[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 83 (Monday, May 21, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H5486-H5487]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STAFF SERGEANT MARVIN ``REX'' YOUNG POST OFFICE BUILDING
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 1425) to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 4551 East 52nd Street in Odessa,
Texas, as the ``Staff Sergeant Marvin `Rex' Young Post Office
Building''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1425
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. STAFF SERGEANT MARVIN ``REX'' YOUNG POST OFFICE
BUILDING.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 4551 East 52nd Street in Odessa, Texas,
shall be known and designated as the ``Staff Sergeant Marvin
`Rex' Young 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 ``Staff Sergeant Marvin `Rex' Young Post
Office Building''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Davis) and the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.
General Leave
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Illinois?
There was no objection.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
As a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government
Reform, I am pleased to join my colleague in consideration of H.R.
1425, which names a postal facility in Odessa, Texas, after Marvin
``Rex'' Young.
H.R. 1425, which was introduced by Representative Michael Conaway on
March 9, 2007, was reported from the Oversight Committee on March 29,
2007, by voice vote. This measure, which has been cosponsored by 31
Members, has the support of the entire Texas congressional delegation.
On August 21, 1968, Staff Sergeant Marvin Young was assigned to
Company C, 1st Battalion (Mechanized), 5th Infantry. He was leading a
patrol when the 25th Infantry Division came under attack by a large
force of North Vietnamese. The squad leader was killed, and Staff
Sergeant Young assumed command and repeatedly exposed himself to enemy
fire to help his men. Despite orders to pull back, he remained behind
to assist several of his men who were unable to withdraw. With critical
injuries to his body, he continued to fight to cover the withdrawal of
his troops. The enemy engulfed his position, and he was killed.
Staff Sergeant Young's parents were presented the Medal of Honor at
the White House on April 7, 1970, by President Richard Nixon.
Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague Representative Michael Conaway
from Texas for introducing this legislation and urge swift passage.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, it is an honor for me to speak on the floor today to
name a post office in Odessa, Texas, for a truly great American.
Marvin ``Rex'' Young was a genuine war hero at the young age of 21.
He grew up in Odessa, Texas, and was quite athletic during high school,
playing both football and baseball. A smart student, he also enjoyed
art and spent time painting. His plans were to attend Texas Tech
University after graduating from high school, but, unfortunately, he
never got the chance.
Rex Young joined the U.S. Army in September of 1966 and was deployed
to Vietnam in 1967. He served with Company C, 1st Battalion
(Mechanized), 5th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division as a staff sergeant.
He was wounded twice during the war, once in December, 1967, and again
in February, 1968. But it was on August 21, 1968, in a true act of
heroism that he would provide the ultimate sacrifice for his country.
He was acting as a squad leader on a reconnaissance mission in South
Vietnam. His unit was attacked by the enemy and received a barrage of
incoming fire. The forward platoon lost its commander, so Rex Young
instinctively took command and organized his men into a defensive
position, all the while under heavy enemy fire.
In attempting to withdraw, he allowed his men to retreat while he
stayed behind providing covering fire. It was during this action that
he was critically injured. Heroically, he still managed to help the
other members of his unit to retreat while continuing to cover for
them. As more infantrymen pulled back, he remained behind to ensure
their safe withdrawal. While the group fought its way back, he was hit
again in the leg and in the arm. Fearing that seeking medical aid would
slow down his team, he refused it. It was there that he sacrificed
himself for the safety of his comrades.
It was this act of selfless bravery, courageous leadership, and
heroism that earned him the country's highest military award, the
Congressional Medal of Honor. The medal was posthumously awarded to his
family by President Nixon on April 17, 1970. It is for those same
reasons that we name this post office for Marvin ``Rex'' Young in his
hometown.
I ask all Members to join me in supporting H.R. 1425
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to my distinguished
colleague from the State of Texas and the person who introduced this
resolution (Mr. Conaway).
Mr. CONAWAY. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentlewoman's yielding.
