jesse, his real hawaiian name, known professionally in japan as takamiyama daigoro, was a trail blazer in the sport of sumo wrestling in every sense of the word. . he was worn in the great state of hawaii and became the u.s.-born wrestler to go into sumo in japan. when he came to japan to enter the sumo wrestling ring he was new to japan. despite having no prior experience in japan with sumo wrestling he quickly mastered the sport's physical and unique traditions. he was also master the japanese language and the nuances of the japanese culture. takamiyama daigoro competed in over 1,400 matches winning 12 gold stars and prizes. in 1972 he became the first foreigner to win the emperor's cup, the top division

championship in the sport of sumo wrestling. after that victory, the u.s. ambassador read a message from president nickon marking the first time english words were used, ever spoken at a sumo tournament. takamiyama daigoro to this day is the first and only foreigner to open his own training stable for sumo wrestlers. i urge my colleagues to support the passage of this resolution. and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from florida is recognized. mr. bilirakis: mr. speaker, i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. bilirakis: i rise in support of this resolution which gives long overdue recognition to the accomplishments of sumo champion takamiyama daigoro, who won japan's top division championship in 1972. this native son of hawaii, also known as jesse kuhaulua, was

the first foreigner to achieve this distinction since competitive sumo tournaments first appeared in the 16th century. athletes have long been recognized as good will ambassadors who can often promote international understanding more effectively than professional diplomats. two years ago, for example, former secretary of state couldn't pleasea rice named baseball legend cal ripken jr. as good will ambassador to spread the will of diplomacy. mr. daigoro, who retires at the age of 65, spent 3 1/2 decades using his athletic skills promoting understanding and friendship between the people of the united states and the people of japan. i, therefore, join ms. hirono and my congressional colleagues from the aloha state in supporting this resolution, which offers congratulations and thanks to this outstanding

athlete for his remarkable record in sumo, for his role in diversifying that had previously been exclusively a japanese sport and for his service as an athletic good will ambassador to our close ally, japan, for the past 37 years. happy birthday, jesse, thank you for your many accomplishments and good luck in your future endeavors. and i do yield back the balance of my time. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from american samoa. mr. faleomavaega: mr. speaker, at this time i'd like to yield all the time she may want to consume, the gentlelady and the chief sponsor of this bill, the gentlewoman from hawaii, ms. hirono. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from hawaii is recognized. ms. hirono: thank you, mr. speaker. i'd like to thank the gentleman for yielding me this time and also i'd like to thank neil abercrombie and the previous speaker for his kind and knowledgeable remarks.

and you pronounced his name correctly, too, which is wonderful. thank you. h.res. 479 recognizes the accomplishments of jesse kuhaulua, which is known as takamiyama daigoro, a trail blazer in the sport of sumo wrestling. maui born, jesse made his bay due as an aspirant in 1974 in osaka. at the time he knew little of the japanese language and the subtleties of the sport itself. he wondered if his stay in japan would be counted in weeks or months. today, takamiyama daigoro will retire from a 45-year-long sumo career filled with historic milestones. this marks the day before his 65th birthday when senior members of the sport must retire. takamiyama daigoro was the first united states-born wrestler to enter the sport of sumo. in 1972 he became the first foreigner to win the emperor's

cup, a top division championship in the sport. he was also the first foreign-born wrestler to climb to sumo's third highest rank of sakiwaki. he trained future generations in the sport after he stopped actively competing himself. takamiyama opened the doors to others to join him in the most ancient of sports. this group includes saleva'a atisano'e, also known as konishiki who reached ozeki. akebono who reached the highest rank. and also many others. today, foreigners from other countries, such as mongolia,

russia and georgia have attained higher rankings and remarkable acclaim in this most ancient of japanese sports. i urge my colleagues to support this recognition of jesse kuhaulua, a true ambassador of the aloha spirit. i yield back the balance of my time. mr. faleomavaega: mr. the gentlelady yield? ms. hirono: yes, i will yield. mr. faleomavaega: mr. speaker, i want to commend and thank my good friend my colleague from hawaii from sharing with us her statement concerning these outstanding athletes. maybe and ode to my colleagues in the house, just to give you and indication of what these gentlemen looks like, tack yamminga, he was 6'4" and weighed 350 pounds at the height of his ability -- takamiyama, he was 6'4" and weighed 350 pounds at the height of his ability.

