[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 17]
[House]
[Pages 23568-23570]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             JOHN HERSCHEL GLENN, JR. POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. WELCH of Vermont. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 3052) to designate the facility of the United 
States Postal Service located at 954 Wheeling Avenue in Cambridge, 
Ohio, as the ``John Herschel Glenn, Jr. Post Office Building''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3052

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

     SECTION 1. JOHN HERSCHEL GLENN, JR. POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 954 Wheeling Avenue in Cambridge, Ohio, 
     shall be known and designated as the ``John Herschel Glenn, 
     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 ``John Herschel Glenn, Jr. Post Office 
     Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Vermont (Mr. Welch) and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Westmoreland) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Vermont.


                             General Leave

  Mr. WELCH of Vermont. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Vermont?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. WELCH of Vermont. Madam Speaker, as a member of the House 
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I am pleased to join my 
colleague in the consideration of H.R. 3052, which names a postal 
facility in Cambridge, Ohio, after John Herschel Glenn, Jr.
  H.R. 3052 was introduced by Representative Zach Space on July 16, 
2007, and reported from the Oversight Committee on July 19, 2007, by 
voice vote. This measure has the support of the entire Ohio 
congressional delegation.
  As America knows, Mr. Glenn, Senator Glenn, is a pioneering 
astronaut, pilot, former United States Senator, and a true hero with a 
distinguished and impressive career in service to our Nation. He was 
born on July 18, 1921, in Cambridge, Ohio. He entered the Naval 
Aviation Cadet Program in March 1942 and commissioned in the Marines 
Corps in 1943.
  After completing advanced training, he joined the Marine Fighter 
Squadron 155 and spent a year flying F-4U fighters in the Marshall 
Islands.
  During World War II, he flew 59 combat missions. After the war, he 
was a member of the Marine Fighter Squadron 218 on the North China 
patrol and served in Guam. From June 1948 to December 1950, Mr. Glenn 
taught advanced flight training in Texas. He volunteered for the Korean 
War, flying 63 missions and shooting down three enemy aircraft. He 
received the Distinguished Flying Cross 6 times and several other 
medals.
  He has many other accomplishments that I believe we will hear about 
from Representative Space when he has an opportunity to speak, but he 
is a person widely known to Americans, Republicans, Democrats, 
independents, people who are active politically, those who aren't, 
people who revere public service in the military and in politics as one 
of the most extraordinary Americans of our time.
  Madam Speaker, I commend my colleague, Representative Space, for 
introducing this legislation and urge the swift passage of this bill.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  (By unanimous consent, Mr. Boehner was allowed to speak out of 
order.)


         Announcing the Passing of Congressman Paul E. Gillmor

  Mr. BOEHNER. Madam Speaker, it is with profound sadness that I come 
to the floor today and inform all of my colleagues that our colleague 
from Ohio, Paul Gillmor, passed away suddenly overnight.
  Paul was a good friend to all of us, a colleague of mine who served 
in this House for nearly two decades after a long, distinguished career 
in the Ohio Senate. He was from Ohio, born there, raised there, went to 
school there. He is going to be missed by all of us.
  I want to make sure that we keep Karen and his children in our 
thoughts in this very difficult time.
  We will notify Members of the arrangements when they are made, but I 
would expect that later this afternoon the Members of the Ohio 
delegation from both sides of the aisle will be on the floor for a 
tribute to our friend.
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Madam Speaker, I would just like to offer my 
condolences to the Gillmor family at this tragic time in their life.
  Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I am honored today to speak about a highly esteemed former Senator, 
distinguished war veteran, astronaut, businessman and educator, John 
Herschel Glenn, Jr. He is well-known throughout the history of this 
country through both his career in Congress and his legendary work with 
NASA. John Glenn has served his country profoundly for decades and 
remains an active leader in his community.
  A lifelong resident of Ohio, he attended Muskingum College to study 
chemistry. Shortly after the attacks on Pearl Harbor, he enrolled in 
the Naval Aviation Cadet Program and earned a commission in the U.S. 
Marine Corps in 1943. He served his country in World War II as a 
fighter pilot, flying 59 combat missions.
  After returning to the U.S., he was transferred to the Naval Air 
Station, Maryland, where he has soon earned the rank of captain. His 
military service continued, and he saw battle in North China and Guam. 
He fought in the Korean War, participating in 63 air combat missions. 
His experience in combat fighting furthered as he attended additional 
flight training in Maryland. It was there that he tested flying planes 
at altitudes very high.
  In 1957 he completed the first supersonic transcontinental flight, 
code named Project Bullet. This historic flight was one of many great 
achievements for John Glenn's career in aviation.
  While still serving with the Marines Corps, Glenn was assigned to 
NASA as one of the legendary group of astronauts involved with Project 
Mercury.
  As a member of this elite group of astronauts, Glenn piloted the 
first American manned orbital mission in 1962, which I remember very 
well. It was the third mission.
  His mission brought him national fame and recognition as he was seen 
as an American hero. He resigned the NASA program in 1964 and one year 
later from the Marine Corps at the rank of colonel.
  John Glenn entered the private sector working for Royal Crown Cola. 
But his passion for public service soon got the better of him and he 
decided to run for public office in 1964. He was elected to the U.S. 
Senate in 1974 after years of campaign-related setbacks. He served in 
the Senate for 25 years. During his last term of office, he was invited 
by NASA to rejoin the space program that he had helped to create, 
therefore becoming the oldest person to travel into space at age 77.

