[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 15459-15460]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




U.S. NAVAL CONSTRUCTION BATTALION ``SEABEES'' FALLEN HEROES POST OFFICE 
                                BUILDING

  Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 6138) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 560 East Pleasant Valley Road, Port Hueneme, 
California, as the U.S. Naval Construction Battalion ``Seabees'' Fallen 
Heroes Post Office Building.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 6138

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

     SECTION 1. U.S. NAVAL CONSTRUCTION BATTALION ``SEABEES'' 
                   FALLEN HEROES POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 560 East Pleasant Valley Road, Port 
     Hueneme, California, shall be known and designated as the 
     ``U.S. Naval Construction Battalion `Seabees' Fallen Heroes 
     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 ``U.S. Naval Construction Battalion 
     `Seabees' Fallen Heroes Post Office Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. Gosar) and the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Ms. 
Plaskett) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona.


                             General Leave

  Mr. GOSAR. 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 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. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6138, introduced by the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Brownley). The bill designates a post 
office in Port Hueneme, California, as the U.S. Naval Construction 
Battalion ``Seabees'' Fallen Heroes Post Office Building.
  The Seabees were founded during World War II to help complete 
construction projects, such as airstrips and bridges necessary to help 
U.S. servicemen win the war. These brave servicemen and -women have 
since risked their lives in many conflicts to build bases, roadways, 
airstrips, and other construction projects, often in combat zones while 
under fire.
  I look forward to hearing more about the achievements of the Seabees 
from the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Brownley). For now, I urge 
Members to support the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. PLASKETT. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6138, a bill to 
designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 
560 East Pleasant Valley Road, Port Hueneme, California, as the U.S. 
Naval Construction Battalion ``Seabees'' Fallen Heroes Post Office 
Building.
  For over 70 years, the Seabees have provided critical naval 
construction capabilities during times of war. They assisted in the 
Normandy invasion during World War II, cut a mountain in half, and 
carved through a jungle to build a runway during the Korean war, 
constructed military facilities during the Vietnam and gulf wars, and 
supported combat forces in Iraq. Today they continue to build and 
maintain bases and infrastructure for coalition forces in the global 
war on terror.

[[Page 15460]]

  In addition to their military support, the Seabees have also provided 
vital humanitarian assistance around the world in times of peace. They 
have helped rebuild after devastating earthquakes, such as the one in 
Haiti in 2010, and they have led various construction projects in a 
number of undeveloped countries.
  Mr. Speaker, we should pass this bill to honor the brave men and 
women who have played such an important role in both our military and 
humanitarian efforts around the globe. I urge my colleagues to support 
H.R. 6138.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOSAR. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to 
the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Brownley).
  Ms. BROWNLEY of California. Mr. Speaker, as the very proud 
representative of Naval Base Ventura County, the West Coast home of the 
Navy Seabees, I rise today in support of H.R. 6138, which would 
designate the United States Postal Office in Port Hueneme, California, 
as the U.S. Naval Construction Battalion ``Seabees'' Fallen Heroes Post 
Office Building.
  My bill is intended to honor the many brave men and women of the U.S. 
Naval Construction Battalion, also known as the Seabees, who have made 
the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. In their more than 70-year 
history, the Seabees have diligently and honorably served our great 
Nation in times of war and peace with their renowned can-do spirit. 
They say: ``The difficult we do immediately. The impossible takes a 
little longer.''
  First established in 1942 after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the 
Seabees were created to meet the demand for capable builders who could 
also fight. Their motto is ``We build, we fight.'' During World War II, 
over 250,000 Seabees passed through the Naval Construction Battalion 
Center at Port Hueneme on their way to or from the Pacific theater.
  The Seabees also played vital roles in the Korean war, the Vietnam 
war, the Persian Gulf war, the Iraq war, and in Afghanistan, moving the 
immovable and taming the untamable to build bases, roadways, airstrips, 
and other critical infrastructure necessary for our troops to succeed 
in their missions.
  Although primarily known as builders, many Seabees fought tenaciously 
throughout these conflicts, side by side with other servicemembers. For 
instance, Construction Mechanic Third Class Marvin Glenn Shields, who 
trained at Port Hueneme, battled bravely alongside U.S. Special Forces 
in the Battle of Dong Xoai in Vietnam despite being badly wounded. 
Ignoring his wounds, Marvin helped return a wounded special forces 
second lieutenant back to safety while destroying a Viet Cong machine 
gun emplacement. His bravery and heroism cost him his life. For his 
conspicuous gallantry, Marvin was awarded the Medal of Honor after his 
death.
  My bill would honor the contributions of all of our fallen Seabees to 
our Nation. I am both honored and proud to lead this effort to 
recognize the heroism of many brave Seabees like Marvin Shields who 
have paid so dearly for our freedom. We are forever indebted to them 
for their immense service to our Nation.
  Finally, I would like to thank the chair and ranking member of the 
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform for supporting my bill, as 
well as my colleagues from California who are all cosponsors of the 
bill. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 6138.
  Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of the bill. I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  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. 6138.
  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.

                          ____________________