To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 123 South 9th Street in De Pere, Wisconsin, as the "Corporal Justin D. Ross Post Office Building".

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the chairman, the gentleman from Texas. I want to thank the gentleman from Missouri for letting me come down here, for recognizing the sacrifice of a family from Green Bay, Wisconsin.

This is always a difficult time. I can hear the emotions of the voices of my colleagues as they speak about Justin and about Corporal Ross and his family and the sacrifice.

I have to tell you, Madam Speaker, there is probably nothing more difficult to do than to try to craft some speech, some words, some language here today that would honor Corporal Ross and his family in a way that is sufficient to the sacrifice that this family had.

You have already heard a little bit about Corporal Justin David Ross. He was born on September 14, 1988, and served in the Army Reserve. He was a member of the 863rd Engineer Battalion in Wausau, Wisconsin.

Tragically, he was killed on March 26, 2011. The anniversary of his death, Madam Speaker, is just 2 days from now. That will be 3 years since this family lost their son and this country lost its hero.

Corporal Ross was the first servicemember from the 8th Congressional District of Wisconsin killed in the line of duty after I began my first term in Congress in 2011. I was sworn in, in January of 2011, and 90 days later, Justin was killed.

He served his country honorably. He earned numerous awards for his service, including the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star and nine other meritorious service awards.

The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform passed this bill by a voice vote without any objection. It is also, as was mentioned by the gentleman from Missouri, supported by virtually every member of the Wisconsin House delegation.

So how do we go about honoring Justin Ross? How do we go about honoring his mom and dad, Ron and Debbie? How do we honor his brothers?

It is almost impossible to do so because we have a tendency to almost falsely believe that Justin was about a chevron on a sleeve, a medal on his chest, or a service ribbon that he wore on his uniform.

Those are the things that Justin did and the accomplishments that Justin had. They weren't really who Justin was. Justin did serve as a soldier in the Army, and he did die in the line of duty on behalf of his country, but he was more than that.

Imagine a family back in 1988 welcoming their son to this Earth and picking him up and cradling him in their arms, not knowing that they were cradling a hero. They couldn't possibly

have known 22 years ago what would happen to their son. I thank them for their sacrifice. This means a lot to our country. It means a lot to this family.

I am sorry I get choked up, but this matters to us. It matters to our country. The loss that was there is significant, every single one. I knew Justin. His dad was a pastor. His grandfather was a pastor.

He lived under the teachings of those two men who taught him in the book of Thessalonians to lead a quiet life. He did that. If you listen to the way his friends and his family talked about him, they often mention how quiet, almost shy that Justin was. He did that.

He followed the teachings of the apostle Paul. When the apostle Paul told us that no greater love is this than to lay down a life for a friend, not only did he lay down his life for his friends and his comrades, he was doing a clearance mission.

Madam Speaker, he was going in front of our troops, clearing out IEDs and making the way safe. He gave his life so others didn't have to. He gave his life for people that he loved. There was no greater love than this, as we are taught by the apostle Paul.

Jesus himself said to love your neighbor as yourself, and Justin did just that. All through his life, he lived by the teachings of his faith; but what his grandfather taught him, what his dad taught him, what his mom taught him, he lived those values out every single day.

Now, I know that Justin would want one thing because Justin cared a lot about his comrades. He would be embarrassed to think that we were naming this post office in his name alone. There were four other soldiers that were killed in the 8th District of Wisconsin.

I want to remember them today as well because it is about them, too. Sergeant Paul Atim from Green Bay; Staff Sergeant Matthew Hermanson from Appleton; Staff Sergeant Eppinger from Appleton; and Staff Sergeant Bear from Elton, Wisconsin, all of these soldiers gave their lives on behalf of this country. Their brave and selfless service deserves to be remembered.

So what do we do? We take the time, and we say thank you, and then we blazon Justin's name on a post office, so that when the citizens of De Pere, Wisconsin, go into that post office, they see their hero's name and remember. That is what we should do today.

I thank my colleagues for supporting this bill.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1228) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 300 Packerland Drive in Green Bay, Wisconsin, as the ``Corporal Justin D. Ross Post Office Building'', as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may be given 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.

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

H.R. 1228, introduced by the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Ribble), would designate the facility of the United States Postal Service, located at 123 South 9th Street, in DePere, Wisconsin, as the Corporal Justin D. Ross Post Office Building.

Army Specialist Justin Ross was killed in action while serving in Operation Enduring Freedom. Assigned to the 863rd Engineer Battalion, Army Reserve, Wausau, Wisconsin, he died on March 26 in Afghanistan. Justin was posthumously honored and promoted to corporal.

