[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 18]
[House]
[Pages 24383-24384]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                HEINZ AHLMEYER, JR. POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. GUTKNECHT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 3548) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located on Franklin Avenue in Pearl River, New York, as the 
``Heinz Ahlmeyer, Jr. Post Office Building''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 3548

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

     SECTION 1. HEINZ AHLMEYER, JR. POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located on Franklin Avenue in Pearl River, New York, 
     shall be known and designated as the ``Heinz Ahlmeyer, Jr. 
     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 ``Heinz Ahlmeyer, Jr. Post Office 
     Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Minnesota (Mr. Gutknecht) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Gutknecht).


                             General Leave

  Mr. GUTKNECHT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 3548.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Minnesota?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GUTKNECHT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3548, authored by the 
distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel). This bill would 
designate the post office in Pearl River, New York, as the Heinz 
Ahlmeyer, Jr. Post Office Building. All members of the New York State 
delegation have cosponsored this legislation.
  Heinz Ahlmeyer, Jr., was a native of Pearl River, New York. He 
disappeared on his first day of duty in Vietnam. Ahlmeyer was 23 years 
of age when the Marine Corps sent him on a reconnaissance patrol in 
Quang Tri province on May 10, 1967, from which he never returned.
  Shortly after noon on the day of his death, the patrol came under 
heavy fire and many of the soldiers were wounded. After several failed 
attempts, a helicopter was able to land and save the wounded soldiers, 
although the effort could not retrieve those that had been killed. 
Because of the enemy presence in the area of the loss, no ground search 
was possible and Ahlmeyer's remains were not able to be recovered. He 
was immediately listed as killed in action.
  Thirty-eight years later to the day, on May 10, 2005, Heinz Ahlmeyer, 
Jr., was buried in Arlington National Cemetery with full military 
honors. In May of 1998, a Joint Field Activity search team was able to 
find small remnants of American uniforms at the site of the loss in 
Quang Tri province. Due to DNA and dental records, a military forensics 
laboratory in Hawaii was able to identify Ahlmeyer in January of 2005.
  Finally, the vibrant young man who played football and baseball at 
Pearl River High School, a hero in every sense of the word, could have 
a proper burial. Many who knew Ahlmeyer from his high school days 
attended the funeral in Virginia. Over 100 family members and friends 
paid respect to the soldier on the 38th anniversary of his death.
  I urge my colleagues to come together to honor this brave soldier for 
his commitment to preserving our freedoms and his bravery in the face 
of danger.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Government Reform Committee, I 
am pleased to join my colleague in consideration of H.R. 3548, 
legislation naming a postal facility in Pearl River, New York, after 
the late Heinz Ahlmeyer, Jr. This measure, which was introduced by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel), a Democrat, on July 28, 2005, and 
unanimously reported by our committee on October 20, 2005, enjoys the 
support and cosponsorship of the entire New York delegation.
  Heinz Ahlmeyer, a native of New York, grew up in Pearl River. He 
attended Rockland Community College and graduated from New Paltz 
College. Upon his graduation, he enlisted in the United States Marine 
Corps.
  While serving on his first tour of duty in Vietnam, Marine Second 
Lieutenant Heinz Ahlmeyer was on a reconnaissance patrol in the Quang 
Tri province on May 10, 1967, when he and three other Marines came 
under fire. It was presumed he was killed in action, but because of 
heavy enemy fire, commanders felt it was too dangerous to retrieve the 
bodies.
  In January of this year, the military notified his family that, 
through DNA, his remains were found, giving family and friends closure. 
And on May 10, 2005, Marine Second Lieutenant Heinz Ahlmeyer was 
interred with honors at Arlington National Cemetery.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague for seeking to honor the spirit 
and legacy of this Marine. Naming a post office in his memory is a 
small token of the appreciation that we can show.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge swift passage of this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may come consume to the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel), the sponsor of the bill.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from Illinois for 
yielding me time, and I thank my friend from Minnesota for being so 
helpful in passing this bill today.
  Mr. Speaker, my colleagues have said it all, but I want to add it is 
with honor that I stand here today to pay tribute to this brave 
American, an exemplary New Yorker, Heinz Ahlmeyer, Jr.
  Heinz Ahlmeyer, Jr., grew up in my district in Pearl River, New York, 
which is in Rockland County, a suburb of New York City. He was a 
popular high school athlete. He played football and baseball at Pearl 
River High School. His classmates remember him as a happy-go-lucky guy.
  After attending Rockland Community College, Ahlmeyer went on to 
graduate from the State University of New York in New Paltz. 
Immediately after college, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps at just 
23 years old in 1967.
  As a second lieutenant, he and three other Marines came under heavy 
fire from all sides, tragically, on just his first day in Vietnam. 
Because of the heavy fire surrounding the incident, the four Marines 
were presumed dead, but, sadly, Ahlmeyer's remains were never 
recovered, leaving his family and friends without any real closure or 
sense of peace.
  I must say that in Pearl River and Rockland County, it is a wonderful 
community, and people never forgot about Heinz Ahlmeyer, Jr., and wore 
tributes to him, wore wristbands and other things to show that the 
community has never forgotten him.
  So for almost 38 years, friends and family wondered if they would 
ever know exactly what happened to Heinz. Then, finally, in January of 
this year, they were unexpectedly notified by military officials that, 
through DNA samples, his remains were found, giving his family and 
friends and the community much-needed closure. This past May, 
Ahlmeyer's life was celebrated during his burial at Arlington National 
Cemetery.
  It is important that America, Mr. Speaker, honors their heroes of 
war, not just for their grieving family and friends but for future 
generations who might enter into combat. My deepest sympathy goes out 
to the Ahlmeyer

[[Page 24384]]

family who I hope may take small comfort in knowing that Heinz has a 
burial place closer to home. The Heinz Ahlmeyer Post Office in Pearl 
River will be a daily reminder to the community of his great sacrifice 
to his country.
  I might also add that, at all the parades on Memorial Day and 
Veterans' Day, the community has made it very clear that this is so 
important to everyone concerned, so important that we do the right 
thing, that I really must say I am touched and grateful to my 
colleagues for the promptness by which this bill has passed out of 
committee and has come to the floor. So I want to thank everyone on 
both sides of the aisle who has been involved with this.
  We can never bring Heinz Ahlmeyer, Jr., back, but we do always 
remember him personally, because he was such an exemplary young man and 
for what he stood for.
  When I check and see, he was only 3 years older than I am right now, 
but, unfortunately, cut down as a very, very young man. Three years 
older, if he had lived, he would now be entering his late fifties or 
early sixties.
  So we remember him. We show that we are a caring community, that we 
are a caring country, and this Congress is doing right by Heinz 
Ahlmeyer, Jr.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I would simply commend again the 
gentleman from New York for introducing this legislation.
  I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of 
my time.
  Mr. GUTKNECHT. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from New 
York for bringing this bill forward. This clearly is a fitting tribute 
to an American hero, and I would urge all Members to support passage of 
H.R. 3548.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Gutknecht) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3548.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. GUTKNECHT. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this question will 
be postponed.

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