[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 4483-4484]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   HAROLD GEORGE BENNETT POST OFFICE

  Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 2928) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 201 B Street in Perryville, Arkansas, as the 
``Harold George Bennett Post Office''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2928

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

     SECTION 1. HAROLD GEORGE BENNETT POST OFFICE.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 201 B Street in Perryville, Arkansas, 
     shall be known and designated as the ``Harold George Bennett 
     Post Office''.
       (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 ``Harold George Bennett Post Office''.

  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 five 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. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2928, introduced by 
Congressman French Hill of Arkansas. H.R.

[[Page 4484]]

2928 designates the post office located at 201 B Street in Perryville, 
Arkansas, as the Harold George Bennett Post Office.
  Sergeant Harold George Bennett enlisted in the United States Army in 
1957, and he served heroically in Vietnam. He was taken prisoner in 
that country, and on June 25, 1965, he became one of the first 
prisoners of war killed in Vietnam. Sergeant Bennett fought 
courageously, thinking not of himself, but thinking first and foremost 
of his colleagues.
  I will ask my colleague and the sponsor of this bill, Representative 
French Hill, to share the incredible story of Sergeant Bennett; but for 
now, I urge Members to support this bill to name a post office after 
Sergeant Harold George Bennett.
  Mr. Speaker, hearing his story inspires bravery in all of us, and I 
am hopeful that permanently naming a post office in remembrance of his 
sacrifice will serve to inspire generations to come.
  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 the consideration 
of H.R. 2928, a bill to designate the facility of the United States 
Postal Service located at 201 B Street in Perryville, Arkansas, as the 
Harold George Bennett Post Office.
  Born in Perryville, Arkansas, in 1940, Harold George Bennett followed 
in his father's footsteps by joining the Army. Sergeant Bennett served 
with the 82nd and the 101st Airborne Divisions and volunteered to serve 
in Vietnam in 1964. During his deployment, Sergeant Bennett acted as 
infantry adviser to South Vietnam's 33rd Ranger Battalion.
  On December 29, 1964, Sergeant Bennet's unit was airlifted to Binh 
Gia, a village overrun by the Viet Cong. Upon landing, they were met by 
enemy forces and a firefight ensued. A selfless man, Sergeant Bennett 
called off two separate helicopter pilots who attempted to rescue him, 
refusing to put their lives in danger to save his.
  With his unit overrun by Viet Cong, Sergeant Bennett was captured. He 
demonstrated courage and tenacity by participating in hunger strikes 
and attempting three times to escape captivity. Tragically, following 
his third attempt, Sergeant Bennett was executed, becoming the first 
American POW to be put to death during the Vietnam war.
  Sergeant Bennett was posthumously awarded a Silver Star for his 
heroic actions, in addition to receiving a Prisoner of War Medal, Army 
Good Conduct Medal, and a Purple Heart.
  Mr. Speaker, we should pass this bill to commemorate the great 
sacrifices Sergeant Harold George Bennett made for his country, as he 
selflessly and repeatedly put the lives of others before his own. I 
urge the passage of H.R. 2928.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Arkansas (Mr. Hill).
  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, a few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of going 
to the 50th anniversary commemoration of the Vietnam war in Little Rock 
and to see all the hugs and emotion at that event. Truly, it was a 
tumultuous time in our world. It was so good to see the healing that 
those men and women experienced at that 50th anniversary. I looked at 
that table set for the POW/MIA ceremony, and, of course, I was thinking 
about Sergeant Harold George Bennett from Perryville, Arkansas.
  Sergeant Bennett was born on October 16, 1940, in Thornburg, 
Arkansas, a very small town outside the beautiful Ouachita National 
Forest. A graduate of Perryville High School, he enlisted in the U.S. 
Army in 1957. He served as an airborne infantryman with the 82nd and 
101st Airborne Divisions--no finer units. He completed Special Forces 
training in 1963. From there, Sergeant Bennett volunteered to go to 
South Vietnam as a Special Forces adviser with the Military Assistance 
Command.
  On December 29, 1964, his unit was airlifted to a small village after 
it had been overrun by the Viet Cong. Upon landing, Sergeant Bennett's 
unit was confronted by enemy forces. Twice, he refused extraction by 
military helicopters, as he was concerned for the pilots' safety and 
wanted to continue the fight against the enemy. After a furious and 
courageous battle, Sergeant Bennett was taken prisoner by the Viet 
Cong. Like so many of his colleagues, he spent 179 days as a POW and 
attempted to escape three times at great risk. His captors executed him 
on June 25, 1965.
  Only 24 years old, Sergeant Bennett was the first American POW killed 
in Vietnam. And like so many other servicemen who lost their lives 
there, his remains have never returned home.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Smith of Nebraska). The time of the 
gentleman has expired.
  Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman such time as he may 
consume.
  Mr. HILL. After four decades, in 2004, Sergeant Bennett was inducted 
into the Ranger Hall of Fame at Fort Benning. In 2006, his family was 
presented with his Combat Infantryman's Badge, National Defense Service 
Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Prisoner of War Medal, Army Good Conduct 
Medal, and the Purple Heart. In 2010, Sergeant Bennett's family was 
presented with his Silver Star.
  Today, we honor Sergeant Bennett's heroism, bravery, and service by 
installing a permanent marker of his lasting contribution to his native 
State and to our Nation, both that he loved and served so ably.
  Duty, honor, and country--his example is one all Americans and 
Arkansans can admire, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting 
this bill.
  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. 2928.
  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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