[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 4482-4483]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


      FIRST LIEUTENANT SALVATORE S. CORMA II POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 3866) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 1265 Hurffville Road in Deptford Township, New 
Jersey, as the ''First Lieutenant Salvatore S. Corma II Post Office 
Building''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3866

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

     SECTION 1. FIRST LIEUTENANT SALVATORE S. CORMA II POST OFFICE 
                   BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located 1265 Hurffville Road in Deptford Township, 
     New Jersey, shall be known and designated as the ``First 
     Lieutenant Salvatore S. Corma II 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 ``First Lieutenant Salvatore S. Corma II 
     Post Office Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Iowa (Mr. Blum) and the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. 
Norton) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Iowa.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BLUM. 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 Iowa?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BLUM. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3866 introduced by 
Congressman Donald Norcross of New Jersey. H.R. 3866 designates the 
post office located at 1265 Hurffville Road in Deptford Township, New 
Jersey, as the First Lieutenant Salvatore S. Corma II Post Office 
Building.
  First Lieutenant Corma was an officer in the United States Army who 
gave his life while serving in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring 
Freedom.
  Lieutenant Corma died on April 29, 2010, of wounds sustained from an 
improvised explosive device. This came only weeks after returning to 
Afghanistan from visiting his home on leave.
  Lieutenant Corma was a dedicated soldier, a dedication that was 
evident throughout his life. He began martial arts at just 3 years old 
and continued with it throughout high school and college, even winning 
the silver medal for tae kwon do at the Junior National Olympics.
  Lieutenant Corma was also an excellent student. He was on the honor 
roll from kindergarten through his senior year of high school. He was a 
2008 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, 
where he was captain of the tae kwon do karate team.
  Mr. Speaker, Lieutenant Corma was a dedicated friend and fellow 
soldier.

[[Page 4483]]

According to his mother, he would call and check on his men every day 
while he was on leave. Once he even mailed them 300 energy drinks. His 
dedication continued through his death, a death that came far too soon.
  We will be forever grateful for the sacrifices First Lieutenant 
Salvatore Corma II made for his country.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to support this bill to name a post 
office to honor his life and his sacrifice.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in consideration of 
H.R. 3866 to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service 
located at 1265 Hurffville Road in Deptford Township, New Jersey, as 
the First Lieutenant Salvatore S. Corma II Post Office Building.
  Following his graduation from West Point in 2008, Salvatore Corma 
attained his Ranger badge, serving as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. 
Army's 82nd Airborne Division stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
  First Lieutenant Corma was deployed to Afghanistan, where he served 
as a platoon leader. On April 29, 2010, First Lieutenant Corma 
tragically lost his life while marking an IED in Zabul, Afghanistan.
  As his company commander noted when recommending First Lieutenant 
Corma for a valor award, marking IEDs is usually a soldier task, yet 
Salvatore Corma displayed not only his bravery, but also his leadership 
in knowingly putting himself in danger rather than his men. As he once 
told his mother: ``You have to lead from the front. You can never lead 
from the back.''
  First Lieutenant Corma's selfless leadership should be commended. His 
military awards include the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.
  Mr. Speaker, we all should be pleased to pass this bill to honor the 
valiant actions and steadfast leadership of First Lieutenant Salvatore 
Corma, who put the lives of others before his own.
  I urge passage of H.R. 3866.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield such time as he may 
consume to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Norcross). This is his 
bill.
  Mr. NORCROSS. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Norton for 
yielding. I also thank Chairman Chaffetz and Ranking Member Cummings 
for leadership and support for bringing this bill to the floor.
  I take this opportunity to introduce you to a name that no one in 
this Chamber had likely ever known, but it is a name and a legacy you 
should know and you need to know. It is my honor to be the one to share 
it with you. It is one of the reasons why we stand here today enjoying 
the many freedoms that we sometimes take for granted.
  The name is Army First Lieutenant Salvatore Corma II of Deptford 
Township, New Jersey. Sal grew up in south Jersey and even attended 
karate class with my own children before receiving a nomination to 
attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
  He graduated from West Point in 2008, and then it was on to Active 
Duty in the United States Army as a First Lieutenant in the Alpha 
Company, 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade 
Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
  Sal only stood 5 foot 6, but his leadership made him a towering 
figure among his fellow soldiers. It was that very leadership on that 
very dark day that stands out--far from the safety and security of his 
home in the south Jersey suburbs--in one of those most volatile places 
on the planet, Afghanistan. That day was April 29, 2010.
  Sal was leading his company when they spotted an IED, an improvised 
explosive device. Sal ordered his soldiers to back off. As they 
retreated, the IED detonated. It would take the life of Salvatore 
Corma. He was just 24 years old.
  Sal Corma is credited with saving as many as 17 of his fellow 
soldiers in that one heroic, selfless act. Many will tell you that Sal 
made history that day. We know he did, but it happens in ways that you 
will never know. Because of his heroism, those who survived that day 
will go on to protect the United States from threats and eliminate 
dangers around the world. Those soldiers will live on and continue to 
protect us. They continued the fight, carrying in their hearts the 
spirit of Sal Corma. They are all living tributes and a living history 
to his actions.
  Many of those soldiers will come home after service and start the 
American Dream of a family. That is something that was denied Sal. He 
will never get to marry or have kids, but his actions ensured that 
others will get that opportunity, all because of his valor. Sal Corma 
II is undeniably an American hero.
  What better way to pay tribute to his valor than with this 
legislation I present today, to rename the Deptford, New Jersey, post 
office as the First Lieutenant Salvatore S. Corma II Post Office 
Building.
  Like all of our Active Duty servicemembers and veterans, Sal deserved 
this honor in life, not just in death. It is our duty to preserve his 
legacy to remind our fellow citizens and the world of his bravery. So 
every person that crosses that threshold in Deptford will see the name. 
If they don't know it, I hope they will take a moment to read about his 
life and his legacy and what he did for us as a country.
  I respectfully ask for your unanimous support in my legislation to 
rename the Deptford post office the First Lieutenant Salvatore S. Corma 
II Post Office Building.

                              {time}  1700

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I urge 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 Iowa (Mr. Blum) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 3866.
  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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