[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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