[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 173 (Monday, November 14, 2011)]
[House]
[Pages H7409-H7411]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PRIVATE FIRST CLASS ALEJANDRO R. RUIZ POST OFFICE BUILDING
Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass
the bill (H.R. 3004) to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 260 California Drive in Yountville,
California, as the ``Private First Class Alejandro R. Ruiz Post Office
Building''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3004
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. PRIVATE FIRST CLASS ALEJANDRO R. RUIZ POST OFFICE
BUILDING.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 260 California Drive in Yountville,
California, shall be known and designated as the ``Private
First Class Alejandro R. Ruiz 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 ``Private First Class Alejandro R. Ruiz
Post Office Building''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Farenthold) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings)
each will control 20 minutes.
[[Page H7410]]
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
General Leave
Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend
their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
H.R. 3004, introduced by the gentleman from California (Mr.
Thompson), would designate the facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 260 California Drive in Yountville, California, as
the Private First Class Alejandro R. Ruiz Post Office Building. This
bill is cosponsored by the entire California State delegation and was
reported by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on
November 3.
Madam Speaker, it is altogether fitting and proper that we name this
post office in honor of Private First Class Ruiz. Born on April 26,
1924, in Loving, New Mexico, PFC Ruiz enlisted in the Army during World
War II and was deployed to the island of Okinawa in 1945. On April 28,
1945, PFC Ruiz and his platoon were ambushed by Japanese soldiers
hiding in fortified bunkers. Under a hail of machine gun fire, with
enemy grenades being lobbed from every direction, PFC Ruiz single-
handedly killed 12 Japanese soldiers and completely destroyed the enemy
machine gun nest.
In the face of overwhelming odds, PFC Ruiz acted with the utmost
courage, risking his own life to save the lives of many of his fellow
soldiers. While he was shot in the leg during the battle, PFC Ruiz and
his squad leader were the only two men to escape death or serious
injury that day. For his bravery and valor, Private First Class Ruiz
was presented with the Medal of Honor by President Truman in June of
1946. He went on to continue his service in the Army, fighting in the
Korean War and retired a master sergeant in the mid-1960s.
Sadly, Madam Speaker, on November 23, 2009, Private First Class Ruiz
died of congestive heart failure at a hospital in Napa, California, at
85 years of age. I am truly grateful for the service of Private First
Class Ruiz and all the men and women who put their lives on the line to
protect and defend our country each day. I urge all Members to join me
in strong support of this bill.
With that, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I am pleased to join my colleagues in supporting H.R. 3004, which
designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at
260 California Drive in Yountville, California, as the Private First
Class Alejandro R. Ruiz Post Office Building.
This measure was introduced on September 21, 2011, by our colleague
from California, Representative Mike Thompson, and has been cosponsored
by all members of the California delegation. H.R. 3004 was favorably
reported out of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on
November 3, 2011.
Alejandro R. Ruiz served his country valiantly for nearly 20 years,
reaching the rank of master sergeant by the time of his retirement.
{time} 1650
Born in New Mexico, Mr. Ruiz served our Nation with exceptional
courage and valor. During service in World War II, his unit, the 27th
Infantry Division of the 165th Infantry, was ambushed by Japanese
troops sheltered in a camouflaged pillbox on Okinawa. Private First
Class Ruiz grabbed an automatic rifle and charged forward through a
storm of bullets and grenades. As an enemy soldier rushed toward him,
his weapon jammed. After clubbing the enemy with the butt of his rifle,
Private First Class Ruiz grabbed a different rifle, charged the pillbox
and killed 12 enemy soldiers stationed inside. He was awarded the
Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions.
Mr. Ruiz died on November 23, 2009, of heart failure in Yountville,
California. He was 85 years old.
I ask that we pass H.R. 3004 to honor Alejandro Ruiz' heroic actions
in defense of our Nation as well as the long and productive life he
lived thereafter.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time,
so I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CUMMINGS. I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California and
sponsor of the bill, Congressman Mike Thompson.
Mr. THOMPSON of California. I thank the gentleman from Texas for
bringing this bill to the floor. I also thank the ranking member for
his good work on this and for yielding me time to speak on this.
This is very near and dear to me. The California Veterans Home in
Yountville, California, is in the heart of my district and my home
county. I've known it my entire life, and it's been home to many brave
men and women who have served courageously in our military. These are
heroes and heroines who put their lives on the line for everything that
we as Americans believe in and everything that we enjoy today.
There is a post office on that facility that provides mail service
for 1,100 heroes and heroines at the California Veterans Home. These
guys get their mail there every day. It saves them from having to make
an impossible trek to the closest town. If they were forced to do that,
it would put them again in harm's way because it is a very dangerous
route to travel; and in their advanced age, it makes no sense for them
to have to do that. So this is a very, very important facility.
And here just recently, a very distinguished hero at the California
Veterans Home, Alejandro Ruiz, passed away. The reason we want to name
the post office after Alejandro Ruiz is because he earned a
Congressional Medal of Honor. Now, it has already been noted on the
floor the heroic activities of the day in question, but here's a man
who, without any concern for his own safety, charged an enemy pillbox
filled with enemy combatants, avoiding rifle fire, avoiding grenades,
and took this responsibility on to save his comrades who were there
fighting with him.
When his weapon became disabled, he returned, got another weapon,
more ammunition, and again charged this pillbox. On the second attempt,
he was able to reach the pillbox, get on top of it, and dispatch all
those who were trying to kill his comrades. Had it not been for his
activities, many Americans would have lost their lives that day, and
the advancement of the American troops would have been stopped.
This man is a true hero, and that is probably redundant given he has
received the Congressional Medal of Honor, and I think it is the
appropriate tribute to name this postal facility after Alejandro Ruiz.
Mr. CUMMINGS. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. FARENTHOLD. Madam Speaker, I urge all Members to support the
passage of this bill, H.R. 3004, and I yield back the balance of my
time.
Mr. BACA. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of H.R. 3004, to
designate a United States Post Office in Yountville, California as the
``Private First Class Alejandro R. Ruiz Post Office Building.''
Pfc. Ruiz was a former United States Army soldier who served our
nation honorably between 1944 to 1964.
He received the Medal of Honor on June 26, 1946 for his actions in
the Battle of Okinawa in the Ryukyu Islands during World War II.
President Harry S. Truman presented Pfc. Ruiz with the highest
military decoration the United States has to offer.
Pfc. Ruiz's unit was stopped by a camouflaged enemy pillbox where
these soldiers encountered machinegun fire and grenade attacks.
Pfc. Ruiz was able to destroy the pillbox under heavy fire and save
the lives of many comrades.
He faced overwhelming odds and not only served his unit bravely, but
also served his country admirably.
As a Member of Congress, and a veteran, I am proud to stand here
before you because of the efforts of Pfc. Ruiz, and soldiers like him.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Farenthold) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 3004.
[[Page H7411]]
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. CUMMINGS. Madam 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, further
proceedings on this question will be postponed.
The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.
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