[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 142 (Tuesday, September 20, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H5676-H5677]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SEGUNDO T. SABLAN AND CNMI FALLEN MILITARY HEROES POST OFFICE BUILDING
Mr. JODY B. HICE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass
the bill (H.R. 5889) to designate the facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 1 Chalan Kanoa VLG in Saipan, Northern
Mariana Islands, as the Segundo T. Sablan and CNMI Fallen Military
Heroes Post Office Building.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 5889
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SEGUNDO T. SABLAN AND CNMI FALLEN MILITARY HEROES
POST OFFICE BUILDING.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 1 Chalan Kanoa VLG in Saipan, Northern
Mariana Islands, shall be known and designated as the
``Segundo T. Sablan and CNMI Fallen Military Heroes 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 ``Segundo T. Sablan and CNMI Fallen
Military Heroes Post Office Building''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Georgia (Mr. Jody B. Hice) and the gentlewoman from the District of
Columbia (Ms. Norton) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia.
General Leave
Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. 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 Georgia?
There was no objection.
Mr. JODY B. HICE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5889, introduced by
Delegate Sablan, to designate the post office located in Saipan,
Northern Mariana Islands, as the Segundo T. Sablan and CNMI Fallen
Military Heroes Post Office Building.
Segundo Sablan assisted U.S. forces during World War II as they
fought to take control of the island of Saipan from the Japanese.
{time} 1615
After the war ended, Mr. Sablan was appointed by the Navy to handle
postal services for the Northern Mariana Islands. He was named the
first postmaster for Saipan soon after.
I look forward to learning more about Segundo Sablan from the sponsor
of the bill, Representative Gregorio Sablan.
I urge Members to support this bill.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support H.R. 5889, a bill to
designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1
Chalan Kanoa VLG in Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, as the Segundo T.
Sablan and CNMI Fallen Military Heroes Post Office Building.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman
from the Northern Mariana Islands (Mr. Sablan), the author of this
bill.
Mr. SABLAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5889, a bill
to designate the United States postal facility located in Chalan Kanoa,
Saipan, the Segundo T. Sablan and CNMI Fallen Military Heroes Post
Office Building. The bill recognizes Mr. Sablan, the first Chamorro and
native of Saipan appointed a U.S. postmaster. The bill also honors the
Northern Marianas servicemen and -women who lost their lives while
serving our great country during this war on terrorism.
Segundo Tudela Sablan, fondly known as Tun Segundo, was born on May
27, 1919, on Saipan. Shortly after the United States victory over the
Japanese in the Battle of Saipan during World War II, Tun Segundo was
among a small group of Chamorros and Carolinians, the indigenous people
of the Northern Marianas, selected by the U.S. military to serve as
Marine Scouts for the 6th Provisional Police Military Battalion. His
knowledge of the terrain and fluency in the Japanese language made him
ideally suited for the task of searching the island's caves and jungles
for Japanese holdouts responsible for sniper and grenade attacks on
American soldiers.
In 1951, Tun Segundo was appointed the first United States postmaster
for Saipan by the United States Navy, which, at the time, had
administrative responsibility for the Northern Marianas under the
United States Trusteeship Agreement, known as the Trust Territory of
the Pacific Islands. A dedicated postmaster, he twice used his home for
postal operations after typhoons destroyed the post office building and
often neglected his farm and livestock to ensure families received
their mail. A crippling back injury sustained during the war eventually
made
[[Page H5677]]
it impossible for him to carry out the physical tasks required of the
job. He resigned as postmaster in 1961.
The post office name will also serve as a tribute to our fallen
Northern Marianas sons and daughters. The people of the Northern
Marianas have a proud history of military service that began long
before we were officially part of the United States and continues to
this day.
We lost 20 young men and women to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
alone. I hope that knowing their service and sacrifice will never be
forgotten brings a measure of comfort to their families and friends.
I am grateful to Chairman Chaffetz and Ranking Member Cummings and
their staff on the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform for
their work and moving this through the process. I am equally grateful
to the gentleman from Florida and the gentlewoman from the District of
Columbia for their time and effort in managing today's bill.
I offer special thanks to the family of Tun Segundo, who provided
much information about the life of this leader, their father, for their
support of this legislation.
I also want to thank the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Saipan Post 3457,
especially Post Commander Michael O'Kelley; Senior Vice Commander
Matias Chargualaf; and Departmental Quartermaster Peter Callaghan for
their endorsement.
Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my
time.
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, we should pass this bill in memory of
Segundo Sablan, his heroic actions during World War II, and his
dedicated career in the United States Postal Service. I urge the
passage of H.R. 5889.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. JODY B. HICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I, likewise, urge adoption
of this bill.
I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Jody B. Hice) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5889.
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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