Commander Delbert Austin Olson Post Office

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1830, the bill brought before the House by my fellow freshman and Congressional Women's Softball teammate, Julie Fedorchak, to honor Commander Delbert Austin Olson.

He is a hometown hero of Casselton, North Dakota, who served in World War II, the Korean war, and the Vietnam war as a member of the United States Navy. As part of Observation Squadron 67, while descending into a target area in Laos during the Vietnam war, his aircraft crashed in a remote mountainside on January 11, 1968, killing him and his crew.

His remains were not identified until 2002 after being recovered the year before. He was finally laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery in 2003 and received the Purple Heart and Navy Commendation Medal with Valor.

The Senate unanimously passed a similar version of this bill during the last Congress. I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring the life of Commander Olson by naming a post office in Casselton, North Dakota, after him.

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Ms. RANDALL. Mr. Speaker, I urge strong support for this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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