[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 29 (Tuesday, March 9, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H885-H887]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MARINE CAPT. RYAN BEAUPRE SAINT ANNE POST OFFICE
Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 3538) to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 201 South Chicago Avenue in Saint
Anne, Illinois, as the ``Marine Capt. Ryan Beaupre Saint Anne Post
Office''.
The Clerk read as follows:
[[Page H886]]
H.R. 3538
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. MARINE CAPT. RYAN BEAUPRE SAINT ANNE POST OFFICE.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 201 South Chicago Avenue in Saint Anne,
Illinois, shall be known and designated as the ``Marine Capt.
Ryan Beaupre Saint Anne 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 Marine Capt. Ryan Beaupre Saint Anne 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 on H.R. 3538, the bill under consideration.
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 as much time as
I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, like the last two pieces of legislation, H.R. 3538 names
a post office after a courageous young man who died while bravely
fighting for our Nation in Iraq. This bill designates a postal service
facility in Saint Anne, Illinois, as the Marine Capt. Ryan Beaupre
Saint Anne Post Office.
Mr. Speaker, Captain Ryan Beaupre of Saint Anne, Illinois, was a
pilot of a CH-46 helicopter that crashed in Kuwait on March 20, 2003,
just days after the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Captain
Beaupre died at the age of 30.
Mr. Speaker, prior to serving in the Marine Corps, Ryan Beaupre was a
standout student at Bishop McNamara High School and Illinois Wesleyan
University. In his spare time in Saint Anne, he enjoyed exercising and
he volunteered at a homeless shelter. He is survived by his father,
Mark; mother, Nicky; two sisters, Alyse and Kari; and a brother,
Cristopher. I want to assure the Beaupre family that the thoughts and
the prayers of all Members of this House are with them. With passage of
this legislation, the Congress can forever commemorate Ryan Beaupre's
sacrifice with a post office that bears his name in his hometown.
Mr. Speaker, serving in our Nation's military is perhaps the greatest
contribution one can make for his or her country. Our Armed Forces
serve the entire Nation at home and overseas with unparalleled loyalty
and selflessness. Undeniably, Ryan Beaupre possessed these admirable
characteristics. That is why I urge all Members to support this
legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
As a member of the Committee on Government Reform, I am pleased and
proud to join my colleague in the consideration of H.R. 3538,
legislation naming a postal facility in Saint Anne, Illinois, after
Captain Ryan Beaupre. The 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. 3538 enjoys the support and
cosponsorship of the entire Illinois delegation.
Marine Captain Ryan Beaupre was a soldier and a pilot from Saint
Anne, Illinois, who was killed in a helicopter crash in Kuwait on March
21, 2003.
Ryan Beaupre grew up in Saint Anne. He graduated from Bishop
MacNamara High School in Kankakee, Illinois, and graduated from
Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois, with honors in
1995 and joined the Marine Corps in 1995 and was based at Camp
Pendleton, California.
Sadly, at age 30, Captain Beaupre's CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter
crashed, killing eight British and four U.S. Marines. He is survived by
his parents, a brother, and two sisters.
Mr. Speaker, I note that Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, a former
Member of Congress and a committee colleague, has commissioned two
memorials to honor Illinois servicemembers who have lost their lives
during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Captain Beaupre, Staff
Sergeant Hollinsaid, and Private Pahnke will be among the
servicemembers honored. The memorials will be displayed in the State
capitol rotunda in Springfield, Illinois, and the James R. Thompson
center in Chicago.
Again, I commend my colleague for seeking to honor the memory of a
fallen soldier and urge the swift passage of this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may
consume to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Weller).
(Mr. WELLER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. WELLER. Mr. Speaker, it has been an honor to have been the
sponsor of H.R. 3538, as well as the two previous pieces of legislation
honoring three fallen war heroes from my State of Illinois.
This legislation, H.R. 3538, the Marine Capt. Ryan Beaupre Saint Anne
Post Office Designation Act, is just like the two previous bills
considered by the House. Under H.R. 3538, the Saint Anne, Illinois,
post office will be named after Marine Captain Ryan Beaupre, another
Operation Iraqi Freedom hero from the 11th Congressional District of
Illinois; and, again, Mr. Speaker, I wish to express my gratitude for
my colleagues in the Illinois delegation for joining me as original
cosponsors of this legislation.
Captain Beaupre was a helicopter pilot with the 1st Marine
Expeditionary Force. He was lost on March 20, 2003, while piloting a
CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter in Kuwait, 9 miles from the border with
Iraq.
Ryan enjoyed competing in cross-country and track. He was also a
volunteer in the community, volunteering at Home-Sweet-Home mission, a
homeless shelter and transitional housing program. He attended Bishop
McNamara High School and Illinois Wesleyan University in my
congressional district.
I have had the opportunity to meet with Ryan's parents, Mark and
Nicky Beaupre; and I can tell my colleagues that the Beaupre family is
a very proud family, a very close family, and a very patriotic family.
Ryan Beaupre loved to fly. He enjoyed being a pilot, and he enjoyed
being a Marine. Mr. Speaker, the words we speak in this Chamber can
never be enough to truly understand what Ryan Beaupre meant to those
who knew him. So, Mr. Speaker, I offer these remarks from Ann Harding,
assistant director of Career Services at Illinois Wesleyan University,
from the school's memorial page to Ryan Beaupre:
``When I got the news about Ryan's death, I immediately went through
my many photo albums of IWU students. Suddenly Ryan's face was
everywhere. What a great smile! Ryan worked for me in the Career
Center. We stayed in touch after he started his job at State Farm.
While he worked for me, he talked about his interest in learning how to
fly. We even discussed the Officers Training Program. When he accepted
the job at State Farm, I figured he put the idea out of his mind. Then
a year later he called and said he had given his 2 weeks' notice and
was joining the Marines. `They're going to teach me how to fly,' he
said.
``I was happy for him because he always kept his eye on his dream. To
think he could have been as safe as I am in Bloomington, Illinois, had
he not pursued the real dream. I admire Ryan and any one of you that
goes after what you want. I know that until there was no time left,
Ryan was doing everything right and to the very best of his ability. He
was a smart and innocent man.
``To see so many alumni come back to the service on campus is a
testament to a how close you all become in a short 4-year period. I
will go to the services on Thursday in Saint Anne and be very proud to
have known Ryan Beaupre.''
Mr. Speaker, Ryan Beaupre died living a dream, a dream of flying, a
dream of serving as a United States Marine, a dream of helping bring
freedom and a better life to those in the Middle East.
[[Page H887]]
The prayers of a grateful Nation and a grateful Congress go out to
all the families that have lost a loved one in defense of America's
freedom. I ask that the House honor the memory of Illinois' lost son,
Marine Captain Ryan Beaupre, by passing H.R. 3538, renaming the Saint
Anne, Illinois, post office after our fallen hero of the war against
terror.
I especially want to thank my two distinguished colleagues, the
distinguished gentlewoman from Michigan and the gentlewoman from the
District of Columbia, for joining me on the floor today to help with
this legislation and also thanks to my colleagues as well as ask
unanimous support for this legislation.
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I ask that all Members support
the passage of this important legislation, and I yield back the balance
of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. 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. 3538.
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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