[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 127 (Tuesday, July 29, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H7222-H7224]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 CORPORAL ALFRED MAC WILSON POST OFFICE

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 6437) to designate the facility of the United 
States Postal Service located at 200 North Texas Avenue in Odessa, 
Texas, as the ``Corporal Alfred Mac Wilson Post Office''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 6437

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

     SECTION 1. CORPORAL ALFRED MAC WILSON POST OFFICE.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 200 North Texas Avenue in Odessa, Texas, 
     shall be known and designated as the ``Corporal Alfred Mac 
     Wilson Post Office''.
       (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 ``Corporal Alfred Mac Wilson Post 
     Office''.

  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.
  Mr. Speaker, as a Member of the House Committee on Oversight and 
Government Reform, I am pleased to join my colleagues in consideration 
of H.R. 6437, which names the postal facility in Odessa, Texas, after a 
fallen hero, Corporal Alfred ``Mac'' Wilson.
  Our colleague, Representative Mike Conaway of Texas's 11th 
Congressional District, introduced H.R. 6437 on July 8. The bill is 
cosponsored by the entire Texas congressional delegation. H.R. 6437 was 
reported from the Oversight Committee on July 16, 2008, by a voice 
vote.
  Born in 1948 in Olney, Illinois, Alfred ``Mac'' Wilson moved to 
Odessa, Texas, with his family in 1950. After graduating from Odessa 
Senior High School in 1967, he enlisted with the United States Marine 
Corps Reserve. In 1968, Mr. Wilson joined the regular Marine Corps, 
where he went through recruit training and obtained the rank of Private 
First Class. After his training was completed, he was deployed to the 
Republic of Vietnam in July, 1968, and his assigned duty was a 
rifleman.
  On March 3, 1969, while serving with M Company, 3rd Battalion, 9th 
Marines, 3rd Marine Division, Private First Class Wilson heroically and 
unhesitatingly threw himself onto an enemy grenade, absorbing the full 
force of the explosion and saving his fellow marines. It was for this 
conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his own life above 
and beyond the call of duty that Alfred ``Mac'' Wilson was posthumously 
awarded the Medal of Honor on April 20, 1970.
  Corporal Wilson was extraordinarily dedicated to this Nation, earning 
numerous other accolades, including the

[[Page H7223]]