akebono, chad rowan, is about 6'8" and weighed almost 500 pounds. and so was musashimaru, both yokozuna, which is the highest level of the championship in japanese sumo wrestling. and musashimaru, who was about 6'4", weighed almost 500 pounds as well. don't be misled by the fact that these gentlemen may be heavy. they say that in sumo wrestling they -- when one little push or shove with one arm, they could literally hurt you. i've seen personally the training these gentlemen go through about six or seven hours a day. and in building their -- and you have to do the splits. so you -- believe it or not, these gentlemen can do the splits just like you would be doing a ballet dancing, if you will, in terms of the conditioning and the ability that they have to really strengthen themselves when they go to the mat and conduct the sport, this ancient sport of sumo wrestling. again, i do want to thank my

good friend. ms. hirono: i will -- will the gentleman yield? mr. faleomavaega: i will yield. ms. hirono: israel kamaka wrote a wonderful song about our hawaiian sumo wrestlers calling them gentle giants. i yield back. mr. faleomavaega: i will note to the gentlelady that konishiki prepared one of our family members. he was about 5'10" and 450 pounds. we tried to get him into sumo wrestling. unfortunately, the sumo federation refused to allow more polynesians to participate in this ancient sport of sumo wrestling. with that, mr. speaker, if my good friend from the other side has yielded and with that i also want to thank, again, my good friend for her sponsorship and many sponsors of this important resolution. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time.

the question is will the house suspend the rules and agree to house resolution 479. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended and the resolution is agreed to and without objection a motion to reconsider is laid on the table.

the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from massachusetts rise? mr. lynch: good afternoon, madam speaker. i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill h.r. 2325. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 2325, a bill to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 1300 matamoros street in laredo, texas, as the laredo veterans post office. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. lynch, and the gentleman from california, mr. bilbray, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: thank you, madam speaker. i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. lynch: i now yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the

gentleman is recognized. mr. lynch: madam speaker, i am pleased to present for consideration h.r. 2325, which is legislation to designate the united states postal facility located at 1300 matamoros street in laredo, texas, as the laredo veterans post office. introduced by my colleague, representative henry cuellar from texas on may 7, 2009, and reported out of the oversight committee by unanimous consent on june 4, 2009, h.r. 2325 enjoys the support of the entire texas house congressional delegation. as evidence by the short title of the bill, madam speaker, the legislation before us seeks to pay tribute to all the brave men and women from the city of laredo, texas, as well as the state of texas and across the united states who have served our nation in the united states military both at home and abroad. over 23 million american

military veterans are currently living in the united states, including nearly two million veterans living in the state of texas alone. these fine americans as well as those that are no longer with us have devoted their lives to the defense and security of our nation, notwithstanding the great personal risk and sacrifice they must endure. we are eternally grateful in their debt and forever grateful for their noble and selfless dedication to our nation and the preservation of its founding principles. madam speaker, i again want to thank the gentleman, mr. cuellar from texas, for being the lead sponsor of this legislation and offering such a thoughtful and consider the measure in honor of his constituents. with that, let's us pay tribute to the distinguished service of our veterans from the city of laredo, from the state of texas and across the nation by designating the laredo post office in their honor. i urge my colleagues to join me and representative cuellar in

supporting h.r. 2325, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. bilbray: thank you, madam speaker. i yield movies myself. -- i yield myself such time as i may consume. today, madam speaker, i urge passage of the bill designating the facility of the united states postal service in laredo, texas, as the laredo veterans post office. madam speaker, the deeds and accomplishments and the many services of the individuals of texas who served our armed forces is written in the archives of american history. their deeds -- these military personnel occupy an important role in our own history. and in this regard the citizens of texas and the city of laredo set a high standard for courage and for service for all of those of us in this country. today i ask that we honor these brave texans for their service

and commitment and heroism in defense of america, thus designating the united states post office in laredo in their honor. madam chair, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. mr. lynch: madam speaker, at this time i'd like to yield for five minutes to the gentleman who is the lead sponsor of this legislation, the gentleman from texas, mr. cuellar. mr. cuellar: thank you, mr. speaker. i appreciate the leadership that you did on this committee. mr. bilbray, thank you for your the work that you've done and served in a bipartisan way in the oversight committee. i rise in support of h.r. 2325 to name the post office at 1300 matamoros street in laredo, texas, as the laredo veterans post office. as you see in laredo, you will see in that history virps have played an important role.

