[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 65 (Tuesday, April 14, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H2853-H2854]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PHARMACIST'S MATE FIRST CLASS JOHN HARLAN WILLIS POST OFFICE BUILDING
Mr. GILL of Texas. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 6808) to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 417 West 7th Street in Columbia,
Tennessee, as the ``Pharmacist's Mate First Class John Harlan Willis
Post Office Building''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 6808
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. PHARMACIST'S MATE FIRST CLASS JOHN HARLAN WILLIS
POST OFFICE BUILDING.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 417 West 7th Street in Columbia,
Tennessee, shall be known and designated as the
``Pharmacist's Mate First Class John Harlan Willis 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 ``Pharmacist's Mate First Class John
Harlan Willis Post Office Building''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Gill) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Subramanyam) each
will control 20 minutes.
[[Page H2854]]
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Virginia.
General Leave
Mr. GILL of Texas. Madam 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 Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. GILL of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman
from Tennessee (Mr. Ogles).
Mr. OGLES. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a son of Tennessee
whose courage still echoes across generations, a man who represents the
very best of Middle Tennessee and the very best of this country, John
Harlan Willis.
Born in Columbia, Tennessee, John Harlan Willis was one of those
young men who didn't wait for history to call his name. At 19, before
the United States had entered World War II, he stepped forward and
enlisted in the United States Navy. He became a pharmacist's mate, a
corpsman attached to the Marine infantry where his duty was clear and
unforgiving. When others hit the ground, he got up, and he moved
forward and went straight into the fire to keep his fellow Americans
alive.
On the black sands of the Battle of Iwo Jima, one of the most brutal
battles in American history, Willis stood shoulder to shoulder with
Marines under relentless enemy fire. He moved forward when others were
forced down, crossing open ground under artillery and mortar fire to
reach the wounded. Even after he himself was struck by shrapnel, he
refused evacuation. He did not step back. He went forward again.
Then came the moment that defines him. As enemy grenades began
landing among his fellow Marines, Willis did something almost
impossible to comprehend. He picked them up, one after another, and
threw them back toward the enemy, not once, not twice, but eight times.
He chose the lives of others over his own. Eight times he placed
himself between death and his fellow Americans. On the ninth grenade,
there was no time left. It detonated in his hand. He was 23 years old.
In that instant, John Harlan Willis gave everything he had so others
might live, not because anyone ordered him to, not because anyone was
watching, but because that is who he was.
He left behind a widow, Winfrey Willis, and a young son, John Harlan
Willis, Jr., a family that carried forward his name and his legacy.
Today, that legacy belongs not just to Columbia, not just to Tennessee,
but the entire Nation.
We live in a time when words like ``courage'' and ``sacrifice'' are
often used lightly. If we want to understand what those words truly
mean, we should look to the men like John Harlan Willis. He reminds us
that greatness is not found in titles or positions but in decisive
moments when a person chooses others over themselves.
Naming the United States Post Office in Columbia in his honor is more
than a symbolic act. It is a statement about who we choose to remember.
It is a commitment that future generations walking into that building
will see his name and ask who he was. When they learn, they will
understand what the country expects of its sons and daughters.
John Harlan Willis is not just a hero of the past, he is a standard
for the future.
Madam Speaker, before I close, I would ask this body for a brief
moment of silence for Pharmacist's Mate First Class John Harlan Willis;
for his widow, Winfrey Willis; and for his son, John Harlan Willis,
Jr., a man who had to grow up without his father; and for all of those
who gave everything so that we may stand here today free.
Mr. SUBRAMANYAM. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise today also in support of H.R. 6808. I encourage
my colleagues to join me in honoring the life of Pharmacist's Mate
First Class Willis by naming the post office in Columbia, Tennessee,
after him.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GILL of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my
time.
Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill naming
the post office for Pharmacist's Mate First Class John Harlan Willis.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gill) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 6808.
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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