[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 129 (Thursday, October 6, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H8652-H8653]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   COLIN L. POWELL RESIDENTIAL PLAZA

  Mr. MICA. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
Senate bill (S. 1413) to redesignate the Crowne Plaza in Kingston, 
Jamaica as the Colin L. Powell Residential Plaza.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                S. 1413

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

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION OF COLIN L. POWELL RESIDENTIAL PLAZA.

       (a) Designation.--The Federal building in Kingston, 
     Jamaica, formerly known as the Crowne Plaza and now a staff 
     housing facility for the United States mission in Jamaica, 
     shall be known and designated as the ``Colin L. Powell 
     Residential Plaza''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     Federal building referred to in subsection (a) shall be 
     deemed to be a reference to the Colin L. Powell Residential 
     Plaza.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Mica) and the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica).


                             General Leave

  Mr. MICA. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
on S. 1413.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. MICA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, S. 1413 was introduced by Senator Lugar of Indiana and 
also Senator Biden of Delaware, and it designates the Federal building 
in Kingston, Jamaica, formerly known as the Crowne Plaza, which is now 
a staff housing facility, and it renames that facility for the United 
States mission in Jamaica as the Colin L. Powell Residential Plaza.
  Colin Powell was born in New York City in 1937 to his parents, Luther 
and Maud Powell, who immigrated to the United States from Jamaica. He 
was educated in New York City public schools. He went on to graduate 
from the City College of New York with a degree in geology. He was also 
commissioned as an Army second lieutenant in 1958. He continued his 
education, gaining a master's of business administration from George 
Washington University.
  Since that time, Colin Powell has served our great Nation as a 
professional soldier for some 35 years, during which time he was the 
recipient of numerous United States and foreign military awards and 
decorations and soon rose to the rank of a four-star general.
  He went on to serve as the 12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of 
Staff, which is the highest military position in the Department of 
Defense. In his time as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he 
oversaw some 28 crises, including Operation Desert Storm and the 
victorious 1991 Persian Gulf war. His distinguished career was topped 
off when he was sworn in as the 65th Secretary of State of the United 
States in January of 2001.
  There are other things to note about this distinguished American 
leader. Colin Powell is also a man dedicated to his family and to the 
youth of America. He is married to the former Alma Vivian Johnson of 
Birmingham, Alabama, and has three children as well as two 
grandchildren. Prior to his confirmation as Secretary of State, Colin 
Powell served as the chairman of America's Promise, which is The 
Alliance for Youth, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to 
building the character and also the competence of our young people.
  It is my honor to bring this bill to the floor for myself, for the 
Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee, for the subcommittee 
chair, Mr. Shuster. This bill honors a dedicated American who spent his 
entire career serving the people of this great Nation.
  I support this legislation, and I encourage my colleagues to do the 
same.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DeFAZIO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume.
  I stand in strong support of this legislation. It is certainly 
suitable that a Federal facility in Jamaica, where Colin Powell's 
parents were born, should be named after him. I would hope that this 
will be followed by, perhaps, something within the United States itself 
that commemorates his service to our Nation, which spanned decades, 
extraordinary service in the military and great service to this 
administration as Secretary of State during the first term of the Bush 
Presidency.
  I would urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this legislation.
  S. 1413 is a bill to designate a staff housing facility located in 
Kingston, Jamaica currently used by the State Department for state 
department employees as the Colin L. Powell Residential Plaza.
  Colin Luther Powell was born in Harlem in 1937. His parents were 
Jamaican immigrants who stressed the importance of education and 
personal achievement. He grew up in the Bronx, and attended City 
College of New York to study geology. While at City College he joined 
the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC). When he graduated in 1958 
he was at the top of his ROTC class, with the rank of cadet colonel, 
the highest rank in the corps.
  In 1962 he was sent to Vietnam for the first of his two tours of 
duty. In 1963 he was wounded and awarded the Purple Heart and the 
Bronze Star. During his second tour in Vietnam he was injured in a 
helicopter crash but managed to rescue his comrades for which he was 
awarded the Soldier's Medal. In all he has received 11 decorations 
including the Legion of Merit.
  In 1986 Powell left Washington to serve as military commander in 
Frankfurt Germany. He was recalled to Washington by Frank Carlucci

