Jose Ramos Post Office Building

Floor Speech

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Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from California for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 3144, a bill to designate the United States Postal Service Facility located at 8520 Michigan Avenue in Whittier, California, as the Jose Ramos Post Office Building.

Jose Guadalupe Ramos was born September 17, 1948, in East Los Angeles. He enlisted in the Army in 1965, while he was a sophomore at Garfield High School.

Mr. Ramos served this country in Vietnam as an Army combat medic, often risking his own life caring for others. Mr. Ramos was wounded in Vietnam and was awarded the Purple Heart.

Upon returning home, he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, yet his passion and commitment to our country and his fellow servicemembers didn't end.

Many of our veterans at the time found themselves caught in and confused by the crossfire of the public debate over the war in Vietnam. At times, some faced sharp criticism and isolation. Mr. Ramos saw this and decided that he was going to do something about it.

He dedicated his time delivering a message of his experience and those of his fellow veterans to all those who would listen, traveling to universities, schools, and prisons to carry this message.

He undertook a grueling cross-country bicycle trek to draw attention to and advocate for the long overdue ``welcome home'' that Vietnam veterans never received.

I was honored to work with Mr. Ramos and the Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans organization that he helped found. At his urging, I used the resources of my office to advocate for a national Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day. In our years of working together in this cause, I had a true friend and a partner in that effort. Mr. Ramos' passion inspired many.

The memories of what he endured in service to our country remained with him throughout his life. At times, they presented obstacles. However, he cherished the time spent with grandchildren, his participation in religious pilgrimages, and enjoying life's simple pleasures, like the sunrise and sunset of each passing day.

We lost Jose Ramos in 2017 to pancreatic cancer, a loss not only for his wife, Sylvia, his children, and grandchildren, his loss also left a hole in our community in Whittier. Renaming the Whittier Post Office in his honor is a fitting tribute to Jose Ramos and a very small token of gratitude from a grateful nation for his service.

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

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