[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 187 (Wednesday, November 15, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H9292-H9293]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TILDEN VETERANS POST OFFICE
Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 1207) to designate the facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 306 River Street in Tilden, Texas, as the ``Tilden
Veterans Post Office''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1207
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SPECIALIST TILDEN VETERANS POST OFFICE.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 306 River Street in Tilden, Texas, shall
be known and designated as the ``Tilden Veterans 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 ``Tilden Veterans Post Office''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Farenthold) and the gentlewoman from New Jersey (Mrs. Watson
Coleman) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
General Leave
Mr. FARENTHOLD. 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 Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am here today to support H.R. 1207, introduced by the
gentleman from south Texas (Mr. Cuellar).
H.R. 1207 honors the veterans of Tilden, Texas, for their service to
this great Nation by naming the United States Post Office at 306 River
Street in Tilden, Texas, as the Tilden Veterans Post Office.
This bill is particularly timely, as we just celebrated Veterans Day
this past Saturday. I look forward to hearing more about this bill from
my friend and colleague from Laredo, Mr. Cuellar.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in consideration of
H.R. 1207, a bill to designate the facility of the United States Post
Office located at 306 River Street in Tilden, Texas, as the Tilden
Veterans Post Office.
Military men and women sacrifice their time, energy, and lives for
our country every day. Whether serving in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps,
Air Force, or Coast Guard, these brave individuals risk their lives to
protect others and demonstrate an unmatched level of selflessness,
courage, and dedication.
While this bill will name the post office in Tilden, Texas, in honor
of all veterans who have served, I would like to specifically recognize
the service of Mr. Anselmo Villarreal.
Drafted into the Army in March of 1968, he served in Vietnam until
1970, and he continues to serve his fellow veterans through volunteer
work at his local veterans service organization.
His story is not unlike other servicemembers who give their time at
home and abroad to protect and improve their communities in so many
ways. In recognizing his contributions, we recognize the contributions
of veterans throughout Texas and the United States, and we thank them
for their work.
Mr. Speaker, we should pass this bill to celebrate the lives of
American veterans and commemorate the sacrifices that each have made
for the good of our Nation.
Mr. Speaker, I urge the passage of H.R. 1207, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume
to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cuellar).
Mr. CUELLAR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from New Jersey for
yielding and for her kind words about the Tilden Veterans Post Office.
I also want to thank my friend from Corpus Christi, Texas, for his kind
words on the naming of this post office.
Mr. Speaker, today I rise to support and present H.R. 1207, which
will name the post office facility in my district as the Tilden
Veterans Post Office.
Across my district, there are many examples of fine men and women who
have honorably served our country. It is imperative that we honor their
service and dedication to our Nation.
Dedicating this post office to our veterans will serve as a constant
reminder of the sacrifices that our friends, neighbors, and families
made while serving their country. These are individuals who put country
ahead of self and for whom I am proud to recognize with the dedicating
of the post office facility.
For example, as the gentlewoman from New Jersey said, Anselmo
Villarreal of Tilden, Texas, was drafted in the Army in 1968. He served
in Vietnam. After his service, Mr. Villarreal
[[Page H9293]]
returned to Tilden and worked in a local plant for 28 years before
retiring.
This veteran also continues to serve his community by volunteering
for local veterans service organizations. We owe our freedom to
veterans like Mr. Villarreal and others, which is why I am recognizing
him and the other veterans with the dedication of this post office. He
is one example of many veterans who have made countless sacrifices for
our country in the face of danger.
The courage and dedication of our veterans toward our Nation
demonstrates what it really means to be an American--the essence of
being an American.
I also thank the veterans from Tilden and McMullen County for their
service and sacrifice for our country. I also thank the veterans
organizations throughout my district for their tireless work in
providing the care our veterans need. There are many local
organizations like the veterans service offices in McMullen County that
provide essential care to those who have returned home from service.
Let us remember and express gratitude to these brave people: the
veterans, their families, as well as the care providers.
In the words of President John F. Kennedy: ``As we express our
gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to
utter words, but to live by them.''
{time} 1515
Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Cuellar for introducing this bill.
For those of you not from Texas who don't know where Tilden, Texas,
is, if you know about where San Antonio is, you go down south about a
quarter of the way to the Rio Grande Valley and you are going to pass
through Tilden. It is kind of northwest of my hometown of Corpus
Christi.
I can tell you, having represented a lot of the area in south Texas,
as does Mr. Cuellar, that this region is a region of the State that
really does thank and appreciate the veterans who have sacrificed so
much to serve for this country and for their families. I think it is
entirely proper and absolutely a great idea to be naming this post
office after our veterans, and I urge my colleagues to support it.
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 Texas (Mr. Farenthold) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 1207.
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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