To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 11662 Gravois Road in St. Louis, Missouri, as the "Lt. Daniel P. Riordan Post Office".

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to include, for historical purposes, information about my opposition to the construction of a McDonald's at Utulei Beach.

[Press Release, Apr. 26, 2006]

Faleomavaega Makes Final Appeal to McDonald's Corporation

Congressman Faleomavaega announced today that he has made a

final appeal to Mr. Jim Skinner, Vice-Chairman and CEO of the

McDonalds Corporation, in a letter dated April 26, 2006. The

letter was copied to Jonathan B. Jarvis, Regional Director of

the National Park Service, Governor Togiola, Lieutenant

Governor Ipulasi, President Lolo Moliga and Senators, Speaker

Matagi R. McMoore and Representatives, Lydia Faleafine of the

DOI in American Samoa, Peter Bush, Managing Director/CEO,

McDonalds Australia, Charles Tautolo, CEO of McDonalds

American Samoa, and Lelei Peau, Chairman, PNRS Board, ASG.

The full text of the Congressmans letter is included below.

Dear Mr. Skinner:

As a follow-up to my letter of May 25, 2005, I am once

again requesting your immediate intervention regarding a

decision made by McDonalds to build a new facility at the

Utulei Beach Park in American Samoa. Utulei Beach is the only

public beach in America Samoa and building at this site goes

against the core values of McDonalds which promotes an agenda

of community involvement, environmental protection, and a

promise to earn the trust of your customers and everyone else

affected by your business.

Most importantly, based upon relevant information including

documents, maps, and other material, there is a signed

agreement (attached) between the American Samoa Government

(ASG) and the US National Park Service (NPS) that places

Utulei Beach Park within the Land and Water Conservation Fund

Program (LWCF) as park land dedicated to public outdoor

recreational use in perpetuity. Also included with the

agreement is a map (attached) clearly showing that the

entirety of the Utulei Beach Park is included in the

agreement which places the proposed McDonalds within a

protected park area and violates ASGs agreement with the NPS.

Because ASG has accepted over $4 million from the federal

government since signing this agreement, I can assure you

that the NPS is prepared to take whatever legal action is

necessary against ASG and the McDonalds Corporation if this

matter is not expeditiously resolved. Please note that both

NPS and ASG are under the jurisdiction of the US Department

of the Interior and any action taken will directly involve

the US Secretary of the Interior and this will not be good

for ASG or for McDonalds.

As you know, last year I copied you on a letter I wrote to

Mr. Charles Tautolo, CEO of McDonalds American Samoa, in

which I requested a copy of the feasibility study of the

proposed plan to construct a McDonalds at Utulei Beach Park.

To date, I have not received a copy of the feasibility study

and I am very concerned about how the McDonalds Corporation

can support construction of a new facility at any location

when no environmental study has been conducted.

I also question how the McDonalds Corporation can support a

lease agreement which is itself under review by the court. In

brief, the Governor initially signed what he thought was a 9-

year lease agreement with an option of renewal for an

additional 20 years plus. However, the legal counsel for the

local Senate noted that the proposed lease was actually for

ten years and, as such, local law requires the lease to be

approved by the local legislature. Consequently, the counsel

for the Senate filed suit in court challenging the validity

of the proposed lease. While the case was pending in court,

the Governors counsel re-drafted the lease agreement to make

sure the terms of the lease was for less than ten years so

that it did not require legislative approval. ASGs attorneys

petitioned the court to dismiss the Senates lawsuit but the

court denied the request so this matter is also pending.

While it was my hope that the McDonalds Corporation would

have interceded and resolved this situation more than a year

ago for no other reason than it was the right thing to do, I

would strongly urge you to take action now before this

situation brings unwanted embarrassment to the McDonalds

Corporation. I would also suggest that you direct your

Managing Director for McDonalds Australia to be more

responsive to the concerns of the people of American Samoa. I

am extremely disappointed that he did not even offer a

courtesy response to my letter of almost a year ago and I

consider his lack of interest in this issue to be

unprofessional and unbecoming of a corporate official of the

McDonalds Corporation.

Considering that this issue now involves the federal

government and based on documentation provided by NPS which I

am convinced is correct, I am trying my best to prevent a

confrontation between the McDonalds Corporation, ASG, and the

US Department of the Interior. For this reason, I am making a

final appeal to you and I am hopeful that at your earliest

convenience you will work to favorably resolve this matter

and support efforts to put an end to construction of a new

McDonalds at Utulei Beach Park.

The Congressman concluded his letter by saying, As I have

previously stated, the people of American Samoa will support

the construction of a new McDonalds in American Samoa at any

other location. We also applaud the many valuable

contributions McDonalds has made in American Samoa and wish

you continued success.

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in honor of a great hero.

On June 23, 2007, Missouri's Second Congressional District lost a brave young man when United States Army First Lieutenant Daniel Riordan made the ultimate sacrifice for his country while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a moment to reflect on the life of this young patriot. Daniel Patrick Riordan was born to Rick and Jeanine Riordan on February 17, 1983. He had a twin brother, Nick, and an older sister, Suzanne.

