Lee Zeldin: “Today, I rise in strong support of H.R. 829, my legislation to honor the life and legacy of Army Specialist Thomas J.…”

“Today, I rise in strong support of H.R. 829, my legislation to honor the life and legacy of Army Specialist Thomas J. Wilwerth by renaming, in his name, the post office in his hometown of Mastic, New York. Specialist Thomas Wilwerth always possessed a strong sense of duty to his country, having participated in the Junior ROTC program at William Floyd High School, where I once graduated as well. But it was in our Nation's darkest hour that 17-year-old Specialist Wilwerth was driven to enlist. During his junior year of high school, Specialist Wilwerth bore witness to the unimaginable horror of September 11, with Ground Zero just under 100 miles from his high school. Instead of cowering in the face of terror, he shipped off to basic training that summer and actually finished high school while serving in the Army Reserve. As a member of 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division based out of Fort Carson, Colorado, Wilwerth was deployed to Iraq in 2005 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. It was only 3 months into his deployment on February 22, 2006, that 21-year-old Specialist Wilwerth and two of his fellow soldiers were killed in action when an explosive device detonated near has Bradley Fighting Vehicle while on a routine morning patrol near Balad, Iraq. Mr. Speaker, I wish there were more people who possessed such a strong sense of patriotism.…”