To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2016 East 1st Street in Los Angeles, California, as the "Marine Corps Reserve PVT Jacob Cruz Post Office".

Mr. Speaker, Latino servicemembers have been vital to the defense of our country, including the thousands who have made the ultimate sacrifice. It is important that our communities and our government pay tribute to the diverse history of Latinos in the United States military, which is why I am proud that the House passed my bill, H.R. 5900, honoring World War II hero, Private Jacob Cruz, an Angeleno and Boyle Heights resident, and a United States Marine Corps Reserve private.

Private Cruz was 17 years old and a junior at Roosevelt High School when he asked his single immigrant mother, Gracia Cruz, a custodian at White Memorial Medical Center, for permission to enlist. After initial training, Private Cruz shipped off to the Pacific where he gave his life running ammunition boxes to gunners amid enemy fire during the Battle of Tarawa in 1943.

Private Cruz's heroic devotion to duty posthumously earned him the Silver Star and the Purple Heart. Unfortunately, his remains were not recovered after he was killed. During a storm in 2019, Mother Nature brushed away a house where the battle took place, and the remains of Mr. Cruz were found. In 2020 they were identified, and in 2021 they were finally returned to Private Cruz' family for a long-awaited proper burial with full military honors.

In recognition of Private Cruz' service and sacrifice, the House passed H.R. 5900 designating the Boyle Heights Post Office as the Marine Corps Reserve Private Jacob Cruz Post Office.

I take a moment to give thanks to Private Cruz' family, including his brother, Isaac; his sister, Ruth; his nephews, Mike and Isaac; and his niece, Alta, who have kept Private Cruz' legacy alive in Boyle Heights for almost eight decades and never gave up the fight to bring him home.

As we approach Memorial Day, I urge the Senate to pass H.R. 5900 to honor Private Cruz' sacrifice and those of other Latino military heroes, both fallen and alive, in Los Angeles and across the country for decades to come.

Roosevelt High School, where Private Cruz attended, has a long history, as well as Garfield High School, in giving up boys to go to fight the World Wars. There is a football game called the East L.A. Classic between Roosevelt and Garfield. The 4 years during World War II were the only years that they couldn't field a team on either side. This is an honor of Private Cruz, but it is also an honor of all the Latino men who gave their lives during our conflicts, especially during World War II.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5900) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2016 East 1st Street in Los Angeles, California, as the ``Marine Corps Reserve PVT Jacob Cruz Post Office''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5900, to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 2016 East 1st Street in Los Angeles, California, as the Marine Corps Reserve PVT Jacob Cruz Post Office.

Private Jacob Cruz grew up in Boyle Heights and was the second born of five children. At the age of 17, Private Cruz enlisted in the Marine Corps.

As part of the 2nd Marine Division, his mission was to secure the island of Betio in order to control the Japanese airstrip in the Tarawa Atoll. Tragically, during the battle of Tarawa, Private Cruz was killed. Private Cruz was declared unrecoverable for 77 years before his remains were identified and returned home to his family in Los Angeles.

On March 25, 2021, he was then laid to rest with full military honors. He was the recipient of numerous awards and citations, including the Silver Star, Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, World War II Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal, Marine Corps Presidential Unit Citation, Asiatic-Pacific

Theatre Campaign Medal, Marine Corps Medal, and the Gold Star Lapel Button.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to join me in paying respect to this World War II hero by naming the post office at 2016 East 1st Street in Los Angeles, California, as the Marine Corps Reserve PVT Jacob Cruz Post Office.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this important bill, H.R. 5900, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, tonight, I am honored to speak about Private Jacob Cruz, a marine killed in the World War II Pacific campaign.

Private Cruz fought bravely alongside other marines and soldiers who were also killed in battle. However, until recently, many of these American heroes were laid to rest abroad in unknown or lost graves.

In 2019, thanks in part to the Virginia nonprofit History Flight, Private Cruz's remains were finally identified. Later in 2021, his remains were finally returned to the United States and returned to his family members. Private Cruz now lies in rest here in the United States, the country he gave his life defending.

Today, we honor this American hero by renaming a U.S. Post Office in his honor. I support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of the following bills en bloc: Calendar No. 473, H.R. 5271; Calendar No. 475, H.R. 5900; Calendar No. 476, H.R. 6386; Calendar No. 516, H.R. 5659; Calendar No. 517, H.R. 1095; and H.R. 5349, H.R. 5650, H.R. 5865, H.R. 5952, H.R. 6042, H.R. 6218, H.R. 6220, H.R. 6221, H.R. 6630, H.R. 7519, H.R. 7638, H.R. 8226, H.R. 8026, and H.R. 7514, all of which were received from the House.

I ask unanimous consent that the bills be considered read a third time and passed and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc.

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