To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 100 Pitcher Street in Utica, New York, as the "Captain George A. Wood Post Office Building".

Madam Speaker, today we have the privilege of honoring our fallen hero, U.S. Army Captain George A. Wood. The bill before us would rename the Pitcher Street Post Office in Utica, New York, the George A. Wood Post Office Building, which is a fitting tribute to a man who paid the ultimate sacrifice to defend our freedom and our security.

Captain Wood bravely served our Nation in Iraq where he met an untimely death on November 20, 2003. However, his memory will live on. Every day, Captain Wood will be in the hearts of his family and his friends and his classmates and his comrades and our neighbors by virtue of the naming of this

public facility, this Federal facility in his honor.

He is survived by his wife Lisa and his 6-year-old daughter Maria, and to them we send the Nation's condolences on your great loss of yesteryear and our optimism on a more promising future because of what the Captain Woods do so often for so many.

Captain Wood was born and raised in upstate New York's beautiful Mohawk Valley. He was an accomplished athlete at Notre Dame Junior Senior High School, and if you are from our neck of the woods, you know those teams are just dynamite. He excelled at both football and track and field.

He was also, and this is very important, a superstar in the classroom. He graduated not just from Cornell University but later earned master's degrees from both the State University at New York in Albany and State University at New York in Cortland.

In the Armed Services, Captain Wood served for 8 years in the 4th Infantry Division in Fort Hood, Texas, and there he became fascinated with the history of our great military. As a matter of fact, Captain Wood dreamed of teaching history and coaching football at the West Point Military Academy. Had he not paid the ultimate price for our way of life, I am confident that he would have seen this dream become a reality.

Captain Wood's discipline, his love of learning and his fine character have made him a model citizen for all of his countrymen and generations to come, a true role model, a genuine American hero.

Both Captain Wood's father and his granddad worked at the Pitcher Street Post Office, so there is a special affinity for the post office in the Wood family, and it would be our utmost pleasure and distinct honor to designate the facility at Utica, New York, as the Captain George A. Wood Post Office Building in honor of a true American hero.

I want to thank my colleagues in the majority and the minority and on the committee for dealing with this very important issue. Oftentimes, as we deal with the major issues that affect so many people around the world, we sometimes neglect the littler things, but they are equally important. They are very personal. They have real meaning for so many, and I thank my colleagues for their support and their cooperation. I urge all of my colleagues to proudly vote ``aye'' for this measure.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4962) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 100 Pitcher Street in Utica, New York, as the ``Captain George A. Wood Post Office Building''.

Madam 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 the bill.

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

Captain George A. Wood of New York was killed on November 20, 2003, while fighting the war on terror in Iraq. Wood was on patrol when his tank rolled over an improvised explosive device. At the time, he was assigned to B Company, 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, based out of Fort Hood, Texas.

Growing up in New York's Mohawk Valley, Wood was a football and track star at Notre Dame Junior Senior High School in Utica, New York. He later went on to earn his degree from Cornell and completed his postgraduate work at both New York State University Colleges at Albany and Cortland. His lifelong dream was to teach history and coach football at West Point.

Captain Wood leaves behind his wife and daughter and many lifelong friends. His friends will always reminisce about his wonderful storytelling ability and his goodheartedness that was transparent in everything that he did.

I would urge all the Members to come together to honor Captain George Wood by passing H.R. 4962.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Boehlert).

(Mr. BOEHLERT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Madam Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage of H.R. 4962, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume.

As a member of the Government Reform Committee, I am pleased to join my colleague Representative Marchant in support of H.R. 4962, legislation sponsored by Representative Boehlert which names a post office in Utica, New York, after Captain George A. Wood. H.R. 4962, which was cosponsored by the entire New York delegation, was unanimously approved by the Government Reform Committee on June 29, 2006.

George A. Wood, a native New Yorker, was by all accounts a stellar person. A graduate of Notre Dame Junior Senior High School in Utica, George was a high school track and football star. After high school, he graduated from Cornell University and went on to earn master's degrees from New York State University Colleges at Albany and Cortland.

A history buff who was fascinated with military history, George joined the military and was assigned to B company, 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division based in Fort Hood, Texas.

Sadly, at age 33, Captain Wood was killed while on patrol in Baqubah, Iraq, on November 20, 2003, when his tank rolled over an improvised explosive device. Captain Wood is survived by his wife Lisa and daughter Maria.

Mr. Speaker, it is always difficult to learn of a soldier's death, but I commend my colleague for seeking to honor the legacy, sacrifice and accomplishments of Captain Wood by designating the Utica post office in his name. I note that Captain Wood's father and grandfather were postal employees at the Utica facility. How fitting.

Madam Speaker, I urge the swift passage of this bill.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I urge the swift passage of this bill. I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.