1st Lieutenant Andres Zermeno Post Office Building

Floor Speech

I rise in support of H.R. 6244, introduced by Congressman Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, which would honor the impressive legacy and the sacrifice of 1st Lieutenant Zermeno by naming a post office after him in Brownsville.

Mr. VICENTE GONZALEZ of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 6244, to rename the post office located at 1535 East Los Ebanos Boulevard in Brownsville, Texas, after 1st Lieutenant Andres Zermeno.

Mr. Speaker, 1st Lieutenant Zermeno was born November 30, 1984, in Brownsville, Texas. He went on to graduate from St. Mary's University in San Antonio. While a student at St. Mary's, he participated in the university's ROTC program and enlisted in the Texas National Guard.

After graduating from St. Mary's, he was commissioned into the United States Army as a first lieutenant. On September 25, 2011, while serving in a combat operation known as Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, while on patrol, 1st Lieutenant Zermeno was sadly killed in action by a rocket-propelled grenade.

Lieutenant Zermeno is a hero who laid down his life to protect our freedoms, leaving his loving wife and two children behind.

By passing H.R. 6244, we as a nation will honor 1st Lieutenant Zermeno and the sacrifice he made on behalf of our great Nation. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in honoring the life and legacy of an American hero.

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Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his compelling remarks, and I support passage of H.R. 6244. I yield back the balance of my time.

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