the veterans of laredo, texas, have served in a very distinguished way in many of the wars that we had. many of them have sacrificed from world war i, world war ii, the vietnam war, korea and in other conflicts that we had up to the most latest war that we had. i think it's only appropriate that we name the post office which is in front of a plaza or it's also recognized as way that we recognized the veterans. it plays an -- it is in an appropriate place. i ask you to join me in support of h.r. 2325 where we name the laredo post office at 1300 matamoros after the brave men and women that we have in laredo to be named as the laredo veterans post office. at this time i yield back the balance of my time. thank you very much. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from california. mr. bilbray: i continue to reserve. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman continues to reserve.

the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: madam speaker, we have no further speakers at this time. however i continue to reserve. mr. bilbray: madam speaker, i yield back the at this time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california yields back his time. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: madam speaker, i just urge our colleagues to join with congressman cuellar and naming this post office in memory and in honor of our united states and texas veterans. with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2325. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. mr. lynch: madam speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman rise? mr. lynch: i'd like to request the call of the yeas and nays. the speaker pro tempore: the yeas and nays are requested. all those in favor of taking this vote by the yeas and nays will rise and remain standing

until counted. a sufficient number having arisen the yeas and nays are ordered. pursuant to clause 8 of rule 20 and the chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. for what purpose does the gentleman from massachusetts rise? mr. lynch: madam speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 2422 as amended. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will read the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 2422, a bill to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 702 east university avenue in georgetown, texas, as the kyle g. west post office building. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. lynch, and the gentleman from california, mr. bilbray, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: madam speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. mr. lynch: madam speaker, i now

yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman is recognized. mr. lynch: madam speaker, as chairman of the house subcommittee with jurisdiction over the united states postal service, i am pleased to present h.r. 2422 as amended for consideration this afternoon. the bill before us will designate the united states postal facility located at 702 east university avenue in georgetown, texas, as the kyle g. west post office building. introduced by our colleague, representative john carter of texas, on may 14, 2009, and reported out of the oversight committee and government reform on june 4, 2009, by unanimous consent, h.r. 2422 enjoys the support of the entire texas house delegation. a resident of huddle, texas, first lieutenant kyle g. west bravely served in support of operation iraqi freedom with the united states army's sixth squadron, ninth cavalry

rentalment, third brigade combat team out of fort hood, texas. on memorial day, may 28, 2007, first lieutenant west and four fellow members of his unit were killed in iraq when their bradley fighting vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device. the soldiers had been out on a rescue mission in support of comrades who had been downed in a helicopter. after graduating in 2001 from huddle high school in texas, first lieutenant west attended blin college and subsequently received a degree in business management from steven f. austin state university in 2005. in pursuit of his lifelong dream to serve in the united states military, first lieutenant west joined the rotc program at steven f. austin as a junior and eventually rose to sergeant and the taction national guard out of texas.

included among kyle's national guard duties were assistanting in the columbia shuttle recovery efforts in 2003, as well as serving in louisiana following hurricane katrina. kyle was commissioned in the united states army as a second lieutenant on the eve of his college graduation ceremony and subsequently deployed to iraq on october 3, 2006. in addition to his dedication to his unit and his country, kyle is equally remembered for his devotion to his family. and to his friends. as recalled in a may 31, 2007, article in "the austin american statesman," kyle was a devoted son, a protective big brother and a loyal friend who was still known in his old neighborhood for rounding up friends to take care of a local problem while all the adults were at work. mr. speaker, first lieutenant kyle west's life stands as a testament to the bravery and

devotion of the heroic men and women who have served and continue to serve our nation at home and abroad. it is my sincere hope that we can honor this young soldier through the passage of h.r. 2422 and rename the georgetown, texas, postal facility as the lieutenant kyle g. west post office building. i urge my colleagues to do the same and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california is recognized. mr. bilbray: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i yield as much time he may consume to my distinguished colleague from the great state of texas, mr. carter. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from texas is recognized. mr. carter: i thank the gentleman for yielding and i thank both of my colleagues for going forward on this resolution today for first lieutenant kyle g. west. as has been said, kyle g. west died with four other soldiers on may 28, 2007, in iraq.

this happened when an improvised explosive device struck the vehicle. kyle graduated from huddle high school in williamson county, texas, and he went on to achieve the rank of sergeant in the texas national guard while serving as a cadet in the rotc program at steven f. austin university and serving as secretary of the delta. he graduated and took his oath in the united states army as the second lieutenant on december -- in december of 2005. in january of 2006, lieutenant west went to oklahoma for officers training and then in june, 2006, was assigned to forthood, texas, where he was a field artillery officer for the first cavalry division, 3rd brigade, 6th squadron. kyle deployed to iraq on october

