[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 33 (Tuesday, March 1, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H1056-H1057]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               CAMP PENDLETON MEDAL OF HONOR POST OFFICE

  Mr. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 136) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 1103 USPS Building 1103 in Camp Pendleton, 
California, as the ``Camp Pendleton Medal of Honor Post Office''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 136

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

     SECTION 1. CAMP PENDLETON MEDAL OF HONOR POST OFFICE.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 1103 USPS Building 1103 in Camp Pendleton, 
     California, shall be known and designated as the ``Camp 
     Pendleton Medal of Honor Post Office''.

[[Page H1057]]

       (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 ``Camp Pendleton Medal of Honor Post 
     Office''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Oklahoma (Mr. Russell) and the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Oklahoma.


                             General Leave

  Mr. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days 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. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Issa), a fellow Army veteran.
  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, of the several postal namings that we will be 
voting on today, in my humble opinion, none can recognize a more 
significant contribution than this one. Many will pay honor to those 
who have served their country, particularly those in the military.
  But this post office, located at the Mainside of Marine Corps Base 
Camp Pendleton, is being named not on behalf of one or two or five, but 
for the many, many, many marines who have deployed from Camp Pendleton 
since 1942.
  With over 42,000 marines and sailors currently stationed there and 
with its history in World War II, the Medal of Honor recipients whose 
names will appear on the plaque at what is now a numbered Mainside post 
office will remind all of those who come to that base and come to that 
facility that people like Colonel William Barber, who received the 
Medal of Honor for actions at the Chosin Reservoir in Korea, and over 
250 Medal of Honor recipients, more than any other base I know of in 
the world--it will represent those who gave their last measure, those 
who did for their colleagues and their comrades far more than any of us 
could imagine ever finding the courage to do.
  I hope the naming of this will finally allow us to name what we do 
not have enough roads for, we do not have enough signs for, we do not 
have enough post offices for, and that is to recognize that the base at 
Camp Pendleton and its post office, as a result of the authority of 
this committee, has put out corpsmen and marines for decades who have 
served our country in a way that no other base could take such pride 
in.
  I hope that all who hear this will recognize that we have named many 
post offices after an individual, but never after an act. And the act 
of heroism that earns the Medal of Honor is unparalleled to any 
American.
  I thank the chairman for his assistance, and I thank the ranking 
member for bringing this bill in a timely fashion.
  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I, too, am pleased to join my colleagues--in particular, my friend 
from California (Mr. Issa)--in the consideration of H.R. 136.
  Camp Pendleton, located in southern California, is the West Coast's 
largest expeditionary training facility for the U.S. Marine Corps. In 
the over 230 years of Camp Pendleton's existence, hundreds of thousands 
of brave men and women have made great sacrifices there to protect our 
country.
  Many of these courageous marines and Navy corpsmen have posthumously 
received the Medal of Honor, our Nation's highest award for valor, in 
recognition of their extreme heroism and selflessness.
  Mr. Speaker, we should pass this bill to commemorate the heroic 
actions members of our military take every day to defend our freedom. 
The Medal of Honor recipients who have passed through Camp Pendleton 
have earned our eternal gratitude. By naming this post office in their 
honor, we show them the respect they deserve.
  I urge passage of H.R. 136.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise today in support of this measure introduced by Congressman 
Issa of California.
  Mr. Speaker, Camp Pendleton, in addition to being a United States 
Marine Corps base in southern California that is home to 42,000 active 
marines and sailors, also has a distinguished history. Many of our 
Nation's servicemen and -women have been based out of Camp Pendleton 
since it was first opened during World War II.
  H.R. 136 designates the main post office on base in honor of all of 
the brave warriors from Camp Pendleton units that have received the 
Medal of Honor. I urge Members to support this bill to name a post 
office for these distinguished warriors.
  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. Russell) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 136.
  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. RUSSELL. 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, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

                          ____________________