[[Page 23569]]

  Upon retiring from the Senate, he moved back to Ohio permanently, 
where he and his wife founded the John Glenn Institute for Public 
Service and Public Policy at Ohio State University.
  The institute, which later became the John Glenn School of Public 
Affairs, educates and prepares students for careers in public and 
nonprivate sectors. Throughout his military career, his history with 
NASA, and upon retiring from the Senate, John Glenn has earned numerous 
prestigious awards, some of which include earning the Distinguished 
Flying Cross, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal and the 
Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
  In 1990, he was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. It is 
with great pride that we continue to honor his service to this country, 
and to his community through the naming of this post office in his 
hometown.
  Madam Speaker, with that, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WELCH of Vermont. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may 
consume to my colleague from Ohio (Mr. Space).
  Mr. SPACE. I thank the gentleman from Vermont for yielding this time.
  I would like to preface my remarks with my condolences to the family 
of Paul Gillmor as well, an Ohioan and a good man who will be missed.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3052, legislation to 
rename the post office in Cambridge, Ohio, after John Glenn.
  I appreciate the bipartisan support the Ohio delegation has shown for 
passage of this legislation, and am excited to see this bill honoring a 
true American hero.
  John Glenn was born in Cambridge, Ohio, a very small town in the 
beautiful rolling hills of Guernsey County. At a very young age, he 
moved to nearby New Concord, where he attended both high school and 
college.
  After graduating from Muskingum College, John Glenn answered the call 
to military service. As a naval pilot, he served in both World War II 
and the Korean conflict, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross on six 
occasions and the Air Medal with 18 Clusters.
  After leaving the military, John Glenn became a test pilot for the 
Naval Air Test Center. In 1957, he set a speed record by flying from 
Los Angeles to New York in 3 hours and 23 minutes.
  It was his experience as a pilot that led to his most celebrated 
accomplishments in aeronautics. In 1959, John Glenn volunteered to 
become one of the original seven Mercury astronauts, the first manned 
space flight program in the United States.
  Several years later, John Glenn embarked on his famous mission. In 
February of 1962, he became first man to orbit the Earth, completing 
that feat 3 times over.
  John Glenn's marvels were not merely limited to aeronautical 
achievements. Following the end of his career in aeronautics, Ohio was 
the fortunate benefactor of John Glenn's public service. He served as a 
United States Senator with dignity and honor for 28 years before 
retiring.
  As a freshman Member of Congress, I often look to examples to follow. 
I have had the good fortune of getting to know Senator Glenn in these 
last few months.
  As an example of his courage and character, he tells a story of what 
he was feeling when he was about to be blasted into space 45 years ago.