After graduating from St. John Vianney High School in Kirkwood, Missouri, Dan attended Southeast Missouri State where he was in the Air Force ROTC program. After graduation, Dan decided to follow his father into the military and joined the U.S. Army, quickly becoming known as ``Lieutenant Dan.''

Lieutenant Dan became a tank commander, and in 2006, he was deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. As a member of Demon Company in the First Cavalry Division, Dan served with courage and determination. Despite frequently being outnumbered in enemy territory, Dan was always out on point, leading his platoon into battle. Dan took his leadership responsibilities literally. As he put it, ``How can I order my men forward if I'm not willing to go first?''

To those who knew Dan, his devotion to his country through service and sacrifice came as no surprise. He was both a fierce and dedicated warrior in the service of our country and a caring and loving gentleman who felt a duty to help those in need.

From a very young age, Dan showed sensitivity beyond his years. At the age of 5 or 6, while attending a funeral, Dan's mom found him sitting with an elderly woman. When she asked him why he was sitting with her, he said, ``She looked sad and lonely.'' It was this kind of compassion that drew him to the U.S. military, his desire to serve, help, and protect those in need.

While at home on leave from Operation Iraqi Freedom, Dan consistently reassured his family that our country's military efforts were truly bringing empowerment and freedom to the people of Iraq. He believed in a cause greater than himself, that of freedom, democracy, and the dignity of all people.

While in the Army, Dan wrote his mother a letter in case he didn't return. One thing he said was, ``Don't mourn for me, mom. Celebrate my life.'' So today, we celebrate First Lieutenant Daniel P. Riordan's life by designating the Sappington Branch Post Office in St. Louis, Missouri, as the Lt. Daniel P. Riordan Post Office.

The United States of America owes Dan a priceless debt that we will never be able to fully repay, but we can do our part to ensure that his memory lives on; therefore, it is my honor to sponsor H.R. 5386, a bill that names the Sappington Branch Post Office in Missouri's Second Congressional District after such a courageous young man, immortalizing a hero who gave up his life in service to the Nation that he loved.

Will the gentleman yield?

I would like to say that I have had the great pleasure and honor of sponsoring several of these post office namings for our fallen heroes, and I have to say it is one of the most moving, touching, and important things that we can do, I think, for our entire community and certainly for the families. So it is a great privilege and honor for me to support the Riordan family today, and I thank the gentleman for his kind words and the chairman for putting all of this forward.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5386) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 11662 Gravois Road in St. Louis, Missouri, as the ``Lt. Daniel P. Riordan Post Office''.

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, this bill, authored by Congresswoman Ann Wagner of Missouri, recognizes the last full measure of support for Lieutenant Daniel P. Riordan, and I can add nothing more than the author will add, so I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner).

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

In closing, I have no doubt that this will pass, as rightfully it should, but if I can take a moment, looking at that picture of the young lieutenant wearing his cavalry insignia, Armor is the only branch that I know of that has two insignias: one when you are stationed when you have heavy armor, one for the cav.

The fact is, in most wars, the enemy is ahead of you and you look for the enemy. In World War II and Korea, people talked about going to the front. In Iraq, there is no front. So every day Lieutenant Riordan knew he was at the front. Every day he knew in the light-armored vehicle he was riding in that, in fact, an IED could be cranked off either remotely or on his vehicle nearing it at any time.

Our men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan are not faced by an enemy who has a front. They are faced by an enemy that almost to a person hides behind improvised explosives. More of our soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen have died because of these devices, not by an enemy at a front, but by a bomb on the road. Lieutenant Riordan was no different.

So when you look at his awards and you look at the way he lived and died, he wasn't fighting a war in which he went to the front to face an enemy; he faced that enemy, and at any moment his life could end, as it did end, by a sneak attack that had no face on it.

The courage of our men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan is greater in many ways than those who had a reprieve from the front from time to time and who knew when they were going toward their enemy, whether it was toward, if you will, heavy fire or sniper. In Iraq and Afghanistan in the past, the present, and now in the future, our soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen face an enemy that they will likely never see, and they are in peril virtually every moment of the day and night. That special relationship is one that I hope the American people understand no generation has faced the way this generation faces.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support of the bill and yield back the balance of my time.

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

I want to thank the gentlelady for her eloquent description of a brave and strong person and a life well-lived, and I am touched by seeing that photograph of the young, strong, healthy, vibrant man who meant so much to his family, as he did to his country, and your story about him as a 5-year-old boy, I found quite touching.

There was just something in him that probably did come from his family that made him, even without knowing why, want to serve, and you can just imagine that that carried forward not only to people in his community and family but to the people of Iraq.

I also was reading about how his original objective in the military was to serve as a pilot. We don't know what the story was as to how he ended up in a tank, but what you know about that story is that his fundamental goal was to serve. How he served was secondary.

He was in a tank, which, as we all know, was one of the most dangerous places any of our men and women in service could be during the war in Iraq.

So I want to thank the gentlewoman for a very inspiring and eloquent statement about a life well lived, about a man who gave his life on behalf of all of us in the United States of America.

I yield to the gentlewoman from Missouri.

Likewise, we thank you for doing this.

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