On the recordJuly 28, 2011
I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2244, which designates a post office in Geneva, New York, as the Corporal Steven Blaine Riccione Post Office. I introduced this legislation to extend long overdue recognition to a national hero from the 24th Congressional District. Corporal Steven Riccione was a native of Geneva, New York. He was a Geneva High School graduate who volunteered to join the Army in 1967 during the Vietnam War. While on a search and destroy mission with his platoon in Vietnam, Corporal Riccione came under intense enemy fire and became pinned down. Riccione, then a private, saw a machine gunner in his platoon get wounded. As Major General E.M. Strong described in his October 1967 account: ``Private Riccione, with complete disregard for his own safety, rushed from his covered position through a vicious hail of enemy fire to aid his wounded comrade. ``He continuously exposed himself to the withering hail of enemy fire, standing up at times, to place effective fire on enemy positions. When his weapon was struck by an enemy bullet and was demolished, he undauntedly picked up a machine gun and charged an enemy bunker, killing two enemy soldiers. ``Shortly after, Private Riccione was mortality wounded while helping to evacuate wounded personnel under heavy enemy fire.…
