[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 153 (Thursday, September 13, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H8246-H8247]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            SGT. MAJ. WARDELL B. TURNER POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. RUSSELL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee 
on Oversight and Government Reform be discharged from further 
consideration of the bill (H.R. 4913) to designate the facility of the 
United States Postal Service located at 816 East Salisbury Parkway in 
Salisbury, Maryland, as the ``Sgt. Maj. Wardell B. Turner Post Office 
Building'', and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Oklahoma?
  There was no objection.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4913

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

     SECTION 1. SGT. MAJ. WARDELL B. TURNER POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 816 East Salisbury Parkway in Salisbury, 
     Maryland, shall be known and designated as the ``Sgt. Maj. 
     Wardell B. Turner 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 ``Sgt. Maj. Wardell B. Turner Post Office 
     Building''.

  Mr. HARRIS. Mr. Speaker, today the House will pass H.R. 4913, 
renaming the Salisbury, Maryland Post Office, the ``Sgt. Maj. Wardell 
B. Turner Post Office Building'' In honor of Sgt. Maj. Wardell Turner 
who was killed in action in Afghanistan.
  Mr. Speaker, this legislation honors the memory of a fellow 
serviceman, devoted husband, loving father and valorous soldier. It is 
my sincere hope that the designation of this post office in Sergeant 
Turner's name will help our community on the Eastern Shore, and our 
country, celebrate and remember the legacy of service and sacrifice 
left behind by this true American hero.
  Sergeant Turner was a local legend on Maryland's Eastern Shore. He 
graduated from Bennett High School in Salisbury, Maryland in 1984 where 
he was a standout fullback and middle linebacker. He helped lead the 
Bennett High School Clippers to back-to-back undefeated seasons and 
state titles in 1982 and 1983. His leadership and ability earned him an 
athletic scholarship from Towson University. He was a four-year letter 
winner and in 1989, graduated with a bachelor's degree in management. 
Years later, in 2011, he would earn his master's degree in criminal 
justice from Central Missouri State University. In 1991 he married his 
wife, Katherine, whom he met at a New Year's Eve dance on the Eastern 
Shore of Maryland. In 1993, looking for an opportunity to serve, he 
enlisted in the Army. According to those closest to him, the Army was 
more than just a career, it was a calling.

[[Page H8247]]

  His military career took him across the United States and to bases in 
Germany and South Korea. While in Germany, Wardell Turner was 
recognized for saving a young woman's life as she attempted to jump off 
a bridge. He was later deployed to Bosnia in the 1990's and then to 
Iraq in 2003. He served in military police units beginning in 1993, 
most recently with the 720th Police Battalion based at Fort Hood, 
Texas. Earning the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, and other Meritorious 
Service Medals along the way, he steadily climbed the enlisted ranks 
and was promoted to Sgt. Maj. in 2013.
  Sgt. Maj. Turner was assigned to the headquarters of the U.S. Army 
Garrison at Fort Drum in New York when he was sent to Afghanistan in 
July of 2014 during Operation Enduring Freedom. There he served as the 
senior enlisted advisor for the Combined Security Transition Command-
Afghanistan in Kabul whose primary mission was the training of Afghan 
security forces. Sgt. Maj. Turner had planned for this to be his last 
deployment, hoping to retire in a year or so and spend more time with 
his family. Those that knew him described him as highly organized and a 
devoted family man.
  Prior to his death, just before Thanksgiving, he had found time to 
gather and ship Christmas gifts to his family back home. According to 
his wife, Katherine, despite his being unable to be home for the 
holidays, these gifts, and the effort he made to make sure they arrived 
on time, highlighted just how much his family meant to him, and him to 
them.
  Sergeant Turner was killed on November, 24, 2014, when his convoy was 
hit by an IED while on patrol in Eastern Kabul.
  Sergeant Turner's son, Devin Turner, who was also enlisted in the 
Army and was deployed to Afghanistan at the time, planned to share 
Thanksgiving with his father. Tragically, he was informed a few days 
before the holiday that his father had been killed. Specialist Turner 
escorted his father's casket home. After his father's funeral, 
Specialist Turner, despite his loss, returned to Afghanistan to finish 
his tour. According to Devin, his father would have supported his 
decision to return to duty and didn't believe in leaving your business 
unfinished.
  Sgt. Maj. Turner was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery in 
January of 2015. Members of his family say that they found peace in his 
sacrifice knowing he died doing what he loved . . . serving his 
country.
  Sgt. Maj. Wardell Turner has left a lasting legacy in our community. 
In 2016 Towson University created the ``Wardell Turner Scholarship'' to 
be awarded annually to a defensive back on the football team that is in 
good academic standing and demonstrates the qualities and attributes 
exemplified by Mr. Turner. Those enumerated qualities include 
leadership, selfless service, and commitment.
  Last year, friends, family and high school teammates gathered at the 
Wicomico Presbyterian Church to retire his Bennett High School jersey 
and to celebrate his life and his military service. During the 
ceremony, Mayor Jake Day of Salisbury, Maryland proclaimed October 28, 
2017, as ``Sgt. Maj, Wardell Turner Day''.
  His legacy survives and continues with his five children, Shayla, 
Quinton, Devin, Wardell II, Xavier, several grandchildren, and his 
devoted wife, Katherine.
  Mr. Speaker, Sgt. Maj. Wardell Turner is a true American hero. His 
life of courage and service provides an example for us all. It is my 
pleasure to offer this bill to rename the Salisbury post office the 
Sgt. Maj. Wardell B. Turner Post Office building. I urge my colleagues 
to support this legislation that honors one of the Eastern Shore's 
favorite sons.
  The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, was read 
the third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the 
table.

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