[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 152 (Tuesday, October 20, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H11469-H11470]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1430
      ARMY SPECIALIST JEREMIAH PAUL McCLEERY POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 3319) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 440 South Gulling Street in Portola, California, as 
the ``Army Specialist Jeremiah Paul McCleery Post Office Building''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3319

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

     SECTION 1. ARMY SPECIALIST JEREMIAH PAUL MCCLEERY POST OFFICE 
                   BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 440 South Gulling Street in Portola, 
     California, shall be known and designated as the ``Army 
     Specialist Jeremiah Paul McCleery 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 ``Army Specialist Jeremiah Paul McCleery 
     Post Office Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch) and the gentleman from California (Mr. 
McClintock) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Massachusetts.


                             General Leave

  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Massachusetts?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I now yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as chairman of the House subcommittee with jurisdiction 
over the United States Postal Service, I am very proud this afternoon 
to present H.R. 3319 for consideration. This measure, if passed, will 
designate the postal facility located at 440 South Gulling Street in 
Portola, California, as the ``Army Specialist Jeremiah Paul McCleery 
Post Office Building.''
  Introduced by my colleague and friend Representative Tom McClintock 
of California on June 23, 2009, and favorably reported out of the 
Oversight and Government Reform Committee on September 10, 2009, by 
unanimous consent, H.R. 3319 enjoys the support of the entire 
California House delegation.
  A native of Portola, California, Army Specialist Jeremiah McCleery 
proudly served in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom with the United 
States Army's 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat 
Team, 1st Calvary Division out of Fort Hood, Texas. Regrettably, 
Specialist McCleery and his friend and fellow Californian, Army 
Specialist Jake Velloza, died on May 2 from wounds sustained after 
those two soldiers were shot by enemy forces in Mosul, Iraq. Specialist 
McCleery was just 24 years old at the time of his death.
  Specialist McCleery's heroic commitment to the United States military 
began at the age of 4 after his father, Joe McCleery, took his young 
son to Twentynine Palms, California, to watch the homecoming of a unit 
of United States Marines returning from the 1991 Persian Gulf War. The 
opportunity to witness the triumphant return of those brave American 
soldiers prompted Specialist McCleery's lifelong desire to serve his 
country.
  Even as a young boy, Specialist McCleery was passionate about 
becoming a member of America's military. As a child, he spent hours in 
his backyard playing the role of soldier, and soon enough he joined the 
Boy Scouts of America and subsequently the Civil Air Patrol.
  While he intended to enlist in the United States Army following his 
graduation from Portola High School in 2004, Specialist McCleery 
delayed his enlistment after his beloved mother, Mrs. Collette 
McCleery, was diagnosed with cancer during his senior year. Specialist 
McCleery decided to stay with his family during his mother's battle 
with cancer, and only went on with his life's desire of enlisting in 
the military after his mother passed away in 2005. So, in addition to 
his dedication to the United States Army, Specialist McCleery will be 
equally remembered for his steadfast devotion to his family, especially 
his father, Joe, and his sister, Chastity.
  Specialist McCleery enjoyed the outdoors, and specifically loved 
hunting, riding four-wheelers, and sport shooting with his friends, but 
without a doubt his favorite outdoor pastime was always fishing with 
his dad. Although he is no longer with us, Specialist McCleery's memory 
will live on with his friends and family and all those who were 
fortunate enough to know this great young American.
  Mr. Speaker, Army Specialist Jeremiah McCleery's life stands as a 
shining example of the bravery and dedication of the heroic men and 
women who serve our great Nation at home and abroad. I urge all my 
colleagues to join me in honoring this fine American soldier by 
designating the postal facility at 440 South Gulling Street in Portola, 
California, in his memory.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

[[Page H11470]]

  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I want to thank my colleague from Massachusetts for his tribute to 
Army Specialist Jeremiah Paul McCleery and to urge support of H.R. 3319 
that names the United States Post Office in Portola in his memory. Miah 
McCleery grew up in that town, and to that town he returned as a fallen 
hero at the age of 24.
  Let me tell you a little bit more about him. His best friend was his 
father, Joe. A high school friend, Josh Rogers, was asked when Jeremiah 
was the happiest. Josh replied, He was happiest whenever he was doing 
anything with his dad.
  As my friend from Massachusetts said, when Jeremiah was 4 years old, 
his dad took him out to see the returning American soldiers from the 
first Gulf War; as Shakespeare said, ``This story shall the good man 
teach his son.'' It was from that moment in 1991 that Jeremiah wanted, 
more than anything, to serve his country.
  Joe and Collette moved their family to the little town of Portola in 
1996, where they built their home themselves as a family. It was in 
Portola where Miah McCleery grew up.
  If you want a sense of the character of this young man, just spend a 
few minutes with those who knew him. His older sister, Lynette 
Flanagan, tells of how Miah would take on much older boys at school--
not in his own defense, but in the defense of others. She said, ``He 
once got sent to the principal's office for getting into a fight. When 
my mother arrived at school, Jeremiah was not sorry for his actions. He 
explained with pride that he had stood up to a bully who had slapped a 
little girl. Jeremiah was never afraid to stand up for what he believed 
in, even if that would get him into trouble. It didn't matter if the 
bully was twice his size, he wouldn't back down.''

