[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 3] [House] [Pages 3222-3223] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]SGT. MICHAEL M. KASHKOUSH POST OFFICE BUILDING Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5400) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 160 East Washington Street in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, as the ``Sgt. Michael M. Kashkoush Post Office Building''. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 5400 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SGT. MICHAEL M. KASHKOUSH POST OFFICE BUILDING. (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal Service located at 160 East Washington Street in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, shall be known and designated as the ``Sgt. Michael M. Kashkoush 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 ``Sgt. Michael M. Kashkoush Post Office Building''. [[Page 3223]] The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) and the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois. General Leave Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Illinois? There was no objection. Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume. As a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I stand with my colleagues from the Buckeye State of Ohio in consideration of H.R. 5400, which renames the postal facility in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, in honor of Sergeant Michael M. Kashkoush. H.R. 5400 comes to us with widespread support from the Ohio congressional delegation, yet the measure was first introduced by my colleague, Representative Steve LaTourette, back on February 12, 2008. The measure was taken up by the Oversight Committee on February 26, 2008, where it was passed by the panel by voice vote. H.R. 5400 calls for honoring Sergeant Kashkoush's service to our country by naming the post office in his hometown of Chagrin Falls after him. Assigned to the 3rd Intelligence Battalion, III Marine Expeditionary Force, Okinawa, Japan, Sergeant Michael M. Kashkoush succumbed to his death on January 23, 2007, as a result of fatal wounds received while conducting combat operations in Iraq's Anbar province. Born and raised in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, Sergeant Kashkoush was a graduate of Chagrin Falls High School, where he was instrumental in taking the school's football and wrestling teams to winning seasons before electing to enlist in the Marine Corps after graduation. Sergeant Kashkoush was only 24 years old when he died in the line of duty as a counterintelligence/human intelligence specialist attached to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division. Mr. Speaker, in honor of Sergeant Kashkoush's sacrifice and service to America, let us pass without reservation H.R. 5400. I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield to my good friend, Mr. LaTourette of Ohio, a very fine Congressman, for such time as he may consume. Mr. LaTOURETTE. I thank the gentleman from Indiana for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I first want to thank Chairman Waxman and Ranking Member Davis for moving this legislation expeditiously through the committee and on to the floor today. And I want to thank the other Mr. Davis from Illinois and Mr. Burton for so ably managing it today as well. Mr. Speaker, Michael Kashkoush grew up in Michigan, and then he moved to Chagrin Falls to start high school. He was the beloved son of Marwan and Mary Jane Kashkoush. He spent his freshman and sophomore years in Chagrin Falls, and then moved with his family to London for a year and returned to Chagrin for his senior year, graduating in 2001. Michael was like many young men. His high school years had been about girls, friends, lifting weights, sports, and parties. He started college with great intentions, but didn't find it a good fit for that moment in his life and, after 2 years, he announced to his parents that he wanted to join the Marines. The exceptionally bright and capable young man said that he had led a soft life and wanted to be a marine because ``they're the toughest and most disciplined in the world.'' The Marines were the matching puzzle piece for this gifted former high school wrestler and football player. Michael's father urged him to finish college and instead attend officers school, but Michael believed he could not lead unless he knew what it was that the grunts had to do. Marwan Kashkoush stood behind his son's choice. Michael was an exemplary marine and was promoted to sergeant in 2005 in counterintelligence/human intelligence. He had never spoken Arabic, but at the Defense Language Institute in 6 short months he mastered the language. He had a limitless future in the Marines. In 4 short years, the United States Marine Corps made Michael Kashkoush a man. They gave his self-described ``soft life'' purpose. He was very proud of his military service to our country. On January 23, 2007, just 10 days after being sent to Iraq, he died while conducting combat operations in Anbar province. Earlier this year, Michael's father and stepmother, Phoebe Brockman Kashkoush, wrote to me and asked me if I would introduce this piece of legislation in honor of Michael. It was a wonderful idea, and it is a perfect one for Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Chagrin Falls is a small, tight-knit community where neighbors are close and there is a genuine sense of community. It is a place where there are almost as many American flags as front porches, and when one of their own died, it deeply touched the community. Chagrin Falls, a town of about 4,000 people, turned out en masse for the funeral services, and some 600 people crammed into St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, where they sang a joyful, tearful rendition of Don McLean's ``American Pie.'' The Jaycees adorned street posts with hundreds of flags, and more than 300 people walked the half-mile trek from the church down South Franklin Street in blustery snow to Michael's final resting place. It is fitting, Mr. Speaker, that the Chagrin Falls Post Office be named in honor of Sergeant Michael Kashkoush, and it is a wonderful remembrance for a family who has lost so much. The father who first resisted his son's plan to enlist credits the Marines with changing his life. He said, ``They built me my best friend.'' Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I was looking at the picture of Mr. Kashkoush, and all I can say is he exemplifies the thousands of young men and women who have gone to serve their country in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere in the world. And we just can't say enough about young people like that who go out there and risk their lives to protect our freedoms. I am very happy that my colleague from Ohio took the time to introduce this legislation, and I am very happy to support that. I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5400. The question was taken. The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it. Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays. The yeas and nays were ordered. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. ____________________