[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 95 (Monday, June 15, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H4357-H4358]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
FLORESVILLE VETERANS POST OFFICE BUILDING
Mr. WALKER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 891) to designate the facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 141 Paloma Drive in Floresville, Texas, as the
``Floresville Veterans Post Office Building''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 891
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FLORESVILLE VETERANS POST OFFICE BUILDING.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 141 Paloma Drive in Floresville, Texas,
shall be known and designated as the ``Floresville Veterans
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 ``Floresville Veterans Post Office
Building''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
North Carolina (Mr. Walker) and the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands
(Ms. Plaskett) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from North Carolina.
General Leave
Mr. WALKER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in 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 North Carolina?
There was no objection.
Mr. WALKER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume,
and I rise in support of H.R. 891, introduced by Representative Henry
Cuellar.
H.R. 891 designates the post office located at 141 Paloma Drive in
Floresville, Texas, as the Floresville Veterans Post Office Building.
This excellent bill honors the men and women of Floresville, Texas,
who served our country. We are grateful for their service and for the
service of all of our veterans and their sacrifices in the service to
our great Nation.
Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to support this bill, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in supporting H.R.
891, a bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 141 Paloma Drive in Floresville, Texas, as the
Floresville Veterans Post Office Building.
This legislation commemorates the sacrifices made by the servicemen
and -women of Floresville, Texas. Whether they served abroad or at
home, our military men and women have courageously given their time and
energy to defend the many freedoms we Americans hold so dear.
Recognizing the loyalty and bravery of our veterans by naming this post
office in their honor is the least we can do.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill
that would recognize the honorable service and countless sacrifices
made by our veterans and their families. I urge the passage of H.R.
891, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WALKER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cuellar).
Mr. CUELLAR. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Delegate Plaskett for
yielding the time to me, and thank you so much also to the majority
manager for speaking in favor of this bill. And certainly I also want
to thank Chairman Chaffetz and Ranking Member Cummings for their
leadership and support, along with the committee members, for bringing
this bill to the floor.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 891, which designates the
facility of the United States Postal Service, located at 141 Paloma
Drive in Floresville, Texas, as the Floresville Veterans Post Office
Building.
Floresville is the county seat of Wilson County, Texas, which has
4,636 veterans currently residing there. Just across the street from
this postal facility is the Frank M. Tejeda Texas State Veterans Home,
which currently houses about 154 of our American veterans. It is
fitting that we provide this acknowledgement to our Floresville
veterans directly across the street from where many of them live now.
There are many stories from veterans all across Wilson County that
have served, but I want to highlight a few of those from Floresville.
Let me start first with Frank Villarreal, who is a veteran who served
in Vietnam with the U.S. Navy Seawolves helicopter squadron, which
provided support for
[[Page H4358]]
the Navy SEALs. Mr. Villarreal has received 15 awards for his service,
including the Distinguished Flying Cross, the National Defense Service
Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal with two Bronze Stars, the Vietnam
Campaign Medal, the Gallantry Cross with Palm and Frame, the Civil
Action Color with Palm and Frame, and the Combat Aircrewman Insignia.
To highlight a couple of other gentlemen also, Pedro Devora and
Rufino Gonzales both served on the same ship in World War II, on the
USS Sangamon. They survived a kamikaze attack on their vessel, and they
went home to live long lives in Floresville.
Additionally, I want to also say that Mr. Devora and Mr. Gonzales
obtained the medals they earned during their service that they recently
just got from the Department of the Navy. For Mr. Devora, these medals
are the World War II Victory Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the
Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon, the Combat Action Ribbon, the
Honorable Service Lapel Pin, and the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal
with the Bronze Star also.
For Mr. Gonzales, these medals include the World War II Victory
Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the Presidential Unit Citation
Ribbon, the Combat Action Ribbon, along with the Asiatic Pacific
Campaign Medal along with the Bronze Star also.
Again, those are only just a few examples of the men and women from
Wilson County--in particular, from Floresville--that have served. So I
want to acknowledge the sacrifice of those veterans along with the
veterans from my 28th Congressional District, individuals who served
and put their country ahead of self and for whom I am recognizing with
the renaming of the Floresville postal facility service.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank also the work of The American Legion
Post 38 in Floresville and the VFW Post 8555 in Wilson County for the
work that they have done in supporting our local veterans. The VFW Post
8555 in Wilson County has done a great job, and I want to thank them.
So, Mr. Speaker, and to our ranking member and our ranking delegate,
I just want to say thank you so much.
Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. WALKER. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the bill, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Walker) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 891.
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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