[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 13 (Monday, January 28, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H460-H462]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   FELIX SPARKS POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 4240) to designate the facility of the United 
States Postal Service located at 10799 West Alameda Avenue in Lakewood, 
Colorado, as the ``Felix Sparks Post Office Building''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4240

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

     SECTION 1. FELIX SPARKS POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 10799 West Alameda Avenue in Lakewood, 
     Colorado, shall be known and designated as the ``Felix Sparks 
     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 ``Felix Sparks Post Office Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Davis) and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Westmoreland) 
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 such time as he may 
consume to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Perlmutter).
  Mr. PERLMUTTER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Illinois.

[[Page H461]]

  I rise today to pay tribute and say thank you to a Colorado icon and 
an American hero, Felix Sparks, with H.R. 4240.
  Sparks, who recently passed away at the age of 90, lived an 
extraordinary life that exemplified public service and devotion to 
one's country.
  A Texas native raised in Arizona, Felix Sparks was a part of our 
``Greatest Generation'' who answered our Nation's call to duty during 
the Second World War.
  Described as a ``soldier's soldier,'' he would endure over 500 days 
of combat and partake in three of the most important events that would 
define modern history.
  The Battle of Reipertswiller, the Battle at the Caves of Anzio, and 
the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp.
  One story in particular that I would like to call to your attention 
which attests to the character of Felix Sparks occurred during the 
Battle of Reipertswiller, a battle in which 158 enlisted soldiers were 
killed, 300 men were wounded, and another 426 were captured over a 
course of only 3 days.
  After finding his unit under siege and trapped in enemy territory, 
Sparks, then a lieutenant colonel, refused to leave behind three of his 
men who lay incapacitated in the open battlefield.
  Facing near-certain death, he courageously left his tank and raced, 
on foot, directly into the close-range crosshairs of the German gunners 
to rescue those soldiers.

