To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 110 Mastic Road in Mastic Beach, New York, as the "Brigadier General Nathaniel Woodhull Post Office Building".

I thank Mr. Clay for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of an American Revolutionary War hero, Brigadier General Nathaniel Woodhull, and I urge my colleagues to support my legislation to name the post office in Mastic Beach, New York, the Brigadier General Nathaniel Woodhull Post Office Building.

I thank all of my colleagues in the New York delegation for cosponsoring this bill and the Oversight and Government Reform Committee for reporting it to the full House.

I also wish to thank the community of Mastic, an area of my district that was hit very hard by Hurricane Sandy and has since demonstrated tremendous strength and resiliency. This bill is a tribute to a favorite son of Mastic and to a community that deserves recognition.

Born in 1722 to a prominent farming family in Mastic, New York, Nathaniel Woodhull entered the British military in 1758 and quickly achieved the rank of major. After experiencing battlefield success as an officer in the French and Indian War, Woodhull rejected the Crown's repressive colonial policies. Entering politics, Woodhull was elected to represent Suffolk County in the Province of New York Assembly in 1769. Six years later, he was selected to lead the rebellious New York Provincial Congress in its attempt to break free from British colonialism and establish New York as an independent State.

In 1775, Woodhull was named brigadier general of the militia of Suffolk and Queens Counties due to his vast experience as a former British officer. General Woodhull was ordered to undertake the tactical role of removing imperative American materiel from Jamaica, Queens, during the Battle of Long Island by General George Washington.

Overwhelmingly outmanned and outmaneuvered, the Continental Army was issued a calamitous defeat by the British at the Battle of Long Island, leaving General Woodhull and his troops vulnerable to capture by the advancing British army. General

Woodhull was captured by the 17th British Regiment on August 28, 1776. Woodhull peacefully tendered his sword to the British and accepted his detainment.

Though the details surrounding Woodhull's capture remain imprecise, legend purports that the British were unwilling to accept Woodhull's diplomatic surrender and ordered him to exclaim ``God save the King'' as punishment for his loyalty to the colonies. Woodhull refused, instead uttering ``God save us all'' when pressed by his captors.

Furiously, one British officer lashed out at General Woodhull and slashed him across the head and arm with his saber. The wounds to General Woodhull were debilitating. General Woodhull was incarcerated aboard a prison ship docked in New York Harbor, where he was neglected and contracted gangrene due to his untreated wounds. Woodhull's agonizing demise and the apparent refusal of the British to allow medical care galvanized the colonists, reinforcing the stigma of brutality surrounding their enemies. Nathaniel Woodhull died on September 20, 1776, the first high-ranking colonial officer killed in action during the American Revolutionary War.

Mr. Speaker, Nathaniel Woodhull embodied the patriotism and sacrifice of the early revolutionaries in the struggle for American independence. I hope you agree that naming the post office in Mastic is an appropriate honor given General Woodhull's service and ultimate sacrifice to the United States.

I urge a ``yes'' vote on this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3912) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 110 Mastic Road in Mastic Beach, New York, as the ``Brigadier General Nathaniel Woodhull 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 the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3912, introduced by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Bishop), will designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 110 Mastic Road in Mastic Beach, New York, as the Brigadier General Nathaniel Woodhull Post Office Building. The bill is cosponsored by the entire New York State delegation and was favorably reported by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on June 27.

Mr. Speaker, Brigadier General Woodhull was a great Revolutionary hero. He was a leader of the New York Provincial Congress and a brigadier general of the New York militia during the American Revolution. Woodhull fought gallantly for the freedom that we know today. Despite hardship, never did he stray from his dedication to a free United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, Brigadier General Woodhull is a very worthy designee of this postal facility naming, and I urge my colleagues to join me in strong support of this bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage of H.R. 3912, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee be discharged from the following postal naming bills en bloc and that the Senate proceed to their consideration en bloc: H.R. 3477, H.R. 3870, H.R. 3912, H.R. 5738, H.R. 5837, H.R. 5954, S. 3630, and S. 3662.

I ask unanimous consent that the bills be read a third time and passed en bloc, the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table en bloc, with no intervening action or debate, and that any related statements be printed in the Record.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield as much time as my colleague would like to consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Bishop), who is the sponsor of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I also urge my colleagues to pass this bill to continue to promote the legacy of Brigadier General Nathaniel Woodhull, and having no further speakers, I yield back the balance of my time.