Next Monday, our Nation will pay tribute to all the young men and
women who fought and died so bravely and honorably for our Nation. On
Memorial Day, we will celebrate with parades and speeches and flag
waving and fireworks, as we should. From the Revolutionary War to the
war we are fighting today, we celebrate and remember the fallen as a
group. For those of us who have lost a loved one in a war or through
the service of this country, Memorial Day has a deep meaning.
For the family and friends of the men who served with Marvin ``Rex''
Young, the last Monday of May is much more than just symbolic. On this
day, Rex's family and friends and fellow soldiers remember and honor
his brave actions on behalf of his country.
On August 21, 1968, while in battle in Vietnam, Rex sacrificed his
life to save the lives of his friends and comrades. He was awarded the
Medal of Honor for his bravery and sacrifice. Mr. Speaker, today I ask
my colleagues to honor the life and memory and heroism of Staff
Sergeant ``Rex'' Young.
Rex was born in Alpine, Texas, on May 11, 1947, the third and
youngest child to Marilyn and Roy Young. Rex's mother has provided this
picture of Rex serving in Vietnam back in 1967 and 1968.
The family moved to Odessa when Rex was a child. I met Rex when we
were both attending Odessa Permian High School. Rex was a year ahead of
me and graduated in 1965. He was a gifted athlete, played both football
and baseball while at Permian. His mother said Rex was more interested
in just being on the team and contributing, but he was much more than
that. He was a star player. Childhood friends remember Rex as an
exceptional athlete who could have written his own ticket in baseball.
And they remember him as a very unselfish guy, so they were not
surprised when he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery in
battle.
After graduation, Rex attended Odessa College and Kentfield Junior
College in California and then joined the United States Army on
September 15, 1966. He completed basic training at Fort Bliss, Texas,
and advanced infantry training at Fort Lewis, Washington, and then
departed for Vietnam on October 20, 1967. He was assigned to Company C,
1st Battalion (Mechanized), 5th Infantry of the 25th Infantry Division,
known as the ``Bobcats.'' Rex earned his first Purple Heart from a
shrapnel wound on December 7, 1967; and he earned his second Purple
Heart on February 1, 1968, during the TET Offensive.
[[Page H5487]]
On August 21, 1968, Rex was killed by enemy fire as he provided
protective fire to shelter elements of his platoon as they were
withdrawn to safety. It was in these final selfless acts that Rex saved
so many of his friends' lives.
Jesus said in John 15:13, ``Greater love hath no man than this, that
he lay down his life for his friends.''
I would like to read from the citation that describes Rex's final
moments on this Earth:
``Staff Sergeant Young distinguished himself at the cost of his life
while serving as a squad leader with Company C. While conducting a
reconnaissance mission, Company C was suddenly engaged by an estimated
regimental-size force of the North Vietnamese Army. During the initial
volley of fire, the point element of the 1st Platoon was pinned down,
sustaining several casualties, and the active platoon leader was
killed. Sergeant Young unhesitatingly assumed command of the platoon
and immediately began to organize and deploy his men into a defensive
position in order to repel the attacking force. As a human wave attack
advanced on Sergeant Young's platoon, he moved from position to
position, encouraging and directing fire on the hostile insurgents
while exposing himself to the hail of enemy bullets.
``After receiving orders to withdraw to a better defensive position,
he remained behind to provide covering fire for the withdrawal.
Observing that a small element of the point squad was unable to extract
itself from its position, and completely disregarding his personal
safety, Sergeant Young began moving toward their position, firing as he
maneuvered.
{time} 1600
``When halfway to their position, he sustained a critical head
injury, yet he continued his mission and ordered the element to
withdraw.
``Remaining with the squad as it fought its way to the rear, he was
twice seriously wounded, once in the arm and once in the leg. Although
his leg was badly shattered, Sergeant Young refused assistance that
would have slowed down the retreat of his comrades, and he ordered them
to continue their withdrawal while he provided protective covering
fire. With indomitable courage and heroic self-sacrifice, he continued
his self-assigned mission until the enemy engulfed his position. By his
gallantry, at the cost of his life, and which is in the highest
tradition of military service, Staff Sergeant Young has reflected great
credit on himself, his unit and the United States Army.''