  Jeremiah was a Boy Scout, he joined the Civil Air Patrol, and he 
planned to enlist in the Army as soon as he graduated from Portola High 
School in 2004, but that year his mother, Collette, was diagnosed with 
cancer and he stayed there with his family until she died. In 2007, he 
finally enlisted. When his sister, Chastity, begged him not to go, he 
said that he felt that by going into the military he was protecting his 
family.
  By all accounts, he was an exemplary soldier who commanded the 
friendship and respect of his colleagues. While at Fort Hood, he became 
close friends with another Californian, Jake Velloza, and they shipped 
out to Iraq together. Before that, he had fallen in love with Amanda 
Harazin while stationed at Fort Hood. Amanda is known as ``A-J'' to her 
friends, but Jeremiah called her the ``love of his life.'' They were to 
have been married on May 30, but on May 2, outside of Mosul, Iraq, at a 
combat outpost in Hammam Alil, American soldiers were attacked by two 
gunmen wearing Iraqi police uniforms. Two U.S. soldiers--Jeremiah 
McCleery and his best friend, Jake Velloza--were killed in that attack 
and three others were wounded. So on May 14, the day before he was 
supposed to return to a happy homecoming and an impending marriage, 
Jeremiah McCleery returned to his hometown to be buried beside his 
mother in Portola.
  The local paper described his return with these words, which speak 
volumes about the community which helped to mold this American hero. 
They reported, ``Across the Sierra Valley people lined the highway, 
some with their hands over their hearts as a mark of respect. In 
Portola, streets were lined with flag-waving citizens. Shopowners left 
their stores to join in, temporarily suspending business as usual.''
  Mr. Speaker, I wanted to share a little of what I have learned about 
Jeremiah McCleery because it helps to answer the question that James 
Michener first asked, ``Where do we get such men?'' Well, we get them 
from the heart and soul of America. We get them from good and decent 
families like the McCleerys. We get them from little towns like 
Portola, California.
  Over the summer, I had the honor to visit the men and women who guard 
the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. The 
painstaking care and the meticulous precision with which these young 
men and women discharge their duties in withering heat and in freezing 
cold 24 hours a day, 365 days a year is legendary. I asked them why 
they did it, and one of them told me, ``We do it to tell our country 
that we will never forget.''
  For that reason, I bring this bill to the House today with the 
unanimous support of the Portola City Council, the entire California 
congressional delegation, and the entire community that watched 
Jeremiah McCleery grow from a boy to a man and, ultimately, to return 
as a hero. We ask that the Congress name the local post office in honor 
of Army Specialist Jeremiah Paul McCleery to tell our countrymen that 
we will never forget, and also to express our awe and our gratitude 
that humanity has, within itself, a small band of brothers like 
Jeremiah McCleery who step forward not for treasure or profit or even 
to defend their own freedom, but, rather, to win the freedom of a 
people half a world away. And they do it because their country asks 
them to and because it is virtuous and noble.
  We owe these men and their grieving families a debt that we can never 
repay, except to honor their memory and to keep their sacrifice always 
in mind, those who gave up everything to proclaim liberty throughout 
all the land and unto all the inhabitants thereof.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, again, I encourage our friends on both sides 
of the aisle to join with Mr. McClintock in honoring Army Specialist 
Jeremiah McCleery through the passage of H.R. 3319.
  Mr. HELLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my heartfelt support 
for H.R. 3319 which will designate the facility of the United States 
Postal Service located at 440 South Gulling Street in Portola, 
California, as the ``Army Specialist Jeremiah Paul McCleery Post Office 
Building.''
  Jeremiah McCleery was born in Glendora, California, to parents 
Colette and Joe McCleery on April 5, 1985. Jeremiah grew up in a very 
close family and was well known for telling jokes and seeing the humor 
in life. He enjoyed the outdoors and spent a great deal of time 
fishing, camping, working on his truck, and sport shooting.
  Jeremiah wanted to join the Army since he was 4 years old when his 
father took him to watch the triumphant return of U.S. soldiers from 
the 1991 Persian Gulf War. The outpouring that greeted American forces 
during that homecoming made a lasting impression on the young Jeremiah 
and set him on a path to serve his country. Since that day, he was a 
Boy Scout and joined the Civil Air Patrol. Later Jeremiah enlisted in 
the Army on June 2007. Jeremiah was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th 
Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division at Ft. 
Hood, Texas, and was deployed to Iraq. Tragically, on May 2, 2009, 
Jeremiah was shot and killed at a combat outpost in Hammam Alil, Iraq, 
north of Baghdad. Spc. Jeremiah McCleery gave his life while defending 
his country in Iraq.
  My family and I extended our heartfelt sympathy and condolences to 
Jeremiah's father who lives in Sparks, Nevada, who has suffered this 
deep loss. We are committed to providing full support for their needs. 
I also remain dedicated to fulfilling all of America's promises to 
those who faithfully serve our nation and to their families. Therefore, 
I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 3319, which will honor 
Specialist Jeremiah Paul McCleery for his sacrifice.
  Mr. LYNCH. 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 Massachusetts (Mr. Lynch) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3319.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. LYNCH. 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 motion will be 
postponed.

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