[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 187 (Wednesday, November 15, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H9294-H9295]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SR. CHIEF RYAN OWENS POST OFFICE BUILDING
Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 3109) to designate the facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 1114 North 2nd Street in Chillicothe, Illinois, as
the ``Sr. Chief Ryan Owens Post Office Building''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3109
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives
of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SR. CHIEF RYAN OWENS POST OFFICE BUILDING.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States
Postal Service located at 1114 North 2nd Street in
Chillicothe, Illinois, shall be known and designated as the
``Sr. Chief Ryan Owens 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 ``Sr. Chief Ryan Owens Post Office
Building''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Kentucky (Mr. Comer) and the gentlewoman from New Jersey (Mrs. Watson
Coleman) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kentucky.
General Leave
Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 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 Kentucky?
There was no objection.
Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3109, introduced by the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood). The bill names the United States
Post Office at 1114 North 2nd Street in Chillicothe, Illinois, after
U.S. Navy SEAL Senior Chief Ryan Owens, who was killed in action in
Yemen earlier this year.
Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman
from Illinois (Mr. LaHood) to further describe the bill and Senior
Chief Owens' service to his country.
Mr. LaHOOD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Kentucky for
yielding the time for this important legislation.
On January 29, 2017, U.S. Navy Chief Special Warfare Operator William
``Ryan'' Owens was killed during a raid in Yemen. At the age of 36, he
gave the ultimate sacrifice in order to protect our great Nation.
Today, he is survived by his wife, Carryn, and their three young
children.
Ryan Owens grew up in Edelstein, Illinois, in my congressional
district, a town that is in a very rural area with barely one stop
sign. Friends and family say that, even at a very early age, Ryan knew
he wanted to serve his country as a Navy SEAL.
After graduating from Illinois Valley Central High School in
Chillicothe, Illinois, in 1998, he took the first steps towards his
goal by enlisting in the Navy.
Ryan served his first tour of duty at the Office of Naval
Intelligence in Suitland, Maryland, eventually completing his SEAL
training in California in 2002. Over the next 15 years, he completed
four tours as a U.S. Navy SEAL, working all over the globe to fight
against terrorism and protect the interests of the United States.
Ryan was 2 years into his fifth tour as a Navy SEAL when he was
tragically killed during an intelligence-gathering operation against an
al-Qaida cell in Yemen.
Throughout his 15 years as a Navy SEAL, Ryan Owens gave much to our
country, protecting our freedoms, and helping rid the world of evil. It
is for these reasons that I introduced H.R. 3109, which will rename the
post office in Chillicothe, Illinois, as the Sr. Chief Ryan Owens Post
Office Building.
My office and I worked closely with the U.S. Postal Service, the U.S.
Navy Congressional Liaison's Office, the Central Illinois Gold Star
Families, and, most importantly, Ryan's family. All of us were
determined to make sure we got this right, choosing a location with
strong ties to the community in which Ryan grew up. In the end, it was
his wife, Carryn, who decided on Chillicothe, the town where Ryan
attended and graduated high school, as the best place for this building
to be renamed in his honor.
{time} 1530
I was proud to introduce our bill with overwhelming bipartisan
support here in the House with every member of the Illinois delegation
signing on as a cosponsor in support. It is my hope that the House acts
to pass this bill today and that the Senate will quickly follow suit.
While we can never repay Chief Owens or his family for the sacrifices
he made, renaming the post office in his honor is a small way to thank
him for his service and dedication to protecting our great Nation and
the values that we hold so dear. We continue, today, to pray for Carryn
and his children. We are indebted to his service and his sacrifice to
our great country.
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. 3109, a bill to designate the facility of the United States Post
Office located at 1114 North 2nd Street in Chillicothe, Illinois, as
the Sr. Chief Ryan Owens Post Office Building.
A native of Edelstein, Illinois, Ryan Owens graduated from Illinois
Valley Central High School and joined the Navy in 1998.
Ryan served at the Office of Naval Intelligence before completing
SEAL training and was selected as a chief petty officer in 2009.
While on his fifth tour of duty with the elite SEAL Team Six, Ryan
sustained wounds in a firefight and succumbed to his injuries on
January 29, 2017.
Ryan's dedicated service has been recognized through a number of
awards
[[Page H9295]]
and medals, including the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, a Bronze Star
and Bronze Stars with Combat V, a Joint Service Achievement Medal, and
three Presidential Unit Citations.
Mr. Speaker, we should pass this bill to honor the heroism of Sr.
Chief Ryan Owens and recognize the ultimate sacrifice he made for our
country.
Mr. Speaker, I urge the passage of H.R. 3109, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Virginia (Mr. Taylor).
Mr. TAYLOR. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3109.
Mr. Speaker, one of society's greatest challenges is honoring and
recording with immortal honor the names, the deeds, and the history of
our heroes.
But I believe it is an easy choice to honor Sr. Chief SEAL Ryan
Owens, who was deployed to a country most Americans would struggle to
find on a map. He spent countless times away from his family,
protecting our Nation so that we didn't have to.
Most people will never understand the sacrifice required to keep evil
outside of our gates. Ryan did it for our country, for his family, and
for the soldier on his left or his right. He traded comfort for
hardship time and time again, and ultimately his life. This to preserve
our right to think, our right to believe, and our right to become
whatever we want in this life.
His shining example and sacrifice will be a beacon for generations to
come who will step up to fight, if needed, for a God-given inheritance
of freedom, no matter the cost.
I urge my colleagues to support this United States Post Office
designation to a great American man and warrior, Sr. Chief SEAL Ryan
Owens.
Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. COMER. 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 Kentucky (Mr. Comer) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 3109.
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. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not
present.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this question will be postponed.
The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.
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