[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 81 (Thursday, May 12, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H4867]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     PRIVATE JACOB CRUZ POST OFFICE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Gomez) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GOMEZ. Mr. Speaker, Latino servicemembers have been vital to the 
defense of our country, including the thousands who have made the 
ultimate sacrifice. It is important that our communities and our 
government pay tribute to the diverse history of Latinos in the United 
States military, which is why I am proud that the House passed my bill, 
H.R. 5900, honoring World War II hero, Private Jacob Cruz, an Angeleno 
and Boyle Heights resident, and a United States Marine Corps Reserve 
private.
  Private Cruz was 17 years old and a junior at Roosevelt High School 
when he asked his single immigrant mother, Gracia Cruz, a custodian at 
White Memorial Medical Center, for permission to enlist. After initial 
training, Private Cruz shipped off to the Pacific where he gave his 
life running ammunition boxes to gunners amid enemy fire during the 
Battle of Tarawa in 1943.
  Private Cruz's heroic devotion to duty posthumously earned him the 
Silver Star and the Purple Heart. Unfortunately, his remains were not 
recovered after he was killed. During a storm in 2019, Mother Nature 
brushed away a house where the battle took place, and the remains of 
Mr. Cruz were found. In 2020 they were identified, and in 2021 they 
were finally returned to Private Cruz' family for a long-awaited proper 
burial with full military honors.
  In recognition of Private Cruz' service and sacrifice, the House 
passed H.R. 5900 designating the Boyle Heights Post Office as the 
Marine Corps Reserve Private Jacob Cruz Post Office.
  I take a moment to give thanks to Private Cruz' family, including his 
brother, Isaac; his sister, Ruth; his nephews, Mike and Isaac; and his 
niece, Alta, who have kept Private Cruz' legacy alive in Boyle Heights 
for almost eight decades and never gave up the fight to bring him home.
  As we approach Memorial Day, I urge the Senate to pass H.R. 5900 to 
honor Private Cruz' sacrifice and those of other Latino military 
heroes, both fallen and alive, in Los Angeles and across the country 
for decades to come.
  Roosevelt High School, where Private Cruz attended, has a long 
history, as well as Garfield High School, in giving up boys to go to 
fight the World Wars. There is a football game called the East L.A. 
Classic between Roosevelt and Garfield. The 4 years during World War II 
were the only years that they couldn't field a team on either side. 
This is an honor of Private Cruz, but it is also an honor of all the 
Latino men who gave their lives during our conflicts, especially during 
World War II.

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