[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 140 (Monday, November 17, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H8007-H8008]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               SERGEANT CORY MRACEK MEMORIAL POST OFFICE

  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(S. 1499) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service 
located at 278 Main Street in Chadron, Nebraska, as the ``Sergeant Cory 
Mracek Memorial Post Office''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                S. 1499

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

     SECTION 1. SERGEANT CORY MRACEK MEMORIAL POST OFFICE.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 278 Main Street in Chadron, Nebraska, 
     shall be known and designated as the ``Sergeant Cory Mracek 
     Memorial 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 ``Sergeant Cory Mracek Memorial Post 
     Office''.

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


                             General Leave

  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may

[[Page H8008]]

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 California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Army Sergeant Mracek was killed on January 27, 2004, while serving in 
Operation Iraqi Freedom. He died of wounds sustained during yet another 
roadside bomb attack in Iraq. He was only 26 years old, and he had been 
in Iraq for just 8 days.
  Mr. Speaker, loved ones remember Sergeant Mracek as a man who loved 
Army life and was proud to serve his country. His bravery and his 
selflessness have inspired us all, and the naming of this post office 
in his memory is clearly appropriate.
  It is my honor to ask the body to honor Sergeant Mracek's service and 
sacrifice by voting in favor of this bill, and I reserve the balance of 
my time.
  Mr. WELCH. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in 
supporting this postal naming bill. I see that we have the sponsor of 
the bill here.
  I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Nebraska 
(Mr. Smith) to speak directly about this brave American.
  Mr. SMITH of Nebraska. I thank the gentleman. Thank you to Senators 
Johanns and Fischer and certainly my colleagues here in the House.
  Mr. Speaker, under this legislation, the post office building in 
Chadron, Nebraska, would be named in honor of Sergeant Cory Mracek, a 
native of Chadron who was killed by an improvised explosive device in 
Iraq on January 27, 2004.
  The son of Jim and Pat Mracek, Cory originally served with the 
Nebraska National Guard and transferred to Active Duty, where he served 
with distinction. Sergeant Mracek reenlisted after the September 11, 
2001, attacks where he served as a paratrooper with the U.S. Army's 
82nd Airborne.
  Among other honors, Sergeant Mracek was posthumously awarded the 
Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his courage and dedication. Renaming 
the post office in Chadron in Cory's home town will be a symbol of 
gratitude to a hero who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.
  Mr. WELCH. I want to thank the gentleman for his remarks and for 
bringing this forward to our attention.
  Mr. Speaker, I just want to comment, too, on how this individual, 
this man, two times in Korea and then decides he is going to go to 
Iraq, despite the well-known dangers to his own personal safety, again, 
another example of a brave American who is willing and did sacrifice 
his life on behalf of the security of this country.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ISSA. 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 California, (Mr. Issa) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, S. 1499.
  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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