thedrifter
02-16-07, 06:52 AM
Post offices honor troops
Updated 2/15/2007
By Gregg Zoroya and Monica Hortobagyi, USA TODAY
Federal lawmakers are increasingly naming post offices in their states after troops killed in combat, a tribute traditionally reserved for former members of Congress and famous figures such as Bob Hope and President Reagan.
Since 2003, the gesture has honored 26 servicemembers who died in Iraq and Afghanistan: 17 soldiers, seven Marines, a Navy Seal and an Air Force National Guardsman.
They include Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul Smith and Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham, both posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for gallantry in Iraq.
A mail center in Thomaston, Ga., will be renamed in a ceremony in April for hometown postal worker Robert Lee "Bobby" Hollar Jr. He was killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb in 2005 while serving with the Georgia National Guard. "I was ecstatic," says his widow, Amanda Hollar. "He was modest. He didn't like to brag. He didn't expect credit and recognition. … He would really be honored."
Laws naming post offices are the most common U.S. legislation, according to a 2005 Congressional Research Service study.
The 108th Congress (2003-2004) passed 89 such bills — eight that honored troops. The 109th Congress (2005-2006) passed 98 bills — 17 that honored fallen soldiers or Marines. One of the bills honored two servicemembers. Four bills are pending in the current Congress.
"It just seems to be a great way to honor our fallen soldiers back home where people have known them," says Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Fla., who sponsored two of the laws. "I always give the family time to grieve. At about anywhere from three- to eight-, nine-month period, I will ask them if they believe it would be appropriate to have a post office named after their loved one."
Postal Service guidelines require that a person be deceased for at least 10 years before his or her name is placed on a post office. Congress has ignored the restriction for decades, the Research Service study says.
The laws are easy, inexpensive gestures, the report says. The name on the outside of the building — commonly a geographical designation — is usually unaffected, says Postal Service spokeswoman Yvonne Yoerger.
The only practical difference is the posting of a plaque explaining the honorary name change in the post office lobby, Yoerger says. Each plaque measures 11 by 14 inches and costs the Postal Service $250 to $500.
Democrats and Republicans alike push the bills.
Ellie
Updated 2/15/2007
By Gregg Zoroya and Monica Hortobagyi, USA TODAY
Federal lawmakers are increasingly naming post offices in their states after troops killed in combat, a tribute traditionally reserved for former members of Congress and famous figures such as Bob Hope and President Reagan.
Since 2003, the gesture has honored 26 servicemembers who died in Iraq and Afghanistan: 17 soldiers, seven Marines, a Navy Seal and an Air Force National Guardsman.
They include Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul Smith and Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham, both posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for gallantry in Iraq.
A mail center in Thomaston, Ga., will be renamed in a ceremony in April for hometown postal worker Robert Lee "Bobby" Hollar Jr. He was killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb in 2005 while serving with the Georgia National Guard. "I was ecstatic," says his widow, Amanda Hollar. "He was modest. He didn't like to brag. He didn't expect credit and recognition. … He would really be honored."
Laws naming post offices are the most common U.S. legislation, according to a 2005 Congressional Research Service study.
The 108th Congress (2003-2004) passed 89 such bills — eight that honored troops. The 109th Congress (2005-2006) passed 98 bills — 17 that honored fallen soldiers or Marines. One of the bills honored two servicemembers. Four bills are pending in the current Congress.
"It just seems to be a great way to honor our fallen soldiers back home where people have known them," says Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Fla., who sponsored two of the laws. "I always give the family time to grieve. At about anywhere from three- to eight-, nine-month period, I will ask them if they believe it would be appropriate to have a post office named after their loved one."
Postal Service guidelines require that a person be deceased for at least 10 years before his or her name is placed on a post office. Congress has ignored the restriction for decades, the Research Service study says.
The laws are easy, inexpensive gestures, the report says. The name on the outside of the building — commonly a geographical designation — is usually unaffected, says Postal Service spokeswoman Yvonne Yoerger.
The only practical difference is the posting of a plaque explaining the honorary name change in the post office lobby, Yoerger says. Each plaque measures 11 by 14 inches and costs the Postal Service $250 to $500.
Democrats and Republicans alike push the bills.
Ellie