[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 15588-15590]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1420
           SERGEANT LESLIE H. SABO, JR. POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 5954) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 320 7th Street in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, as the 
``Sergeant Leslie H. Sabo, Jr. Post Office Building''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5954

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

     SECTION 1. SERGEANT LESLIE H. SABO, JR. POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 320 7th Street in Ellwood City, 
     Pennsylvania, shall be known and designated as the ``Sergeant 
     Leslie H. Sabo, 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 ``Sergeant Leslie H. Sabo, Jr. Post Office 
     Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. Gosar) and the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona.


                             General Leave

  Mr. GOSAR. 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 the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Arizona?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  H.R. 5954, introduced by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Altmire), would designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 320 7th Street in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, as the 
Sergeant Leslie H. Sabo, Jr. Post Office Building. The bill is 
cosponsored by the entire Pennsylvania State delegation and was 
favorably reported by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform 
on September 20.
  Mr. Speaker, Sergeant Leslie Sabo, Jr., was known for his heroism 
while serving in the Army during the Vietnam War. He is a recipient of 
the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. He 
earned the medal for leading his company during an attack by a North 
Vietnamese force. Sergeant Sabo distributed ammunition to his fellow 
soldiers during heavy fire and provided cover to medical evacuation 
helicopters as they retrieved his injured comrades. During the battle, 
he was killed by enemy fire.
  Mr. Speaker, I am truly grateful for the brave and heroic service of 
Sergeant Sabo and for all those who serve and defend our Nation every 
day.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in strong support of this bill, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I am pleased to join my colleagues in support of H.R. 5954. And at 
this time, I would like to yield such time as he may consume to my 
friend and colleague from Pennsylvania (Mr. Altmire).
  Mr. ALTMIRE. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to stand here today to speak in 
support of my legislation to name the Ellwood City Post Office in honor 
of Sergeant Leslie Sabo. By passing this bill, we are playing a small 
part in paying tribute to an exceptionally heroic man and his family 
for the sacrifices they made for this country.

[[Page 15589]]