                              {time}  1415

  With only a holstered pistol in tow, he would drag each of his 
wounded comrades, one by one, to safety.
  A personal account of this series of events was uncovered in the 
memoirs of a German SS officer who had commanded his gunner not to fire 
on Sparks. The memoir read: ``Those of us witnessing the scene, whether 
nearby or more distant, instinctively felt there was no honor to be won 
by firing on this death-defying act of comradeship.''
  Sparks also cheated death a year earlier at the Battle of the Caves 
of Anzio in Italy, where he would be only one of two men in his company 
to survive. Sparks was part of the first Allied force to witness the 
horrors and atrocities of the Dachau concentration camp on the 
discovery of 39 rail cars packed with some 2,000 Holocaust victims. In 
all, 30,000 prisoners were liberated from Dachau by the Allied Forces; 
and for the rest of his life, Sparks would continue to speak out at 
Holocaust remembrance ceremonies.
  Based on his experiences at Dachau, Felix was tireless in his efforts 
to refute those shameless individuals who try to rewrite history and 
claim the Holocaust and Dachau never occurred. He'd say: ``Tell that to 
my face'' in a shout and in a voice that indicated he'd been there and 
saw it personally.
  For his service during World War II, he was awarded a Silver Star and 
two Purple Hearts after being severely wounded on the battlefield. He 
would continue his military service with the National Guard until his 
retirement as a brigadier general in 1977.
  And upon his return from the war, enamored with stories from his men 
about their hometowns in the Rocky Mountains, Felix and his wife 
settled in Colorado. There, the Sparks family would grow to include 
four children, six grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren.
  He would earn his law degree from the University of Colorado and 
become a Colorado district attorney. Renowned for his commanding 
speaking ability, Felix would then go on to become the youngest supreme 
court justice in Colorado's history at just 38 years of age. He would 
preside over several of the most prolific and high profile cases in our 
State's history.
  After his service on our State's highest court, Sparks, an expert in 
water law, would serve for over two decades as the director of the 
Colorado Water Conservation Board. He would write some of the most 
influential and important groundwater laws that have continued to serve 
our State for decades thereafter.
  I came to know Felix during my days in the Colorado senate after he 
had testified in my committee with regard to an anti-gun violence 
measure following the tragic death of his grandchild from a drive-by 
shooting. His passion and his words live with me to this day. And he 
was so well respected for his honesty and straightforward testimony.
  It is also important to note, after returning home from the war, 
Felix would continue to personally reach out to console the families of 
his men and promise them he would never forget.
  Mr. Speaker, one of the main reasons I bring this bill to the floor 
today is so this promise that Felix Sparks made to the families of his 
men can live on for generations. This bill pays tribute to Felix's men 
in the 157th Infantry Regiment of the 45th Infantry Division of the 
United States Army, whose motto since the Spanish-American War has been 
``Eager for Duty.''
  Our Nation can never adequately repay and give thanks to these 
individuals for their sacrifices in the battles against tyranny, in the 
battles for our Nation's freedom. It is my hope the renaming of the 
Lakewood post office for Felix Sparks will inspire future generations 
to find a calling in public service.
  This bill also pays tribute to Mary Sparks and the Sparks family, who 
meant so much to Felix and to our community.
  In closing, I wish to thank each of my colleagues in the Colorado 
delegation for joining me in bidding a fond farewell to a man who meant 
so much to our State and to our Nation.
  I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 4240 to rename the 
Lakewood post office in Felix Sparks' honor.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume.
  I rise today to honor the memory of a great American, Felix Sparks, 
who recently passed away at the age of 90. Mr. Sparks' commitment to 
our country began in 1940 when he joined the 157th Infantry Regiment of 
the 45th Division. He would go on to fight bravely in World War II, 
earning a Silver Star and two Purple Hearts. During the war, he even 
helped liberate 30,000 people from the infamous Dachau concentration 
camp.
  Upon returning to the States, Felix and his wife, Mary, settled in 
Colorado. Still wanting to continue his service to our country, he then 
joined the National Guard. He would remain active in the Guard until 
1970, when he retired as a brigadier general.
  Besides his exemplary military service record, Mr. Sparks also 
excelled as a civilian. He had a brilliant legal mind. This was 
reflected in his appointment to the supreme court of Colorado at the 
age of 38, making him the youngest justice in the State's history.
  His expertise was water law, which he applied as director of the 
Colorado Water Conservation Board for over two decades.
  Considering his years of selfless public service to his State and to 
his country, I believe it is a fitting tribute to name a post office in 
Colorado in his honor. Hopefully, his life will serve as an example to 
others to follow.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
might consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on Oversight and 
Government Reform, I'm pleased to join my colleagues in the 
consideration of H.R. 4240, which names a postal facility in Lakewood, 
Colorado, after Felix Sparks.
  H.R. 4240, which was introduced by Representative Perlmutter on 
November 15, 2007, was reported from the Oversight Committee on 
December 12, 2007, by voice vote. The measure has the support of the 
entire Colorado congressional delegation and provides us with yet 
another opportunity to pay tribute to an extraordinary American 
citizen.
  Felix Sparks served his country proudly as a World War II Army 
brigadier and served his community diligently as a member of the 
Colorado supreme court. For his service in World War II, Mr. Sparks was 
awarded a Silver Star and two Purple Hearts after being wounded on the 
battlefield.
  Additionally, for over 20 years, Mr. Sparks worked to protect and 
improve the environment in the great State of Colorado by serving as 
director of Colorado's Water Conservation Board.
  Mr. Speaker, given Mr. Sparks' contribution to Colorado, and to 
America in general, he deserves to be commended. Therefore, I would 
urge swift passage of this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

[[Page H462]]

  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Mr. Speaker, I don't have any other speakers, but I 
want to urge all Members to support the passage of H.R. 4240, the 
naming of this post office for this great American hero.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers and 
would urge passage.
  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. 4240.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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