4, 2006, and was promoted to first lieutenant the morning before his death on memorial day, may 28, 2007. on a volunteer rescue mission to save a downed helicopter pilot -- helicopter pilot, yeah, his bradley was hit by an i.e.d. in route -- enroute to save these pilots. kyle was due home for r&r two weeks before his death and six weeks before his 24th birthday. kyle received the purple heart and bronze star among his awards. he was also honored with a valor award from delta. this young man is one of those men many, many american heroes that we have seen go out and stand up for freedom in the name of the united states of america. i would ask that you pass h.r. 2422, naming the post office in

georgetown, texas, after this young warrior. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: mr. speaker, we have no further speakers at this time. however, i continue to reserve our time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california. mr. bilbray: mr. speaker, we have no further speakers and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from california yields back the remaining time. the gentleman from massachusetts. mr. lynch: thank you, mr. speaker. in closing, i just join with the gentleman from texas, mr. carter, for the purpose of supportinging this measure which will honor first lieutenant kyle west and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. the question is, will the house suspend the rules and pass h.r. 2422 as amended. those in favor say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chair, 2/3 of those voting having responded

in the affirmative, the rules are suspended, the bill is passed and without objection the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. for what purpose does the gentleman from massachusetts rise? mr. lynch: mr. speaker, i move that the house suspend the rules and pass the bill, h.r. 2470. the speaker pro tempore: the clerk will report the title of the bill. the clerk: h.r. 2470, a bill to designate the facility of the united states postal service located at 19190 cochran boulevard, f. frnt as the lieutenant commander roadway h. boehm post office building. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. lynch, and the gentleman from california, mr. bilbray, each will control 20 minutes. the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts. i were -- lunch -- mr. lynch: thank you, mr. speaker. i ask that all members have five legislative days to revise and

extend their remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection. mr. lynch: i yield myself such time as i may consume. mr. speaker, on behalf of the committee on oversight and government reform, i stand for the consideration of h.r. 2470, legislation that designates the united states postal service facility located at 19190 cochran boulevard front inport charlotte, florida, as the lieutenant commander roy h. boehm post office building. introduced by representative thomas j. rooney on may 18, 2009, and reported out of the oversight and government reform committee on june 4, 2009, by unanimous consent, h.r. 2470 enjoys the support of florida's entire house congressional delegation. a long-time resident of pune at that gourda, florida, lieutenant commander roy boehm served with distinction in the united states navy for over 30 years. lieutenant commander boehm enlisted in the united states navy in april of 1941 at the age

of 17. his subsequent and remarkable navy career included service in world war ii, the korean war and the vietnam war. and resulted in his receipt of nearly 30 military awards, including the purple heart, the bronze star and the meritorious service medal. notably, lieutenant commander boehm's extensive combat experience over the course of three wars led him to determine that highly specialized and diverse training would give his men a significant tactical advantage in the conduct of unconventional warfare. accordingly, in 1960, lieutenant commander boehm began developing, designing and assembling an elite special operations unit within the united states navy that would later become known as the navy sales. in fact, -- navy seels. in fact, commander boehm was the first in charge of the navy

s.e.a.l. team two which is why he became known as the first united states navy s.e.a.l. admiral whitey taylor acknowledged lieutenant commander boehm's influence on the s.e.a.l. program in a 1997 letter to boehm where if quote, says, john f. kennedy was right, the u.s. navy sales will bear your mark as -- seals will bear your mark as long as they and the freedom they fight for continues to exist, wrote admiral taylor in addition to his distinguished military service, lieutenant commander boehm was equally admired for his long standing support of military veterans within his punta gorda community. regrettably, lieutenant commander boehm passed away on december 30, 2008, at his home at the age of 84. it is my home that -- hope that we can somehow honor his outstanding legacy and service to our country through the passage of h.r. 2470 and by designating the port charlotte

postal facility in his honor. i urge my colleagues to join me in supporting h.r. 2470 and i continue to reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentleman from california. mr. bilbray: thank you, mr. speaker. mr. speaker, i yield myself as much time as i may consume and i rise today in support of h.r. 2470, legislation to have the united states post office building located at port charlotte, florida, designated lieutenant commander roy h. boehm post office. mr. speaker, there are many accomplishments that the commander boehm served in this country in many ways, as the gentleman from massachusetts has pointed out. but for me personally, as somebody who grew up in a neighborhood full of united states s.e.a.l. team members, the san diego area spically, i would just like to say that commander boehm's goin g