To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 14500 Lorain Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio, as the "John P. Gallagher Post Office Building".

Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Illinois and Mr. Issa. I rise in strong support of H.R. 6150, the bill that renames the post office at 14500 Lorain Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio, as the ``John P. Gallagher Post Office Building.'' I would like to again thank the chairman of the Federal Workforce, Postal Service and District of Columbia Subcommittee and his helpful staff for working with me on this bill.

I am proud to have sponsored this bill to honor Mr. Gallagher's lifetime of devotion to public service. Let me share with you the story of this man who was a member of what Tom Brokaw called ``The Greatest Generation.''

This is a quote from an article that was published on June 6, 2004. The subheading was, ``Like dwindling World War II comrades, vet shuns hoopla.''

``John P. Gallagher is one of the men we honor today. He is a proud veteran, but is also impatient with the embroidery and rhetoric that lingers after the smoke clears and the dead are buried.

``So the man who dodged bombs, bullets and a bad heart was asked whether he's a hero. `No,' he said in his modest room amid medals, patches and other mementos. `You did your job. That's all.'

``He was a combat engineer. He helped clear obstacles at Utah Beach before the infantry came ashore. His service is a virtual core sample of the big moments in the European theater.

``He was in North Africa after General Eisenhower led the Operation Torch Landings, in Sicily briefly, and then in Italy for the Rome-Arno campaign. He was at the little-known place in England called Slapton Sands, where GIs practicing for the invasion of France were surprised and slaughtered by German torpedo boats. Then there was Normandy, the Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes region of Belgium, and a Rhine River crossing.''

For his service in the 1st Engineer Special Brigade, along with the other members of the brigade, he received an exceptional honor during World War II. Charles de Gaulle, then the General Army and Chief of State, Major General of National Defense for France, sent this commendation for John Gallagher's unit: ``For exceptional services of war rendered during the course of the operations for the liberation of France, the 1st Engineer Special Brigade, including all units assigned or attached, which were part of the Assault Force U and which were engaged in the assault on Normandy beaches, this citation is of the order of and confers the Croix de Guerre with Palm, May 25, 1945,'' signed Charles de Gaulle.

This was a much-decorated unit, but this was a man who after he finished his service to our country he then went to serve our country in another way, at the city of Cleveland.

He was employed by the city of Cleveland for 30 years. He worked his way up to become Superintendent of Sidewalks. Those of you who are familiar with big cities can understand that when a city has thousands of miles of sidewalks, it is very important for those who deliver the mail, as well as people in the neighborhood, to have someone who pays attention to make sure that this infrastructure is kept in shape. That was John Gallagher's job. He served for six mayors of Cleveland, and he did such a good job that when he retired in 1987 he was honored by the city of Cleveland in a special commendation from then-Mayor John Voinovich.

Mr. Gallagher is someone whose service to the community went far beyond his work for the city of Cleveland. He was one of the primary advocates for the inclusion of programs for seniors in the city of Cleveland's Gun and Recreation Center. He actually led the charge to create new programs for senior citizens.

His home is across the street from a city park where he actually for the neighborhood for years has kept an eye on the park. He has been a lifelong parishioner of St. Vincent DePaul Parish, and he is a fixture each and every week, he has been a fixture until he came into ill health, volunteering as an usher at the 5:30 mass. He is someone who comes from a very strong Irish heritage. His father, who was a Cleveland policeman, was actually born in County Mayo, Ireland, and John lived with his father and took care of him for many years before he passed. John is very involved in the Irish community and is someone who has great respect across the city of Cleveland and throughout Cuyahoga County.

When we name post offices, we often name post offices after very famous people, after people who are politicians and are in public service, but we don't often get the opportunity to recognize the work of someone who, a World War II vet who served his country with honor, who continued in public service for many years and who today, like so many members of that greatest generation, just kind of wait their turn to be called to an even higher service.

This is a great opportunity for the House of Representatives to show that the kind of people who make up this country, that the kind of people who have served this country and made it the great Nation that it is, deserve recognition. And so for that reason I put forth this bill honoring the life and service of John P. Gallagher through naming this post office after him.

Madam Speaker, in furtherance of describing the kind of man that we are honoring here today, when the war was over and people went back about their business, John Gallagher had this idea that he should bring together all of his brothers who served together under these conditions of World War II and to find a way so they could reconnect. And so he was in charge of organizing this group. And for a period of 1963 all of the way through the year 2000, a period of 37 unbroken years, this band of brothers came together year after year after year under John Gallagher's leadership and organization and renewed not just their friendship but their dedication to the cause of service to their Nation.

John Gallagher also participated in a very important endeavor where he helped to organize his friends from across the country from the 1st Engineer Special Brigade to raise the funds to erect a monument which was on a German pill box on Normandy Beach in France with contributions from members of the 1st Engineer Special Brigade and under supervision of the brigade commander.

And inside the walls were plaques bearing the names of the men of the unit who died in battle.

The time comes when this generation will fade into memory. But those individuals who are still alive need to be forever reminded of the great gratitude that this country has for them, not just putting their lives on the line, but the youth of their lives on the line, for showing a continual love of country, for showing love for each other and their fellow soldiers.

I am so proud to be here to ask for your support because, in recognizing John Gallagher, we recognize all those who served who still remain with us for serving through their love of country.

