[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 94 (Tuesday, July 18, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H5328-H5329]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CAPTAIN GEORGE A. WOOD POST OFFICE BUILDING
Mr. MARCHANT. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 4962) to designate the facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 100 Pitcher Street in Utica, New York, as the
``Captain George A. Wood Post Office Building''.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 4962
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. CAPTAIN GEORGE A. WOOD POST OFFICE BUILDING.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 100 Pitcher Street in Utica, New York,
shall be known and designated as the ``Captain George A. Wood
Post Office Building''.
(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 ``Captain George A. Wood Post Office
Building''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Marchant) and the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
General Leave
Mr. MARCHANT. Madam 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.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. MARCHANT. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Captain George A. Wood of New York was killed on November 20, 2003,
while fighting the war on terror in Iraq. Wood was on patrol when his
tank rolled over an improvised explosive device. At the time, he was
assigned to B Company, 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade,
4th Infantry Division, based out of Fort Hood, Texas.
Growing up in New York's Mohawk Valley, Wood was a football and track
star at Notre Dame Junior Senior High School in Utica, New York. He
later went on to earn his degree from Cornell and completed his
postgraduate work at both New York State University Colleges at Albany
and Cortland. His lifelong dream was to teach history and coach
football at West Point.
Captain Wood leaves behind his wife and daughter and many lifelong
friends. His friends will always reminisce about his wonderful
storytelling ability and his goodheartedness that was transparent in
everything that he did.
I would urge all the Members to come together to honor Captain George
Wood by passing H.R. 4962.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume.
As a member of the Government Reform Committee, I am pleased to join
my colleague Representative Marchant in support of H.R. 4962,
legislation sponsored by Representative Boehlert which names a post
office in Utica, New York, after Captain George A. Wood. H.R. 4962,
which was cosponsored by the entire New York delegation, was
unanimously approved by the Government Reform Committee on June 29,
2006.
George A. Wood, a native New Yorker, was by all accounts a stellar
person. A graduate of Notre Dame Junior Senior High School in Utica,
George was a high school track and football star. After high school, he
graduated from Cornell University and went on to earn master's degrees
from New York State University Colleges at Albany and Cortland.
A history buff who was fascinated with military history, George
joined the military and was assigned to B company, 1st Battalion, 67th
Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division based in Fort Hood,
Texas.
Sadly, at age 33, Captain Wood was killed while on patrol in Baqubah,
Iraq, on November 20, 2003, when his tank rolled over an improvised
explosive device. Captain Wood is survived by his wife Lisa and
daughter Maria.
Mr. Speaker, it is always difficult to learn of a soldier's death,
but I commend my colleague for seeking to honor the legacy, sacrifice
and accomplishments of Captain Wood by designating the Utica post
office in his name. I note that Captain Wood's father and grandfather
were postal employees at the Utica facility. How fitting.
Madam Speaker, I urge the swift passage of this bill.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. MARCHANT. Madam Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume
to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Boehlert).
(Mr. BOEHLERT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. BOEHLERT. Madam Speaker, today we have the privilege of honoring
our fallen hero, U.S. Army Captain George A. Wood. The bill before us
would rename the Pitcher Street Post Office in Utica, New York, the
George A. Wood Post Office Building, which is a fitting tribute to a
man who paid the ultimate sacrifice to defend our freedom and our
security.
Captain Wood bravely served our Nation in Iraq where he met an
untimely death on November 20, 2003. However, his memory will live on.
Every day, Captain Wood will be in the hearts of his family and his
friends and his classmates and his comrades and our neighbors by virtue
of the naming of this
[[Page H5329]]
public facility, this Federal facility in his honor.
He is survived by his wife Lisa and his 6-year-old daughter Maria,
and to them we send the Nation's condolences on your great loss of
yesteryear and our optimism on a more promising future because of what
the Captain Woods do so often for so many.
Captain Wood was born and raised in upstate New York's beautiful
Mohawk Valley. He was an accomplished athlete at Notre Dame Junior
Senior High School, and if you are from our neck of the woods, you know
those teams are just dynamite. He excelled at both football and track
and field.
He was also, and this is very important, a superstar in the
classroom. He graduated not just from Cornell University but later
earned master's degrees from both the State University at New York in
Albany and State University at New York in Cortland.
In the Armed Services, Captain Wood served for 8 years in the 4th
Infantry Division in Fort Hood, Texas, and there he became fascinated
with the history of our great military. As a matter of fact, Captain
Wood dreamed of teaching history and coaching football at the West
Point Military Academy. Had he not paid the ultimate price for our way
of life, I am confident that he would have seen this dream become a
reality.
Captain Wood's discipline, his love of learning and his fine
character have made him a model citizen for all of his countrymen and
generations to come, a true role model, a genuine American hero.
Both Captain Wood's father and his granddad worked at the Pitcher
Street Post Office, so there is a special affinity for the post office
in the Wood family, and it would be our utmost pleasure and distinct
honor to designate the facility at Utica, New York, as the Captain
George A. Wood Post Office Building in honor of a true American hero.
I want to thank my colleagues in the majority and the minority and on
the committee for dealing with this very important issue. Oftentimes,
as we deal with the major issues that affect so many people around the
world, we sometimes neglect the littler things, but they are equally
important. They are very personal. They have real meaning for so many,
and I thank my colleagues for their support and their cooperation. I
urge all of my colleagues to proudly vote ``aye'' for this measure.
Mr. CLAY. Madam Speaker, I urge the swift passage of this bill. I
have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my
time.
Mr. MARCHANT. Madam Speaker, I urge all Members to support the
passage of H.R. 4962, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Marchant) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 4962.
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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