In the heavy fighting that day, Company C suffered 17 men killed, 21
wounded. And no one knows how many other men would have died that day
had Rex not stepped in to save his friends.
For his gallantry and self-sacrifice, Sergeant Young was posthumously
promoted to staff sergeant. Rex earned his country's highest award for
bravery, the Medal of Honor. In addition to the medal, Staff Sergeant
Young was awarded the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Bronze Star with
``V'' Device, Purple Heart with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the National
Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Republic of
Vietnam Military Merit Medal and the Republic of Vietnam Cross of
Gallantry with Palm.
Rex was buried with full military honors at Sunset Memorial Gardens
Cemetery in Odessa, Texas. Near him lie many other Odessans who
perished in the Vietnam War. Fifty feet north rests another Medal of
Honor recipient, Alfred ``Mac'' Wilson, Corporal, United States Marine
Corps.
Rex's sister Margaret now lies next to him. His brother Charles Ray
and his father are also deceased. His mother lived in Odessa for many
years. She has recently moved to McKinney to be close to her friends.
Rex's last day on Earth was almost 39 years ago. Because he and I are
close to the same age, I think often of all the experiences that I have
had that he willingly gave up that hot, fateful day halfway around the
world.
I am loved by a wonderful woman, and together we have raised four
children. I have watched them grow into responsible adults. I have
watched the boys play football and basketball, baseball and golf. I
watched my daughters lead cheers as a cheerleader and a team mascot. I
have watched our sons take beautiful young women to be their wives. I
walked one of my daughters down the aisle so that her mother and I
could give her in marriage to a starry-eyed young man. I have held our
seven grandchildren in my arms and looked into the eyes of America's
future. And I buried a wife and a father. These are life experiences
that Rex should have had. All of these experiences that I know Rex must
have looked forward to, the good and the bad, were sacrificed on
freedom's altar in his heroic acts that day so long ago.
Mr. Speaker, next Monday our Nation celebrates Memorial Day, a day
set aside each year to honor all of the Rex Youngs our country has
produced and who have made that same supreme sacrifice that Rex made.
This includes, of course, the brave men and women who for the past 5-
plus years have stood between us and some very bad, soulless people
that want to destroy our way of life.
I would like to challenge each of us that in addition to honoring
these men and women as a group, that we think about them on an
individual basis. By that I mean that each of us should have a specific
person that we think about, honor and celebrate each and every time
sacrifices are mentioned. It could be somebody in our family, it could
be a friend or somebody that you know through a history lesson, but my
challenge to you is this: That every time you are reminded of all the
lives that have been given in defense of this country, that you think
about a specific life given. For me, Mr. Speaker, that life is Rex
Young.
With that, Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure and gratitude that
I ask this House to honor SSG Marvin ``Rex'' Young by naming the post
office at 4551 East 52nd Street in Odessa, Texas, after him. By doing
so, his memory will live on not just in the hearts of those of us who
knew him, but also by everyone that uses or drives by that post office
and sees his name.
His Nation honored him with its highest honor for bravery. I now ask
that his Nation honor his memory by taking one more official act. I ask
each of you to vote in favor of this legislation.
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I think it is very appropriate that this week,
just before Memorial Day, we are honoring these several people who have
sacrificed their lives so that the rest of us can be here and be free.
I particularly want to thank Mr. Conaway for his comments about not
just recognizing in a collective way the people who have given their
lives and who have served, but who have done it in a personal way. This
morning I had the honor to recognize Mr. Larry Bauguess, who has
recently lost his life in Afghanistan on behalf of our country.
I urge all Members to support the passage of H.R. 1425.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, to close, I want to thank the
gentleman from Texas for his introduction of this legislation. I also
want to thank Mr. Conaway for his passionate description of the life of
one of our heroes. I would certainly concur and urge that we pass this
resolution. I am very pleased to support it, and I urge passage.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 1425.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this question will
be postponed.
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