Specialist Justin Dean Coleman Memorial Post Office Building

Floor Speech

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Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1823, legislation to designate the East Fort Dade Avenue post office in Brooksville, Florida, as the Specialist Justin Dean Coleman Memorial Post Office Building.

I never had the chance to meet Army Specialist Coleman, but after hearing from his family, advocating for this particular piece of legislation with my colleagues, and vowing to honor his memory, I certainly wish I had.

A native of Tampa Bay, Justin attended the Nature Coast Technical High School in Hernando County. Upon graduation, he felt called to service and enlisted in the Army in June 2007. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, part of the 10th Mountain Division.

While serving during Operation Enduring Freedom, his expected 96-hour mission to retake Barge Matal from the Taliban turned into a 60-day mission, Mr. Speaker.

Justin and his platoon searched for Taliban combatants in a house-to- house sweep through a local village. Sadly, during those sweeps, Specialist Justin Dean Coleman was shot and killed while maintaining a security patrol for his platoon.

Due to Specialist Coleman's sacrifice, his platoon was able to identify the enemy and successfully counterattack, which resulted in no other soldiers dying that particular day.

A true hero, Mr. Speaker, Specialist Coleman made the ultimate sacrifice, earned the Bronze Star, and will forever be remembered for his bravery.

Clearly, Specialist Justin Dean Coleman is a hero who deserves to have the Brooksville, Florida, post office named in his honor.

Lastly, I recognize the tireless advocacy of Justin's father, Dean Coleman. For many years, Dean has been on a crusade to honor his son with this recognition. He has been a tireless advocate for his son's memory. May his son's memory be eternal.

As Dean's new Federal Representative, I am glad we are here today to move this dream forward, and I will not stop advocating for Justin Coleman and the entire Coleman family until this bill is signed into law.

Let's honor this American hero by passing H.R. 1823.

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