Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Rouda). Madam Speaker, I would like to rise in support of my own legislation, H.R. 1844, to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 66 Grove Court in Elgin, Illinois, as the Corporal Alex Martinez Memorial Post Office Building. Corporal Alex Martinez, a lifelong Elgin resident, wanted to join the Marine Corps since he was a little boy. From a young age, he yearned to follow in the footsteps of his father, Enrique Martinez, who was a longtime Navy reservist, and an aunt who served in the Army. As a senior in high school, with his whole life ahead of him, he decided to follow his dreams. He surprised his friends and family by attending summer school to graduate early, enlist in the Marine Corps, and marry his high school sweetheart, Juliana Martinez, at the age of 18. After graduation from basic training, Corporal Martinez was assigned to the 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st Marine Division, One Marine Expeditionary Force, where he excelled as a combat engineer. In this role, he had the dangerous but crucial responsibility to guide ground forces away from life-threatening obstacles, such as lethal improvised explosive devices. In his second deployment on April 5, 2012, a unit that Corporal Martinez was guiding began receiving enemy fire. Despite facing an immediate threat to his own life, he continued to calmly and systematically clear lanes for marines to maneuver against the enemy.…”