[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 65 (Wednesday, April 23, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H2568-H2569]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MARINE GUNNERY SGT. JOHN D. FRY POST OFFICE BUILDING
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 3721) to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 1190 Lorena Road in Lorena, Texas, as
the ``Marine Gunnery Sgt. John D. Fry Post Office Building''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3721
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. MARINE GUNNERY SGT. JOHN D. FRY POST OFFICE
BUILDING.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 1190 Lorena Road in Lorena, Texas, shall
be known and designated as the ``Marine Gunnery Sgt. John D.
Fry 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 ``Marine Gunnery Sgt. John D. Fry Post
Office Building''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Davis) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Davis) 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 dates 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
might consume.
Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on Oversight and
Government Reform, I join with Representative Chet Edwards and his
fellow colleagues from the State of Texas in considering H.R. 3721,
which renames the postal facility in Lorena, Texas, after Marine
Gunnery Sergeant John D. Fry.
As stated, the measure at hand was first introduced by Congressman
Chet Edwards on October 2, 2007, and is cosponsored by all members of
the Texas congressional delegation. The measure was referred to the
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, where it was passed by
voice vote on December 12, 2007.
H.R. 3721 would help to remember the life, service and legacy of
Marine Gunnery Sergeant John D. Fry by renaming the Lorena Post Office
on Lorena Road in his honor. Assigned to the 8th Engineer Support
Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group from Camp Lejeune, North
Carolina, Marine Gunnery Sergeant Fry was working to disarm an
improvised explosive device in the Anbar Province of Iraq when he was
killed at the young age of 28.
A graduate of Waco Christian Academy, Sergeant Fry will always be
remembered by his family, friends, fellow marines, and, of course, by
his country, for his bravery and unselfish service in Iraq.
Mr. Speaker, I ask that we pay tribute to the sacrifice made by this
great American hero and pass H.R. 3721.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Marine Gunnery Sergeant John D. Fry was a proud and loyal American
who served his country in fighting the war on terror. He made the
ultimate sacrifice defending freedom when he lost his life on March 8,
2006, in Iraq.
Only 7 days before returning home to his family, Sergeant Fry
volunteered for a mission to defuse bombs along a road in Al Anbar.
After successfully defusing three bombs, a fourth, hidden under the
third bomb, exploded, ultimately resulting in his death. Sergeant Fry
was aware of this incredibly risky procedure, but with his dedication
to making a difference in life, he felt it was his duty to undertake
this mission.
He was remarkably generous and had a passion for helping others in
Iraq, not just fellow marines, but Iraqi citizens as well. Throughout
his deployment overseas he disarmed 73 explosives, including one of the
biggest car bombs in Fallujah, and saved the life of an Iraqi boy who
had been beaten and chained to the wall with explosives strapped to his
chest. In this and many other instances, Sergeant Fry proved that he
truly could make a difference.
Not only was Sergeant Fry a hero to his country, but he was a
husband, a father and a son. He was proud to serve his Nation, and with
gratitude and bravery for his sacrifice, I ask all Members to support
H.R. 3721.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure now to yield
such time as he may consume to the sponsor of this resolution, the
distinguished gentleman from Texas, Representative Chet Edwards.
Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. Speaker, I want to begin by thanking Mr. Davis of
Illinois and Mr. Davis of Virginia for their very eloquent comments in
respect to a great American who gave his all for the American family.
I rise today in support of H.R. 3721, which salutes the service and
sacrifice of Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry by naming a Post
Office in my district in Lorena, Texas, in his honor.
For generations to come, Mr. Speaker, citizens in his hometown of
Lorena will be reminded that Sergeant Fry gave, in the words of
Lincoln, his ``last full measure of devotion'' to country. In doing so,
Sergeant Fry joined the heroes who, throughout our Nation's history,
have given their lives to our country.
John David Fry was born in Lorena, Texas, in 1977. He joined the
Marines in 1995 and became an explosive ordnance disposal technician,
EOD. As an EOD, he was stationed in Japan from 2002 to 2005 and was
deployed to Iraq in September of 2005 with the 8th Engineer Support
Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force
out of Camp Lejeune.
While in Iraq, Sergeant Fry saved countless lives by rendering safe
hundreds of bombs, including one of the largest car bombs found in
Fallujah. He once went into a home, as Mr. Davis of Virginia mentioned,
to find a bomb strapped to a mentally retarded young Iraqi boy who had
been beaten and chained to a wall. Sergeant Fry disarmed the bomb and
saved that child's life.
Sergeant Fry turned down a Bronze Star and a ticket out of Iraq after
a serious wound. Why did this great American do it? He said because he
just wanted to do what he was supposed to do. He was proud to be a
marine and proud to be serving his country.
{time} 1145
Mr. Speaker, sometimes I wonder where we Americans find such
magnificent citizens with such spirit and soul.
Seven short days before this 28-year-old marine with a wife and young
children was to be sent back home, he volunteered, he volunteered when
he didn't have to, to defuse one more explosive device, this time in Al
Anbar province. Sergeant Fry found three bombs that night and defused
all of them. But the insurgents had hidden a fourth bomb under that
third bomb. It blew up and killed him. This brave Marine, who had saved
hundreds of lives, finally gave his own life.
He leaves behind his mother, Beth, his wife Malia, and their three
young children, Kathryn, Gideon, and C.L. As the father of two young
sons, Mr. Speaker, I would like to say to the Sergeant Fry children
that when my two young sons, who are now 10 and 12, grow up some day,
if they had a right to be one-tenth of proud as me as these
[[Page H2569]]
children have a right to be proud of their father, this great American,
I would consider my life a success.
Sergeant Fry earned the Purple Heart and many other decorations for
his outstanding military service. With full military honors, he was
buried at Rosemound Cemetery in Waco, Texas, on March 23, 2006. I want
to thank President Bush for coming to the Veterans Day ceremony this
past year in Waco, Texas, to honor the Fry family.
While Sergeant Fry's final resting place may be in a cemetery in
Waco, I have faith that his spirit will touch the lives of others who
will be inspired by this young man's devotion to country.
John David Fry is an American hero who gave his life defending our
country in Iraq. We humbly recognize that we can never fully repay this
citizen or his family for their deep loss, but I hope and pray that
honoring him in this way here in Congress and at the post office back
in his hometown of Lorena will celebrate his dedicated service and
always preserve his memory.
Mr. Speaker, with honor and respect to the life of John David Fry, I
urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3721.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I commend Representative Edwards
for the introduction of this resolution and for his eloquent,
passionate statement. I am pleased to join with him in urging 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. 3721.
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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