[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.

                          ____________________