Street in Manhattan, Illinois, as
the ``Army Pvt. Shawn Pahnke Manhattan Post Office''.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 3537
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. ARMY PVT. SHAWN PAHNKE MANHATTAN POST OFFICE.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 185 State Street in Manhattan, Illinois,
shall be known and designated as the ``Army Pvt. Shawn Pahnke
Manhattan Post Office''.
(b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation,
document, paper, or other record of the United States to the
facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be
a reference to the Army Pvt. Shawn Pahnke Manhattan Post
Office.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
Michigan (Mrs. Miller) and the gentlewoman from the District of
Columbia (Ms. Norton) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Miller).
General Leave
Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. 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 H.R. 3537.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Michigan?
There was no objection.
Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, the second post office designation bill in honor of an
Iraq war victim pays tribute to the courage and service of Army Private
Shawn Pahnke.
This legislation, H.R. 3537, names a United States Postal Service
Facility after Private Shawn Pahnke of Manhattan, Illinois, the town in
which Shawn grew up.
Mr. Speaker, Shawn was another hero serving in Iraq to secure the
freedom of all Iraqi citizens. Private Pahnke enlisted in October of
2002 right after getting married to his wife, Elisha. He left with the
First Armored Division for Freidberg, Germany, four days before the
birth of his son, Dean, on March 20, 2003. Sadly, Shawn would never
meet his son. While patrolling the streets of Baghdad in a Humvee
armored vehicle, a single bullet was fired into the vehicle and struck
Private Pahnke in the back, fatally wounding him.
Mr. Speaker, Shawn's lifelong dream was to serve in the military. In
the days after his son's death, his father, Tom, told about the letter
Shawn had written to his family. These letters described how proud he
was to be a soldier. His mother, Linda, said Shawn wanted to show the
Iraqi people how wonderful freedom could be.
Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Weller) for
honoring Army Private Shawn Pahnke. This post office is a deserved and
permanent token of appreciation from a grateful Nation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Committee on Government Reform, I am
pleased to join my colleague in the consideration of H.R. 3537,
legislation naming a postal facility in Manhattan, Illinois after
Private Shawn Pahnke. This measure was introduced by the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Weller) on November 19, 2003, and unanimously reported by
our committee on February 12, 2004.
H.R. 3537 enjoys the support and co-sponsorship of the entire
Illinois delegation.
Army Private Shawn D. Pahnke was a soldier from Shelbyville, Indiana,
who was killed by enemy fire in Baghdad on June 16, 2003. Shawn Pahnke
grew up in Manhattan, Illinois and graduated from Lincoln Way High
School in New Lenox, Illinois. Continuing his family's tradition of
military service, Shawn's father was a Vietnam veteran and his
grandfather served in World War II, Shawn enlisted in the U.S. Army. He
was assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 37th Armored Regiment, 1st
Armored Division, Freidberg, Germany.
Sadly, at age 27, Private Pahnke was patrolling in a Humvee with
other soldiers from his unit when he was hit by a sniper's bullet. He
is survived by his wife, baby son, Dean, his parents and two older
brothers. He was buried with honors and received a Bronze Star and
Purple Heart.
Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague for seeking to honor the memory
of a fallen soldier. I urge the swift passage of this bill.
Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may
consume to the gentleman from the State of Illinois (Mr. Weller), the
sponsor of this legislation, my distinguished colleague.
(Mr. WELLER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
{time} 1445
Mr. WELLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise again today to pay tribute to another
fallen brave hero from my home State of Illinois, a brave hero from the
war on terror and Operation Iraqi Freedom, Army Private Shawn Pahnke.
Under the legislation I am offering today, H.R. 3537, the Manhattan,
Illinois, United States Post Office will be renamed after Army Private
Shawn Pahnke. I also wish to thank my colleagues in the Illinois
delegation for joining me as original cosponsors of this legislation.
Private Pahnke was a main battle tank crewman with the United States
Army 1st Armored Division's First Brigade. He was lost June 16, 2003,
while patrolling Baghdad in a Humvee on a security detail. Shawn
enjoyed playing baseball and was relatively new to the Armed Forces and
had only recently been stationed in Iraq when he was taken from us.
Shawn was the father to a newborn baby son, Dean, whom he never met.
On the day of Dean's arrival, Private Pahnke spent most of the day on
the phone with his wife, Elisha, talking her through labor and getting
to hear the birth of his son and his son's first minutes in the world
over the telephone. I have known Private Pahnke's father, Tom, for many
years through his work as town administrator with the village of
Manhattan, as well as his mother, Linda.
Mr. Speaker, this is a good family, a patriotic family that is very
proud of Shawn's service in the United States military. Private Pahnke
was much like the other two soldiers we will be honoring today, as he
comes from a small town. Shawn's loss was a loss felt by family, by
friends, and by the entire community in Manhattan; and while we in this
Chamber today can never replace the memory of a lost father, husband or
son, by passing H.R. 3537 we can ensure that the memory of this
American hero endures in his hometown; and perhaps one day, when he is
old enough to understand, baby Dean Pahnke will realize his father was
truly loved, not only by his family but by the community and the Nation
he served.
Our hearts and prayers go out to the entire Pahnke family.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to give H.R. 3537, renaming the
Manhattan, Illinois, post office after Army Private Shawn Pahnke, their
unanimous support.
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I ask that all Members would
support the passage of this important legislation, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Terry). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Miller) that the House
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3537.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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