Purple Heart with a Gold Star, the Marine Corps Combat Action Ribbon, 
and the Presidential Unit Citation. In honor of his noble sacrifice, 
Mr. Speaker, let us pay tribute to the life of Corporal Wilson and pass 
H.R. 6437, which designates the North Texas Avenue post office in 
Odessa, Texas, after this outstanding American soldier.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to my 
distinguished colleague and my classmate from the State of Texas (Mr. 
Conaway).
  Mr. CONAWAY. Thank you, Ms. Foxx, for the ability to speak on behalf 
of Corporal Wilson.
  Mr. Speaker, I stand here today again to ask the Members of this body 
to honor the life and memory of one of America's fallen heroes. Marine 
Corporal Alfred ``Mac'' Wilson of Odessa, Texas, served during the 
Vietnam War and gave his life so that his brothers might live.
  For his extraordinary and selfless acts of bravery, Mac, as his 
friends and family called him, was posthumously awarded our Nation's 
highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. Mac died on May 3, 1969, but 
his legacy endures to this day. His fellow Odessans have asked that we 
commemorate his sacrifice by designating a post office in his honor. In 
this way, Mac and his story will always remain a part of the community 
that he loved. As a fellow Odessan, it is my great honor to play a 
small part in these efforts.
  Mac was born in Olney, Illinois, on January 13, 1948, to Edna and 
Fred Wilson. The family moved to Odessa, Texas, where Mac attended 
Odessa High School, where he ran track and played football before he 
graduated in 1967.
  Mac enlisted in the Marine Corps in Abilene, Texas, in the fall of 
1967, on the ``buddy plan'' with his high school friends Johnny Wright, 
Tom Chapman, and Jimmy Whisenhunt. After completing recruit training at 
San Diego, and Camp Pendleton, California, then Private First Class 
Wilson deployed to Vietnam on July 21, 1968, as an infantry rifleman 
with Company M, 3rd Battalion, 9th Marines, 3rd Marine Division.
  I imagine that March 3, 1969, unfolded like most every other day in 
Vietnam. There were posts to stand, missions to undertake, supplies to 
deliver, and jungles to march through. For Mac, I am certain that 
earning the Medal of Honor was the furthest thought from his mind as 
his platoon embarked on that day's reconnaissance mission. Yet, his 
heroics turned the rout of his platoon by North Vietnamese forces into 
a victory. His uncommon valor saved the life of his fellow marines; and 
for those men, March 3, 1969, turned out to be a dramatically different 
day than it otherwise could have been.
  Mac's Medal of Honor citation details his dramatic and selfless 
actions, and I'd like to read those into the Record. On March 3, 1969, 
while returning from a reconnaissance-in-force mission in the vicinity 
of Fire Support Base Cunningham in Quang Tri Province, the 1st Platoon 
of Company M came under intense automatic weapons fire and grenade 
attack from a well-concealed North Vietnamese force, pinning down the 
entire center column of the platoon.
  Rapidly assessing the situation, Private First Class Wilson, acting 
as Squad Leader, skillfully maneuvered his squad to form a base of fire 
and act as a blocking point while the point squad moved to outflank the 
enemy. During the ensuing fire fight, both his machine gunner and 
assistant machine gunner were seriously wounded and unable to operate 
their weapon.
  Realizing the importance of recovering the M-60 machine gun and 
maintaining a heavy volume of fire against the hostile force, Private 
First Class Wilson, with complete disregard for his own safety, 
followed by another marine, fearlessly dashed across the fire-swept 
terrain to recover the weapon.
  As they reached the machine gun, a North Vietnamese soldier threw a 
grenade at the marines. Reacting instantly, Private First Class Wilson 
fired a burst from his M-16 rifle, killing the enemy soldier. Observing 
the grenade fall between himself and the other marine, First Class 
Wilson, fully realizing the inevitable result of his actions, shouted 
to his companion and unhesitatingly threw himself on the grenade, 
absorbing the full force of the explosion with his own body.
  His heroic actions inspired his platoon members to maximum effort as 
they aggressively attacked and defeated the enemy. Private First Class 
Wilson's indomitable courage, inspiring valor, and selfless devotion to 
duty upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United 
States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
  Mac was escorted home by Sergeant Jerry Pruitt, United States Marine 
Corps, of Odessa, Texas. He is buried in Sunset Memorial Gardens in 
Odessa, Texas, not far from another Medal of Honor recipient, Army 
Staff Sergeant Marvin ``Rex'' Young.
  The Medal of Honor was presented to his family by Vice President 
Spiro T. Agnew on April 20, 1970, at the White House. Mac is survived 
by his sister, Sue Wilson, and by her children, Lloyd Whitehead, Vickie 
Whitehead, Debbie Frasier, Angie Aleman, Robert Wilson Aleman; and 
Mac's aunt and uncle, Warren Kininmonth and Kay Kininmonth. Mac's mom, 
Edna O'Neal Wilson, died 3 months after his death, and his father, Fred 
Wilson, died in 1969.
  Soon after his death, Mac was posthumously promoted to the rank of 
Corporal to recognize the exceptional potential that he possessed. In 
addition to the Medal of Honor, Mac earned numerous other awards and 
decorations: a Purple Heart with Gold Star, the Marine Corps Combat 
Action Ribbon, a Presidential Unit Citation, an Army Presidential Unit 
Citation, a Navy Unit Commendation, Meritorious Unit Commendation, the 
National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnam 
Merit Medal, the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm, and the Vietnam 
Meritorious Unit Citation ribbon bar, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, and a 
Rifle Sharpshooter Badge.
  The great British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli once said that, 
``The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the 
inheritance of a great example.'' With this legislation, the people of 
Odessa will always remember the legacy of Alfred Mac Wilson and his 
noble and heroic efforts without hesitation to serve his country and 
defend the lives of the men he served with.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I would continue to reserve.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Conaway and Mr. Davis, my colleagues, have spoken very 
eloquently about the bravery and sacrifice of Corporal Wilson, so I 
will submit my remarks for the Record, but I urge all Members to 
support the passage of H.R. 6437.
  Mr. Speaker, today I am here to recognize the bravery of Corporal 
Alfred ``Mac'' Wilson for his heroism in Vietnam by naming the Post 
Office located at 200 North Texas Avenue in Odessa, Texas in his honor.
  Shortly after Corporal Wilson's birth on January 13, 1948, he and his 
family moved from Olney, Illinois to Odessa, Texas. At Odessa Senior 
High, he was very involved in athletics and was on the football and 
track teams. A well rounded young man, he also enjoyed shooting, 
hunting, fishing, and tennis.
  After graduating from high school and demonstrating a sense of 
patriotism and duty to country, Corporal Wilson first joined the Marine 
Corps Reserve and subsequently, enlisted in the Regular Marine Corps. 
Upon acceptance into the Corps, Corporal Wilson reported to duty in 
Abilene, Texas with three friends under the Buddy Plan, which placed 
friends in the same training platoon. Corporal Wilson and his buddies 
then underwent their recruit training in California. On July 21, 1968, 
he was deployed as a Private First Class to Vietnam.
  In Vietnam, while returning from a reconnaissance mission on March 3, 
1969, he and his squad were attacked by a concealed enemy force. While 
facing fire to retrieve a machine gun from an injured gunner, an enemy 
grenade was thrown between Corporal Wilson and a fellow Marine. At that 
moment, Corporal Wilson signaled a warning to his comrade and bravely 
proceeded to throw himself on the grenade, thus sacrificing his own 
life. His sacrifice ultimately enabled his unit to continue the fight 
and successfully defeat the enemy.
  Corporal Wilson's courage under fire was recognized posthumously when 
he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in addition to his 
posthumous promotion to Corporal. Corporal Wilson's devastated family 
proudly accepted the Medal of Honor presented by Vice President Spiro 
T. Agnew on April 20, 1970 at a White House ceremony.

[[Page H7224]]

  We can never show adequate appreciation in honoring the brave men and 
women who give their lives in service to our country. However, naming 
the post office in his honor is a fitting and meaningful tribute to a 
proud Marine who served selflessly on behalf of his town and nation.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this 
legislation, and 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. 6437.
  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, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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