Corporal Ross was wounded when his unit came under small arms fire from insurgents while on a route clearance mission. He was the only casualty and the first of the unit. Only 22 at the time of his death, Corporal Ross was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and meritorious service medals.

Corporal Ross was a 2007 graduate of Bay Port High School and joined the military in October of 2007. Those close to him understood that serving in the Army was a lifelong dream of Justin's. His parents knew that he loved being part of the mission in Afghanistan.

His unit had high praise for their fallen brother. They said he was an outstanding soldier that loved being in the Army and loved working with his fellow soldiers. He will be remembered by his family, friends, church, community, and fellow soldiers as a wonderful man who was proud to serve his country.

Madam Speaker, it is an honor and a privilege to stand before this body today and honor the memory of a true American hero. I am grateful for the service of Corporal Ross and for all those who serve and protect us each and every day. I urge all Members to join me in strong support of this bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Ribble), my friend and colleague.

Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

I am moved by Mr. Ribble's speech. I am moved by the sacrifices that men and women make every day serving this country. I do think nothing could be more appropriate than honoring the memory of Corporal Justin D. Ross by naming the post office building in De Pere, Wisconsin, after him.

I urge all of my colleagues to join me in voting for this bill, H.R. 1228, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, March 26th, 2014 and Thursday, March 27th, 2014 I was unable to be in Washington, DC and vote on the legislative business during these two days. Unfortunately, the tragic mudslide in Snohomish County, Washington required me to return to my district to help my constituents in the aftermath of this disaster.

I would now like to submit how I would have voted had I been present.

I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 142: On Ordering the Previous Question for consideration of H. Res. 524, a resolution providing for consideration of H.R. 1459, the Ensuring Public Involvement in the Creation of National Monuments Act. Had I been present I would have voted ``no.''

I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 143: On Adoption of H. Res. 524, a resolution providing for consideration of H.R. 1459, a resolution providing for consideration of H.R. 1459, the Ensuring Public Involvement in the Creation of National Monuments Act. Had I been present I would have voted ``no.''

I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 144: On motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 1228, Corporal Justin D. Ross Post Office Building in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Had I been present I would have voted ``yes.''

I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 145: On Agreeing to the Tsongas Amendment No. 3 to H.R. 1459, the Ensuring Public Involvement in the Creation of National Monuments Act. Had I been present I would have voted ``yes.''

I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 146: On the Motion to Recommit with Instructions H.R. 1459, the Ensuring Public Involvement in the Creation of National Monuments Act. Had I been present I would have voted ``yes.''

I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 147: On Passage of H.R. 1459, the Ensuring Public Involvement in the Creation of National Monuments Act. Had I been present I would have voted ``no.''

I was unable to vote on rollcall No. 148: On motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 4278, Ukraine Support Act. Had I been present I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, today I was unavoidably detained due to a family emergency and missed the following votes:

Motion on Ordering the Previous Question on the Rule providing for consideration of H.R. 1459. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on this motion.

H. Res. 524--Rule providing for consideration of H.R. 1459--Ensuring Public Involvement in the Creation of National Monuments Act. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on this bill.

H.R. 1228--A bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 123 South 9th Street in De Pere, Wisconsin, as the ``Corporal Justin D. Ross Post Office Building,'' as amended. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on this bill.

H. Res. 524--Rule providing for consideration of H.R. 1459--Ensuring Public Involvement in the Creation of National Monuments Act (Rep. Bishop (UT)--Natural Resources). Had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on this rule.

An amendment, offered by Ms. Tsongas, numbered 3 printed in House Report 113-385 to preserve the ability of the President to declare as national monuments those that provide for the ``protection or conservation of historic or cultural resources related to American military history,'' regardless of their size. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on this amendment.

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

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. 1228, a bill to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 300 Packerland Drive, Green Bay, Wisconsin, as the Corporal Justin D. Ross Post Office Building.

The measure before us was introduced on March 15, 2013, by my colleague, Representative Reid Ribble of Wisconsin.

In accordance to committee requirements, the bill before us is cosponsored by all members of the Wisconsin delegation. H.R. 1228 was reported out of House Oversight and Government Reform Committee by unanimous consent on March 12, 2014.

At this time, Madam Speaker, I would like to just thank the Ross family for their son giving the ultimate sacrifice in serving this country.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I too am prepared to close.

I want to urge the passage of H.R. 1228, and I yield back the balance of my time.