Joe Courtney: “I thank Congressman Clay. I also want to thank Congressman Westmoreland for his kind words in support of H.R. 3325…”

“I thank Congressman Clay. I also want to thank Congressman Westmoreland for his kind words in support of H.R. 3325, which I'm the sponsor of, to name the post office at 235 Mountain Road in Suffield, Connecticut, after Corporal Stephen R. Bixler, who at the age of 20, on a second deployment in Iraq, lost his life serving our Nation. As the prior speakers have indicated, this young man was not with us long, but made an extraordinary mark on all who knew him and served with him, particularly in his home of Suffield, Connecticut, which is a small Connecticut town of 14,000 people. It was founded in 1749 before our Nation even was born, and his family on his mother's side goes back three generations. As you can imagine, in a tight-knit, small community, he was well-known despite being a quiet young man because of his work in the community as an Eagle Scout. He was a varsity track athlete and an outstanding student. He had a twin sister, Sandra, who graduated with honors from the University of Connecticut; and, clearly, Stephen could have followed that same path. But he followed a road less traveled, and he enlisted for the Marines before he even graduated from Suffield High School and, as I indicated, was on his second tour of duty when he lost his life on May 4, 2006. His funeral at Sacred Heart Church in Suffield, which was attended by Archbishop Mansell from the Hartford Archdiocese, was an extraordinary outpouring of support from his community.”