                              {time}  1300

  I asked him, were you afraid? And he very candidly offered his 
response of yes, he was, but he did it because it was the right thing 
to do. He and his lovely wife, Annie, discussed the fact that there was 
a very good chance that he would not come back, and they did it anyway. 
He did it with courage and honor. He did it because it was right for 
this country. And at this time, in our history, I think it would serve 
all of us very well, Madam Speaker, to follow the example that John 
Glenn presented for us, the trails that he blazed. He is, in fact, the 
best that this country has to offer. He has shown courage in the face 
of adversity. He has shown selflessness for the sake of making our 
country a better place.
  The Cambridge post office is one that has stood the test of time. For 
the better part of a century it has stood as a landmark in one of the 
central towns in my district. Moreover, the Cambridge post office 
serves the folks in the small town where John Glenn was born, and it's 
the same building in which John Glenn's distinguished military career 
began so many years ago when he registered for enlistment and service 
to his country. From this point onward it will bear a name of one that 
has brought much inspiration to the daily lives of Ohioans.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Spaker, I am pleased to rise in 
support of H.R. 3052, which designates the facility of the United 
States Postal Service located at 954 Wheeling Avenue in Cambridge, Ohio 
as the ``John Herschel Glenn, Jr. Post Office Building.'' I agree with 
Congressmen Space and Tiberi that it is long overdue for us to finally 
pay fitting tribute to an American hero who answered the call of 
service so many times, while asking nothing in return.
  John Glenn's life is truly an American story. Born in Cambridge, Ohio 
in 1921 and raised in New Concord, John Glenn spent his early years in 
Ohio. After graduating with a baccalaureate degree in engineering from 
Muskingum College, John Glenn began his distinguished military career 
as a Marine and fighter pilot. He flew 149 combat missions, in both 
World War II and the Korean War, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross 
six times.
  But more than his impressive record of military service, John Glenn 
will always be best known for his contributions to our nation's space 
exploration program. Glenn's experience and skill made him a logical 
candidate for the astronaut corps being formed during 1958. On February 
20, 1962, Glenn piloted the Mercury-Atlas 6 ``Friendship 7'' spacecraft 
on the first manned orbital mission of the United States. This endeavor 
was a critical political and scientific milestone. It revolutionized 
the perspective of the American people and instilled public faith in 
the fledgling space program, which at that time was lagging behind the 
Soviets in the ``Space Race.'' As a Member of Congress from the Houston 
area, the home of the Johnson Space Center, I personally want to think 
John Glenn for this great achievement. John Glenn always had the 
``Right Stuff,'' as the writer Tom Wolfe so aptly put it.
  After his famous flight, John Glenn returned to his home state of 
Ohio and went on to serve the state with distinction and honor in 
United States Senate. In his four terms in the Senate, John Glenn took 
a leading role in the effort to reduce nuclear weapons and government 
affairs. He was chief author of the 1978 Nuclear Nonproliferation Act, 
served as chairman of the Senate Government Affairs Committee from 1978 
until 1995, and was a leading member of the Foreign Relations and Armed 
Services committees and the Special Committee on Aging. Always willing 
to serve his country, John Glenn waged a spirited contest for his 
party's presidential nomination in 1984.
  In February 1997, John Glenn announced that he would retire from the 
Senate. A year later, NASA requested him to rejoin the space program he 
had helped to create as a member of the Space Shuttle Discovery Crew. 
John Glenn accepted the invitation and on October 29, 1998, at age 77, 
became the oldest human ever to venture into space. This voyage to 
outer space was no mere publicity stunt, however, thanks to John Glenn; 
NASA scientists gained much valuable information. Senator Glenn 
conducted the Canadian Space Agency's OSTEO (Osteoarthritis) experiment 
on board the Space Shuttle Discovery during the mission which 
contributed to our understanding of the aging process. The OSTEO 
experiment studied the underlying processes of bone loss and evaluated 
treatments. The research, supervised by John Glenn, was ideally suited 
for the space environment, as bone loss in space is four to ten times 
faster than during osteoporosis on Earth. The experiment demonstrated 
how bone mineralization decreases during space flight and also showed 
that a specific therapeutic agent, called recombinant human parathyroid 
hormone (PTH), is able to reverse this loss. The experiments were such 
a success, that the Canadian Space Agency is developing follow-up 
experiments on future space missions.
  Madam Speaker, I would again like to voice my support for H.R. 3052, 
and finally give back something to a man that has already given so much 
to his country. ``God Speed, John Glenn.''
  Mr. WESTMORELAND. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and so I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. WELCH of Vermont. Madam Speaker, I yield back my time.

[[Page 23570]]

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Welch) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 3052.
  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.

                          ____________________