Neal Kenneth Todd Post Office

Floor Speech

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4899, which honors Neal Kenneth Todd, a former World War II U.S. servicemember and Purple Heart recipient.

At the age of 22, Todd was assigned to the USS Oklahoma as a Navy Fireman First Class, where he was stationed on December 7, 1941, which President Roosevelt, standing right below where you are, Madam Speaker, said, a day which will live in infamy, when the ship was attacked by the Japanese Air Force at Pearl Harbor.

The USS Oklahoma capsized, and Todd's fate was unknown to his family for months. He was eventually pronounced dead. His remains, along with the remains of other servicemembers, were recovered in the months following the attack but did not begin to be identified by the U.S. Department of Defense until 2015.

At long last, on February 11, 2021, Todd's remains were successfully identified and reunited with his brother, Orville, and his sister, Karen.

Todd was laid to rest with full military honors alongside his younger brother, Alfred, who also served in the Navy.

I encourage my colleagues to support this bill honoring an American servicemember and hero who made the ultimate sacrifice for our great Nation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 4899, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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