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

Madam Speaker, I join with my friend and colleague from Ohio in urging support for H.R. 6150 to name the post office in Cleveland, Ohio, in honor of John P. Gallagher. Like the gentleman, I am also a Clevelander born and raised. Like many of us in the room, I know what Mr. Gallagher came home to after World War II. He came home to a Cleveland that had helped win the war. He came home to a Cleveland in which women had come out of their homes to work in all of the major plants. They worked in auto plants that were now making tanks. They worked in the steel mills. In fact, Cleveland won the war both by the men it sent off to war, and by the men and women who stayed home and worked those heavy industries.

So I very much believe it is appropriate and vital that we recognize the Cleveland workforce that made America great and won World War II. And, in fact, the common man, who did the uncommon thing, that was all too common in World War II, and that is going off and fighting for your country while others stayed home and made sure that the tanks, the steel, the tires all came to the battle.

And as a Clevelander, I recognized that Cleveland ran on resources. Cleveland ran on coal and iron ore. And yes, Cleveland ran and used to run very well on oil and natural gas, in addition to coal, that made our steel mills work and that made our auto companies produce.

Cleveland no longer runs that way. Cleveland is, in fact, a city that is now

needing to turnaround yet again. Why, among other reasons, because of $5 gasoline, the cost of home heating oil, the cost of living that is spiraling up much faster than the men and women of Cleveland have the ability to pay.

So as we honor Mr. Gallagher, I would hope that we also turn our focus to the need to deal with these natural resources that we now import, the copper we import, the coal that if we don't change we will soon be importing, certainly the steel mills that have gone to Korea; and yes, the half a trillion dollars a year of oil that we are importing from countries often hostile to us simply because we are not willing to open up exploration on our 2 billion-plus acres of Federal land.

So I join with my colleague in strong support of remembering what made America and Cleveland great, and I ask that we join together and do that again by passing comprehensive land opportunities for oil so that we too can be self-sufficient, as we were when Mr. Gallagher came home from World War II.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers at this time, and I would inquire of the majority if they have any additional speakers.

Then I continue to reserve.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself just 1 minute to thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich). I think often the famous get post offices named after themselves; but I would like to comment that the gentleman has done a wonderful job, Madam Speaker, of making someone less famous, but equally deserving, the subject of today and the subject of this post office.

And so once again I'd like to congratulate my colleague, not only on selecting somebody, but on doing a good job of making sure that we understood just who he was and what he contributed.

Madam Speaker, I yield back all of my remaining time.

Madam Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6150) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 14500 Lorain Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio, as the ``John P. Gallagher Post Office Building''.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.

Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield such time as he might consume to the author of this resolution, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich).

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

Madam Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I am pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration of H.R. 6150 which asks that we designate a postal facility in Cleveland after Mr. John Gallagher who served that city faithfully for over 30 years. H.R. 6150, which was introduced by Representative Dennis Kucinich on May 22, 2008, was reported favorably from the Oversight Committee on June 12 by voice vote.

The measure, which will name a post office after a truly humble and dedicated civil servant, has the support and sponsorship of the entire Ohio congressional delegation.

John Gallagher has been described as a man who served his country and the city of Cleveland with dignity for his entire life. At the age of 19, he joined the U.S. Army where he fought bravely in Europe during World War II. After his years of service, he returned to his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, where he would work for the city government for over 30 years, rising through the ranks to become Cleveland's Superintendent of Sidewalks.

Mr. Gallagher did not regard his commitment to the city of Cleveland as anything extraordinary, but that he was simply doing his job, that's all. Like many public sector workers in our country, Mr. Gallagher devoted his life to serving and working on behalf of his fellow citizens.

Therefore, Madam Speaker, let us extend a small token of our appreciation for the work of this outstanding gentleman by passing H.R. 6150 which will rename the postal facility on Lorain Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio, as the John P. Gallagher Post Office Building.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I have one additional comment.

Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich) for such time as he may consume.

Madam Speaker, we urge passage of this resolution, and yield back the balance of our time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to honor the memory of Margaret Lois Pryor Queen. Born 86 years ago in Henderson County, North Carolina, Lois Queen was a tireless advocate throughout her life for children in western North Carolina.

In 1942, Lois Queen graduated from Western Carolina Teachers College as the first female majoring in physical education. Throughout the 1950's and 1960's, she worked as a schoolteacher and an elementary school principal in North Carolina and Fairfax County, Virginia. She earned a master's degree in education from American University in 1969, while serving as a school principal.

In 1972, Queen was instrumental in the creation of the Southwestern Child Development Commission, a nonprofit agency designed to coordinate and generate community resources to support high quality child care services, including developmental day care, in the westernmost seven counties of North Carolina. Queen became the director of the Southwestern Child Development Commission in 1972. The organization now has a staff of over 300, and serves more than 2,000 children per month.

In the 1980's, Lois Queen continued to advocate for children as the chair of the North Carolina Day Care Commission. Even during her retirement, she served on the boards of the Southwestern Child Development Commission and REACH of Haywood County.

Lois Queen leaves behind 5 children and many grandchildren, nieces, nephews and friends. I offer my sincere condolences to them. They are in my thoughts and prayers. I would also like to offer my gratitude to those who follow the legacy of Lois Queen, and work with the Southwestern Child Development Commission to advocate each day on behalf of the children of western North Carolina.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in expressing remorse at to the passing of Lois Queen. Her life was an example of service and advocacy for all of us to follow.