To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 560 Bay Isles Road in Longboat Key, Florida, as the "Lieutenant General James V. Edmundson Post Office Building".

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4847) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 560 Bay Isles Road in Longboat Key, Florida, as the ``Lieutenant General James V. Edmundson Post Office Building''.

Mr. Speaker, 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 H.R. 4847, the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4847, a bill that designates the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 560 Bay Isles Road, in Longboat Key, Florida, as the Lieutenant General James V. Edmundson Post Office Building.

All Members of the Florida congressional delegation have cosponsored this legislation, and I am pleased to join with them today in urging the passage of this bill.

Lieutenant General James Valentine Edmundson was an American hero and veteran of World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. General Edmundson flew more than 10,000 hours, including 107 combat missions during World War II. In 1973, after 35 years of highly distinguished service in the United States Air Force, General Edmundson retired as Deputy Commander in Chief of the U.S. Readiness Command at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. General Edmundson's incredible list of distinctions includes the Army Distinguished Service Medal, the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support H.R. 4847, a bill that honors the valor and achievements of Lieutenant General James Valentine Edmundson. I thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Harris) for her work on H.R. 4847.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Harris).

(Ms. HARRIS asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of legislation that honors a true American hero. Lieutenant General James V. Edmundson served in the United States Army Air Corps and the United States Air Force for nearly 4 decades. During his career of selflessness and service, he flew a total of 181 combat air missions; 107 of these missions occurred during World War II, 32 transpired during the Korean War, and 42 took place in Vietnam.

Surviving Pearl Harbor, General Edmundson fought in the pivotal Pacific theater battles of Midway and Guadalcanal. During his distinguished career, he earned seven Distinguished Flying Crosses, eight air medals, three Legions of Merit, the Silver Star, and the Bronze Star. In his own words, however, the highlight of his career was ``flying as lead pilot in the formation of 500 B-29s over Tokyo Bay as the Japanese signed the surrender.''

General Edmundson retired from the Air Force in 1973, but his contributions to his community and to his Nation never ceased. Settling in southwest Florida in the town of Longboat Key, he served as mayor, vice mayor and town commissioner. Moreover, General Edmundson remained active in several community organizations, most notably the Kiwanis Club, which elected to him to its board of directors.

Sadly, General James V. Edmundson passed away on June 19, 2001, at the age of 86. He embodied the adage: ``It is not how they died that made them heroes, but how they lived.''

Mr. Speaker, in honor of this profile of courage and the values he cherished, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4847, which redesignates the U.S. postal facility located at 560 Bay Isles Road in Longboat Key, Florida, as the Lieutenant General James V. Edmundson Post Office Building.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join in consideration and urge strong support for H.R. 4847, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 560 Bay Isles Road in Longboat Key, Florida, as the Lieutenant General James V. Edmundson Post Office Building.

Lieutenant Edmundson was an outstanding pilot during the early days of the Army Air Corps and helped lay the groundwork for the United States Air Force to become the entity that it is today. It is fitting and proper that we would name a postal facility in his honor. I urge the passage of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of the following postal naming bills which have been received from the House en bloc: H.R. 5364, H.R. 4968, H.R. 4847, H.R. 4829, H.R. 4807, H.R. 4232, H.R. 480, and H.R. 5370.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the bills be read a third time and passed, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table en bloc, and that any statements relating to the bills be printed in the Record.