  Sergeant Sabo grew up in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania. He reflected the 
values of the blue collar steel town in which he grew up: kindhearted, 
hardworking, and dependable. He was drafted in 1969 and left the next 
year for Vietnam.
  In the early months of 1970, Sabo was platooned in Vietnam. They were 
difficult years for him. They endured unbearable heat and humidity as 
they pushed through jungles and rice paddies as well as monsoon rains 
that seemed to never end.
  In May of that year, Sergeant Sabo and his platoon were ambushed by 
the North Vietnamese soldiers in Cambodia. Amidst heavy fire, he ran to 
distribute ammunition to his fellow soldiers and was wounded as he 
threw himself over a wounded combatant to shield him from a grenade 
blast. Despite his wounds and the danger confronting him, Sergeant Sabo 
continued to provide cover to the medical evacuation helicopters as 
they retrieved wounded soldiers until he, himself, was killed by enemy 
fire.
  For his bravery, Sergeant Sabo was recommended to receive the Medal 
of Honor. However, the recommendation languished for decades until it 
was discovered in the National Archives in 1999 by Alton Mabb, a 
Vietnam veteran from Florida. After many more years and some prodding 
by my friend Congressman Gerlach, who is a native of Ellwood City, and 
myself, the Department of Defense finally announced in December of 2010 
that it would officially recommend to the President the award to 
Sergeant Sabo for the Medal of Honor.
  I was honored to attend the Medal of Honor ceremony with my friend 
Congressman Gerlach this past May. The award was long overdue and much 
deserved for Sergeant Sabo, his family, and the entire community.
  Sergeant Sabo left behind a wife who loved him, a brother who adored 
him, parents who cherished him, and a community that admired him. After 
many years, those who called Leslie a husband, brother, son, and friend 
are able to celebrate the man that made them all so proud. This year, 
Ellwood City dedicated a memorial and a bridge to Sergeant Sabo. This 
bill will allow the town to continue to celebrate its hero in another 
fitting tribute by naming the town's post office after Medal of Honor 
recipient Sergeant Sabo.
  I want to thank Chairman Issa and Congressman Cummings, the ranking 
member, for moving this bill through their committee and allowing it to 
come to the floor for the vote later this week. I urge my colleagues to 
support it.
  And I thank Mr. Clay for yielding me the time.
  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I also urge the passage of H.R. 5954 and 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to my 
distinguished colleague from the State of Pennsylvania (Mr. Gerlach).
  Mr. GERLACH. I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank the 
Speaker for this time. And a special thanks to my colleague from 
Pennsylvania, Congressman Altmire, for the sponsorship of this 
legislation.
  I rise today to recognize Congressional Medal of Honor hero Army 
Sergeant Leslie Sabo, Jr., who was a resident of my hometown of Ellwood 
City, Pennsylvania, and proudly served in the 101st Airborne Division 
during the Vietnam War.
  Sergeant Sabo arrived in Vietnam on November 14, 1969, and fought on 
a piece of ground called Hill 474. On May 5, 1970, his company moved 
into Cambodia and was engaged in daily firefights for 5 days. On May 
10, his company was caught in a deadly ambush; but despite being 
wounded three times by enemy fire and from a hand grenade, he continued 
to purposely draw enemy fire towards himself in order to allow his 
wounded comrades to be safely evacuated. Tragically, he died of his 
wounds on that hill.
  A few years ago, after being informed that Sergeant Sabo's Medal of 
Honor review by the Department of Defense had languished for many 
years, I was pleased to work with my colleague, Representative Altmire, 
to have the Department reevaluate this case and ultimately recommend 
that the President posthumously award Sergeant Sabo the Medal of Honor. 
On May 16, we were both very honored and privileged to be at the White 
House for the President's presentation of this Medal of Honor award to 
the Sabo family.
  Today I am, likewise, honored to have joined Representative Altmire 
in sponsoring this bill to rename the post office in Ellwood City the 
Sergeant Leslie H. Sabo, Jr. Post Office Building. It is important for 
the citizens of Ellwood City, of Pennsylvania, and of our entire Nation 
to have a permanent public reminder of one of our greatest local 
heroes.
  His story is a powerful reminder of the sacrifices our soldiers make 
in order to keep our country safe. Each day in America, we enjoy 
unprecedented freedom thanks to the distinguished service and 
tremendous sacrifices of our servicemen and -women and their families. 
While we can never fully repay the debt we owe our troops and our 
veterans, we can assure them and their families that we will always 
remember their extraordinary service.
  The legislation before us today appropriately honors Sergeant Sabo's 
service and sacrifice, and I urge my colleagues to support it.
  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, having no further requests for time, let me 
again urge my colleagues to vote in support of H.R. 5954, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage of 
H.R. 5954, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 
5954--To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service 
located at 320 7th Street in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, as the 
``Sergeant Leslie H. Sabo, Jr. Post Office Building.''
  On 10 May 1970, Sp4c. Leslie H. Sabo Jr. distinguished himself while 
serving as a rifleman against hostile forces in the Se San area during 
the Cambodian Operation west of Pleiku. Specialist Sabo was in the rear 
element of a reconnaissance patrol when it was ambushed by a large 
enemy force. While firing his automatic weapon from his defensive 
position, Sp4c. Sabo saw that his comrades were being assaulted by a 
flanking enemy force. He immediately turned his fire in the direction 
of the attacking enemy and with automatic weapons fire and grenades he 
was able to halt the insurgents from moving forward even though he was 
wounded while doing so. Then from his defensive position, Sp4c. Sabo 
saw a wounded comrade about 10 meters to his right and disregarding his 
own wound he rushed to help the fallen soldier. A grenade was thrown 
into the friendly area from a nearby enemy ditch and Sp4c. Sabo threw 
himself on top of the wounded soldier to protect him from the blast. He 
was again wounded in the back from the grenade. He then took one of his 
own grenades and assaulted the ditch, threw his grenade into the ditch 
and killed two enemy soldiers. Now seriously wounded, Sp4c Sabo 
retrieved three bandoleers of ammo and was able to make it back to his 
original defensive position. As he threw extra ammo to another comrade 
he was again shot in the leg area and fell behind a small tree. As two 
wounded soldiers were trying to get to a tree line to be evacuated out 
of the combat area, enemy fire was pointed in their direction 
preventing them from getting to the helicopter. Sp4c. Sabo with 
multiple wounds stood up from behind his only cover, a small tree, and 
opened fire on the enemy that was preventing the evacuation. While 
their fire was now diverted toward Sp4c. Sabo, the two wounded soldiers 
were able to get to the helicopter safe. Sp4c. Sabo was hit with 
automatic weapons fire multiple times and died from his wounds. Through 
his indomitable courage, complete disregard for his own safety and 
profound concern for his fellow soldiers, he averted loss of life and 
injury to the members of his patrol.
  Leslie Sabo first came to my attention when a constituent, Alton 
Mabb, Jr. asked me to recommend his friend Leslie Sabo for the Medal of 
Honor. This was in 2002. After many years and the White House and 
Pentagon losing and finding the paperwork that I sent they finally were 
ready to recommend a yes to the medal, but the award was too late and 
we needed a special amendment in the Defense Authorization bill to 
allow this to happen. I worked with Chairman Ike Skelton to get it into 
the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008.
  I was pleased when President Obama finally awarded the Medal of Honor 
to Sergeant Sabo earlier this year, and believe that naming this Post 
Office after him is a fitting tribute. I

[[Page 15590]]

want to thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for his leadership on 
this bill and thank all those men and women who defend this Nation 
every day.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 5954.
  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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