William L. Reynolds Post Office Building
Floor Speech
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Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 292) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 24355 Creekside Road in Santa Clarita, California, as the ``William L. Reynolds Post Office Building''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 292
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. WILLIAM L. REYNOLDS POST OFFICE BUILDING.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal Service located at 24355 Creekside Road in Santa Clarita, California, shall be known and designated as the ``William L. Reynolds Post Office Building''.
(b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States to the facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be a reference to the ``William L. Reynolds Office Building''.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill which would name a post office in Santa Clarita, California, after William ``Bill'' Reynolds.
William served in the Vietnam war and earned both the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. After serving, he moved with his wife, Meg, to the Santa Clarita Valley, where Reynolds dedicated his life to advocating for his fellow veterans.
Reynolds passed away in 2021 after organizing the memorial wall at Veterans Plaza in Newhall and accompanying the U.S. President to Da Nang in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam war.
Mr. Speaker, I support naming a post office in Bill Reynolds' memory. I am proud to honor his life of service to the American people and work to memorialize the memory of America's veterans.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. MIKE GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Comer and Ranking Member Raskin for their support on this very special bill for a real, true American hero.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 292, to name the post office in Valencia, California, after a true American patriot, Mr. Bill Reynolds.
This is a fitting tribute for someone who gave so much over the course of his life to this beautiful Nation. While his military service and heroism in the jungles of Vietnam with the famous Charlie Company warrant this honor alone, it was his tireless commitment to recognizing his fellow brothers and sisters in arms that cemented him as a lion in the veterans' community.
A lifelong resident of Southern California, Bill was drafted for service shortly after graduating from high school and went on to join the Army's Charlie Company, 9th Division, 4th Battalion, 47th Infantry Regiment. The ``Boys of `67'' is what they were known as.
Bill was a part of the only division to be raised, drafted, and trained for service in the Vietnam war. Despite being wounded in action in June of 1967, he continued fighting alongside his friends, defending his friends in the Mekong Delta, and was ultimately awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his bravery.
After his service, he embraced his proud identity of being a U.S. veteran and took every opportunity to advocate and support his brothers and sisters who served. He was one of the very first ambassadors for the Greatest Generations Foundation, he served as a member of the local American Legion Post, and he was a member of the Santa Clarita Veterans' Day Committee.
During the last decade of his life, Bill cemented his legacy as the most passionate and high-profile veterans advocate in the Santa Clarita Valley. He was single-handedly responsible for the installment of a memorial wall at the Veterans Plaza in Newhall, California. He accompanied the President and fellow veterans to Da Nang to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam war. He also worked as the director of veterans affairs for the two largest news publications in Santa Clarita.
As director of veterans affairs for both the Santa Clarita Signal and KHTS Radio, Bill Reynolds served as the historian for local veterans, writing more than 100 profiles in courage of hometown heroes; something that they could share with their families and relive their legacies.
Bill was also a devoted husband to the love of his life, Meg, and was a loving father and grandfather to his children and grandchildren.
Make no mistake, Mr. Speaker, our Nation is simply better because of Bill Reynolds. He embodied the very values that America was founded on and continues to hold to this day: love of country, grit, and service above all else.
Patriots like Bill Reynolds make the United States the greatest country in history. A small tribute like naming a post office after him is the least we can do. The debt of gratitude Americans owe to Bill Reynolds can never fully be paid.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me and pass this very special bill to honor a true American hero.
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Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, as the son of a veteran who served in Vietnam during the Vietnam war, I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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