[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 57 (Monday, May 2, 2011)]
[House]
[Pages H2920-H2922]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SPECIALIST MICHEAL E. PHILLIPS POST OFFICE
Mr. LANKFORD. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 1423) to designate the facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 115 4th Avenue Southwest in
[[Page H2921]]
Ardmore, Oklahoma, as the ``Specialist Micheal E. Phillips Post
Office''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1423
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SPECIALIST MICHEAL E. PHILLIPS POST OFFICE.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 115 4th Avenue Southwest in Ardmore,
Oklahoma, shall be known and designated as the ``Specialist
Micheal E. Phillips 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 ``Specialist Micheal E. Phillips Post
Office''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Oklahoma (Mr. Lankford) and the gentlewoman from the District of
Columbia (Ms. Norton) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Oklahoma.
General Leave
Mr. LANKFORD. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their
remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Oklahoma?
There was no objection.
Mr. LANKFORD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1423, introduced by the gentleman from Oklahoma
(Mr. Cole), would designate the facility of the United States Post
Office located at 115 4th Avenue Southwest in Ardmore, Oklahoma, as the
Specialist Micheal E. Phillips Post Office. This bill is cosponsored by
the entire Oklahoma State delegation and was favorably reported without
amendment by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on April
13.
Mr. Speaker, it's altogether fitting and proper that we name this
post office in Ardmore for Army Specialist Phillips to honor a true
American hero and his service to country. At this moment in our war on
terrorism, with the recent death of Osama Bin Laden, this is a moment
to remember those who have been fighting the war on terror for years.
Micheal E. Phillips hailed from Ardmore, Oklahoma, and graduated from
Ardmore High School in 2006. At Ardmore High, Specialist Phillips
excelled in both academics and athletics, playing football, track, and
cross country. He loved history as well as drawing, and was so talented
he was offered admission to the San Francisco Art Institute. Instead,
however, Specialist Phillips felt a calling to serve his country.
His mother recalled that, ``He came home one day and said he wanted
to join the Army, and we got in the car and went down to the recruiting
station.''
With this motivation and inspiration to serve and protect the country
he loved, Specialist Phillips enlisted in the Army in 2006 and was
assigned to the Army's 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd
Brigade Combat Team, 101st Air Division, based in Fort Campbell,
Kentucky.
Tragically, on February 24, 2008, Specialist Phillips was killed when
the vehicle he was riding in was hit by an improvised explosive device
in Baghdad. He was 19 years old, and he left behind his parents, Angela
and Steve, as well as two younger brothers and a younger sister.
As a Representative from Oklahoma, it is an honor to stand before
this body and pay tribute to a fellow Oklahoman who made the ultimate
sacrifice courageously defending our freedom.
I am truly grateful for the service of Specialist Phillips and for
all of those who serve and protect us each and every day. I urge all
Members to join me in strong support of this bill.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1423, a bill to rename
the 4th Avenue post office in Ardmore, Oklahoma, after Army Specialist
Micheal E. Phillips, who died at the young age of 19 while serving our
country in Iraq.
Specialist Phillips was a member of the 101st Airborne Division based
in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He died on February 24, 2008, in Baghdad
from wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised
explosive device.
Specialist Phillips loved history and was a true student athlete who
ran cross country and played football while attending Ardmore High
School. He also excelled at drawing and had been offered admission to
the San Francisco Art Institute.
But Specialist Phillips had other plans. He volunteered to serve his
country before attending college and, by all accounts, was an excellent
soldier, always willing to go the extra mile and constantly trying to
improve himself.
Specialist Phillips made the ultimate sacrifice defending our
freedom. We honor his sacrifice today by naming the Post Office on 4th
Avenue in Ardmore, Oklahoma, the Specialist Micheal E. Phillips Post
Office.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LANKFORD. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from the great State of Oklahoma (Mr. Cole), a distinguished
colleague and friend and the sponsor of this legislation.
Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1423, a bill I
sponsored, to designate the post office in Ardmore, Oklahoma, as the
Specialist Micheal E. Phillips Post Office.
Micheal was driven by a personal sense of duty and honor. He joined
the Army because he recognized injustice and terror in our world and
sought to make a difference. Specialist Micheal Phillips lived out that
sense of duty through military service and made the ultimate sacrifice
to ensure our Nation remained secure and free.
Mr. Speaker, Micheal turned down an opportunity to attend the San
Francisco Art Institute to volunteer for the United States Army. When
asked why he wanted to join the Army, Micheal simply stated, ``I want a
career and we are at war.'' Specialist Phillips saw terrorists as
thugs, often referring to them as the ``ultimate bullies in the
world.'' A fervent student of history, Micheal knew that his service
would be against a tough and formidable enemy, still he
enthusiastically embraced what he believed was the right decision and
enlisted in the United States Army.
