[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 148 (Monday, September 23, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H5572-H5573]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        COLONEL JOSEPH WILLIAM KITTINGER II POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 5867) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 109 Live Oaks Boulevard in Casselberry, Florida, as 
the ``Colonel Joseph William Kittinger II Post Office Building''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5867

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

     SECTION 1. COLONEL JOSEPH WILLIAM KITTINGER II POST OFFICE 
                   BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 109 Live Oaks Boulevard in Casselberry, 
     Florida, shall be known and designated as the ``Colonel 
     Joseph William Kittinger II 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 ``Colonel Joseph William Kittinger II Post 
     Office Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Kansas (Mr. LaTurner) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kansas.


                             General Leave

  Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may 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 Kansas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, which would name a post 
office in Casselberry, Florida, for Colonel Joseph William Kittinger 
II.
  Kittinger was a command pilot in the U.S. Air Force, where he 
researched high-altitude bailouts.
  On August 16, 1960, he set a record for the longest free fall, 
highest parachute jump after leaping from a gondola at 102,800 feet.
  In 1972, during the Vietnam war, he shot down a MiG-21 North 
Vietnamese plane. Later that year, his own plane was shot down, and he 
spent a year in the Hanoi Hilton POW camp.
  I support naming a post office in memory of Colonel Kittinger, an 
American hero who paved the way for future astronauts and adventurers.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of H.R. 5867.
  Colonel Kittinger was born and raised in Florida. He joined the U.S. 
Air Force in 1949 as an aviation cadet and received commission as a 
command pilot.
  From 1959 to 1960, Colonel Kittinger was a member of Project 
Excelsior, an effort of Aerospace Medical Research Laboratories that 
pioneered research on safety and survival in high-altitude emergencies. 
On August 16, 1960, he set the record for the longest free fall from a 
gondola, 4 minutes and 36 seconds, before deploying his parachute.
  Colonel Kittinger went on three tours in Vietnam for the U.S. Air 
Force. When his plane was shot down, he faced adversity and stayed 
resilient as a prisoner of war in the infamous Hanoi Hilton. Among many 
awards, Colonel Kittinger received two Purple Hearts and a Prisoner of 
War Medal.
  After retiring from the Air Force, Colonel Kittinger became the first 
person to complete a solo balloon trip across the Atlantic. His efforts 
helped advance developments in spacesuit technology and safety 
procedures in high-altitude environments.
  On December 9, 2022, at the age of 94, Colonel Kittinger passed away. 
I urge my colleagues to honor the life and valiant service of the 
colonel by naming a post office in Casselberry, Florida, after him.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Mills).
  Mr. MILLS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of a bill that honors 
the legacy of Colonel Joseph Kittinger, a former command pilot in the 
U.S. Air Force who lived in Altamonte Springs,

[[Page H5573]]

Florida, in Florida's Seventh Congressional District.
  From a young age, Colonel Kittinger was fascinated by planes. He 
ended up dedicating his life to pushing the boundaries of aviation and 
advancing the understandings of high altitude and space exploration, 
inspiring many generations to come.
  He joined the Air Force in 1949, where he flew experimental jets and 
participated in aerospace medical research. He was part of Project 
Excelsior, which researched high-altitude pilot bailouts to learn if 
humans could sustain the extended travel at space-like altitudes.
  On August 16, 1960, he set the record for the highest parachute jump, 
jumping out of a gondola at 102,800 feet, completing the longest free 
fall at 4 minutes and 36 second airborne.
  During the free fall, he also reached a maximum speed of 614 miles 
per hour, the fastest speed reached by a human at that time before 
deploying his parachute.
  He was called to further service during the Vietnam war and flew 483 
fighter plane missions. On his third tour in 1972, his plane was shot 
down, and he spent close to a year as a prisoner of war in the famed 
Hanoi Hilton, enduring torture.
  His fighting spirit never wavered, Mr. Speaker. In fact, he titled 
his autobiography ``Come Up and Get Me.'' Back home, he dreamed of 
returning to the air, but this time via long-distance balloon travel.
  Upon retiring from the Air Force in 1978, that dream later became a 
reality when he completed the first solo balloon flight across the 
Atlantic Ocean.
  About his travel, he would state: Life is an adventure, and I am an 
adventurer.
  Seventy-five years ago, he answered the call to service. May Colonel 
Kittinger's courage, resilience, and service inspire aviators, 
servicemembers, veterans, and all Americans.
  It is a great privilege to sponsor this legislation to rename the 
main post office at 109 Live Oaks Boulevard in Casselberry, Florida, in 
honor of Colonel Joseph Kittinger.
  I thank my colleagues in the Florida delegation for supporting this 
bill and request that all Members join us in passing it in honor of an 
American hero.
  From one combat soldier to another, I want to take a moment to salute 
him and his service. Life is an adventure, Mr. Speaker. May we all be 
adventurers like Colonel Kittinger.
  Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. LaTURNER. Mr. Speaker, I encourage 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 Kansas (Mr. LaTurner) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 5867.
  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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