[[Page H8653]]

to serve as his deputy national security adviser. In 1991 as Chairman 
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Powell became a national figure during the 
successful Desert Shield and Desert Storm operations.
  In 2001 President Bush appointed Powell as Secretary of State, the 
first African American to hold this office.
  Since his retirement in 2004 Colin Powell has written a best selling 
autobiography, My American Journey. He has pursued a career as a public 
speaker and has remained involved in his work with the Alliance for 
Youth.
  By any measure Colin Powell is an extraordinary public servant. He is 
America's premier Soldier-Statesman. This designation is but a small 
gesture to honor his devotion to public service and his lifetime of 
dedication to the American public.
  I support this bill and urge its passage.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. MICA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Today it is my honor and privilege to bring this legislation, which 
will recognize the leadership of an outstanding American patriot, 
someone who serves as a role model for all Americans. I am very proud 
of Colin Powell and again of his service to our Nation. I urge the 
support of this bill.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 1413, a 
bill to designate a staff housing facility located in Kingston, Jamaica 
as the Colin L. Powell Residential Plaza. The facility currently houses 
Department of State employees.
  Colin Luther Powell was born on April 5, 1937, in Harlem, New York. 
His parents, Jamaican immigrants to the United States, infused in their 
son a high work ethic and stressed the importance of education. He 
attended local public schools in the Bronx, and attended the City 
College of New York and studied geology. While at City College, 
Secretary Powell joined the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) and, 
by his own account, claimed he had found his calling. When he graduated 
in 1958 he was at the top of his ROTC class, with the rank of cadet 
colonel, the highest rank in the Corps.
  Colin Powell served two tours of duty in Vietnam. During his first 
tour in 1963 he was wounded and awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze 
Star. During his second tour in Vietnam between 1968 and 1969 he was 
injured in a helicopter crash but managed to rescue his comrades for 
which he was awarded the Soldier's Medal. In all, he has received 11 
decorations including the Legion of Merit.
  After the war, Secretary Powell attended George Washington University 
here in the District of Columbia earning an MBA. He was awarded a White 
House fellowship and was assigned to the Office of Management and 
Budget, where he worked for both Department of Defense Secretaries 
Caspar Weinberger and Frank Carlucci. Following his term as a White 
House fellow, Powell served in Korea. In 1976, he joined the Carter 
Administration as assistant to the Deputy Secretary of Defense. At the 
end of the Carter Administration, he assisted Secretary Carlucci during 
the transition to the Reagan Administration.
  In 1986, Secretary Powell left Washington to serve as military 
commander in Frankfurt Germany. He was recalled to Washington by Frank 
Carlucci to serve as his deputy national security adviser. In 1991, as 
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Powell became a national figure 
during the successful Desert Shield and Desert Storm operations.
  In 2001, President Bush appointed Powell as Secretary of State, the 
first African American to hold this office. As Secretary of State, he 
took a leading role in rallying America's allies and the United Nations 
in the war against terrorism.
  Since his retirement in 2004, Colin Powell has written a best selling 
autobiography, My American Journey. He has pursued a career as a public 
speaker and has remained involved in his work with the Alliance for 
Youth.
  Colin Powell is a true American success story. He is an incomparable 
public servant, a born leader, able administrator, and exceptional 
diplomat. He is America's premier Soldier-Statesman. It is fitting and 
proper that we honor the outstanding contributions of Colin Powell with 
this designation.
  I support this bill and urge its passage.
  Mr. MICA. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the Senate bill, S. 1413.
  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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