Mr. Speaker, Micheal Phillips was only 17 years of age when he joined
the military via the delayed entry program. He left for boot camp on
June 24, 2006. Upon finishing advanced infantry training, Micheal was
assigned to Bravo Company 1 of the 502nd Strike Brigade of the 101st
Airborne Division, one of the most storied divisions in the United
States Army. On October 13, 2007, Micheal and his brothers in arms were
deployed to Iraq for combat operations.
Micheal's enthusiasm for his work inspired members of his platoon. In
addition to his enthusiasm, Specialist Phillips also endeavored to
foster real camaraderie amongst his fellow soldiers. Even in the middle
of a war, it was said that Micheal made bad times good and good times
better. Micheal's team leader, Sergeant Matthew Whalen praised his
abilities in terrain association, map reading, and his tremendous
bravery in combat. Sergeant Whalen reflected on Specialist Phillips'
leadership skills, noting, ``I know that soldiers that did serve with
him have taken away with them, as I have, the undoubted and unmistaken
values that he always possessed and always portrayed.''
Mr. Speaker, Specialist Micheal E. Phillips was killed in action on
February 24, 2008, in Shula, Iraq, just outside of Baghdad. An
explosively formed penetrator, a so-called EFP, hit the driver's side
of the door on the vehicle that he was driving. Despite the severity of
his injuries, he continued to smile and reassure those taking care of
him. Even in the most grim and serious times, Micheal still fought and
lifted up those around him.
{time} 1810
For his service, Specialist Micheal Phillips was awarded a Bronze
Star. He was also designated as a Distinguished Member of the 502nd
Infantry Regiment. The Distinguished Member award is for those who
display honorable service, loyalty on active duty in peace or war.
These are qualities Micheal Phillips lived with each and every day of
his service career.
[[Page H2922]]
Mr. Speaker, Micheal always gave more than his share back to his
community. When he did have time away from his duty, he would often
visit his high school to speak with students and encourage them to
pursue their goals.
Never without a smile, Micheal fought for his country, his community,
and his family with valor and with honor. He wanted others in the world
to have the freedoms and opportunities that we enjoy here in the United
States, and he risked his life to achieve that end.
Like many who have made the ultimate sacrifice, Specialist Micheal
Phillips leaves behind loved ones, friends, and comrades in arms who
treasure his memory and honor his service. Micheal is survived by his
parents, Steven and Angelia Phillips; his brothers, David and Anthony;
and his sister, Barbara--all of Ardmore, Oklahoma. He also leaves
behind a Nation and a community that will never forget his courage, his
sacrifice, and his devotion to duty.
Mr. Speaker, I urge the passage of this legislation.
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I note that we are honoring Specialist
Phillips the day after we learned that the Nation has met its
commitment to kill or capture Osama bin Laden. We could not have known
when this bill was placed on the calendar that it would come at a time
like this when we honor men and women who have served in Iraq or
Afghanistan. We cannot help but be grateful for their service,
especially today.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. LANKFORD. Mr. Speaker, this weekend I spoke with Specialist
Micheal Phillips' mom. She reminded me that Micheal was the first
student in 10 years to sign up for the Army from Ardmore High School.
He was recognized as the Distinguished Member of the Regiment because
of his capacity to keep up morale among his peers.
I would like to leave the House with two quotes from Specialist
Phillips. The first comes from a letter that Specialist Phillips sent
to the assistant principal at Ardmore High School. Phillips wrote, ``I
am doing this for my family, for you, for everyone, for America, to
protect it from the bad guys.''
The second, as recalled by his mother: ``He said terrorism was like a
virus. It had to be stopped. It had to be contained.''
Mr. Speaker, in light of yesterday's events in Pakistan with the
death of Osama bin Laden, these words, both spoken and written by
Specialist Phillips, couldn't be more timing or fitting. This young
man's passion was to protect this country from the bad guys, the
terrorists who then and now want to do us harm.
Specialist Phillips ended up making the ultimate sacrifice, combating
terrorism, protecting the country that he loved. For that, Mr. Speaker,
I am eternally grateful and so is his Nation.
The soldiers who carried out the operation yesterday, as well as the
members of our intelligence community who have spent nearly 10 years
hunting down the mastermind behind 9/11, are much like Specialist
Phillips, brave and courageous individuals who sacrifice so much and
risk it all, keeping us safe and preventing the bad guys from harming
more innocent people.
I have the utmost respect for each and every person in our Armed
Forces and intelligence community, and I would like to express my
sincere gratitude for what they do and have done. They truly make me
proud to be an American.
Again, I urge Members to join me in support of H.R. 1423.
I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lankford) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 1423.
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. LANKFORD. 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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