[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 161 (Monday, October 2, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H4943-H4944]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SECOND LIEUTENANT PATRICK PALMER CALHOUN POST OFFICE
Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 3944) to designate the facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 120 West Church Street in Mount Vernon, Georgia, as
the ``Second Lieutenant Patrick Palmer Calhoun Post Office''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3944
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SECOND LIEUTENANT PATRICK PALMER CALHOUN POST
OFFICE.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 120 West Church Street in Mount Vernon,
Georgia, shall be known and designated as the ``Second
Lieutenant Patrick Palmer Calhoun 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 ``Second Lieutenant Patrick Palmer Calhoun
Post Office''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Kentucky (Mr. Comer) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin) 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 in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on this measure.
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.
[[Page H4944]]
I rise today in support of this bill, which would name a post office
in Mount Vernon, Georgia, after Second Lieutenant Patrick Palmer
Calhoun.
Patrick Calhoun grew up in Mount Vernon, Georgia, earned a degree
from the University of Georgia, and then enlisted in the U.S. Army.
During his service in South Vietnam, his helicopter was tragically
shot down on April 19, 1965. Second Lieutenant Calhoun was declared
missing in action before being declared dead at the tragically young
age of 24. He perished serving his country, and I support naming a post
office in his memory.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to
support this commonsense legislation, and I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Second Lieutenant Patrick Palmer Calhoun was born on March 19, 1941,
and raised in Mount Vernon, Georgia. He graduated from the University
of Georgia and enlisted in the U.S. Army in the middle of the Vietnam
war.
While stationed in South Vietnam, Second Lieutenant Calhoun served
heroically for his country as a rotary wing aviation unit commander.
On April 19, 1965, his helicopter was shot down by enemy fire in the
Pleiku Province. He was later declared killed while missing in action
at the tender age of 24.
I encourage my colleagues to join us in honoring the life of Second
Lieutenant Calhoun by naming a post office in Mount Vernon, Georgia,
after him.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Georgia (Mr. Allen).
Mr. ALLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the life of an
American patriot, Vietnam veteran, and amazing man who couldn't be more
deserving of having his name displayed on the U.S. Post Office in Mount
Vernon, Georgia.
Second Lieutenant Patrick Palmer Calhoun, a native of Mount Vernon,
Georgia, located in the 12th District of Georgia, my district, was born
on March 19, 1941.
After graduating from Montgomery County High School in 1959, Second
Lieutenant Calhoun attended the University of Georgia, where he joined
the ROTC and earned his pilot's license while finishing his junior year
of college. That next year, Calhoun graduated and enrolled in his first
year of law school at the University of Georgia, where he met the love
of his life, Jane Dunham, whom he later married in 1963. That same
year, Jane and Patrick's only child, Catherine Ruth Calhoun, was born
on November 29.
Shortly after Catherine was born, Second Lieutenant Calhoun answered
the call to serve and willingly put down his books and put on his
uniform, joining the United States Army, where he was first stationed
at Fort Benning, now known as Fort Moore, near Columbus, Georgia.
Later, after completing flight training in Mineral Wells, Texas,
Calhoun was deployed on his first assignment in Vietnam in 1964.
A born leader, Calhoun served as a rotary wing aviation unit
commander in South Vietnam, where his helicopter was tragically shot
down under hostile fire while dropping off troops in the spring of
1965.
Calhoun was declared missing in action before being declared deceased
at the young age of only 24 years old.
Lieutenant Patrick Palmer Calhoun was awarded the Distinguished
Flying Cross for his heroism and extraordinary achievements while
engaged in aerial flight.
Known for his contagious personality, Calhoun never met a stranger
and always enjoyed cutting a rug, as we say down South.
I am pleased to stand here today to ensure his name lives on for
years to come in his hometown of Mount Vernon, Georgia.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in honoring
Second Lieutenant Calhoun, his entire family, and his sacrifice to the
Nation we call home by voting in favor of H.R. 3944.
Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I strongly encourage support for this
bipartisan bill. I ask all of my colleagues to support this 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. 3944.
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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