September 14, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 158 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session
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ERNEST ``ERNIE'' T. PYLE POST OFFICE; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 158
(House of Representatives - September 14, 2020)
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[Pages H4364-H4365] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] ERNEST ``ERNIE'' T. PYLE POST OFFICE Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4734) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 171 South Maple Street in Dana, Indiana, as the ``Ernest `Ernie' T. Pyle Post Office''. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 4734 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. ERNEST ``ERNIE'' T. PYLE POST OFFICE. (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal Service located at 171 South Maple Street in Dana, Indiana, shall be known and designated as the ``Ernest `Ernie' T. Pyle Post Office''. (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States to the facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be a reference to the ``Ernest `Ernie' T. Pyle Post Office''. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cloud) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from New York. General Leave Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentlewoman from New York? There was no objection. Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration of H.R. 4734 to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 171 South Maple Street in Dana, Indiana, as the Ernest Taylor Pyle Post Office Building. Ernest or ``Ernie'' Pyle began his career in media writing for Indiana University's campus student newspaper, the Indiana Daily Student. Mr. Pyle took a job as a reporter for the La Porte Herald in Indiana, moving through a variety of publications, before working with the Scripps-Howard News Service where he covered aviation and travel throughout the 1930s. But it was during World War II that Mr. Pyle made his greatest contributions to American journalism and the American war effort. Beginning in 1942, Mr. Pyle began reporting from the front lines of both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters of war, bringing the experiences and stories of soldiers back home to America. His simple storytelling style of writing and first-person perspectives endeared him to Americans back home and abroad alike. His reporting led directly to congressional legislation that provided combat infantry with an additional $5 to $10 a month to compensate them for more dangerous positions. This benefit would eventually lead to the creation of combat pay as we know it today. Through the course of the war, Mr. Pyle wrote and reported from the front lines in battles ranging from Anzio in Italy, to the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, to Okinawa in the Pacific. Near the end of the war on April 18, 1945, Mr. Pyle was reporting on the U.S. Army's 305th Infantry Regiment in the South Pacific when he was killed by enemy fire. Following his death, President Harry Truman stated, ``No man in this war has so well told the story of the American fighting man as American fighting men wanted it told.'' Ernie Pyle was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for journalism for his correspondence in the war, as well as the Medal for Merit and the Purple Heart posthumously. Today his legacy lives on through his depictions of soldiers in World War II. [[Page H4365]] I thank the honorable gentleman from Indiana for this legislation to honor this American patriot and hero. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 4734, which would name an Indiana Post Office after Ernest T. Pyle. Ernie Pyle was born near Dana, Indiana. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve before attending Indiana University. At Indiana University he studied economics and journalism and wrote for the student newspaper. During World War II, Pyle served as a war correspondent. He reported from the front lines of both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters of war. His accounts from the front helped provide Americans with valuable unseen perspectives of war. His reporting helped lead to the creation of combat pay. Near the end of the war in April 1945, Pyle was reporting on the island of Iejima when he was killed by a lone Japanese machine gunner. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for journalism, as well as the Medal for Merit and the Purple Heart. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time. Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Bucshon). Mr. BUCSHON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 4734, which will designate the United States Post Office at 171 South Maple Street in Dana, Indiana, as the Ernest `Ernie' Taylor Pyle Post Office. I was proud to introduce this legislation with the support of the entire Indiana delegation to honor the life and achievements of a great Hoosier. Born in Dana, Indiana, on August 3, 1900, Ernie Pyle was one of the most beloved and impactful war correspondents in World War II. Beginning in 1942, Pyle began reporting from the front lines in battles ranging from Anzio in Italy, to the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, to Okinawa in the Pacific. It was here that he brought the experiences and stories of the everyday soldier back home to America. His simple storytelling style and first-person perspectives endeared him to Americans back home and abroad alike. While reporting from Italy, Pyle wrote in his column that our troops in combat should receive additional compensation for risking their lives as he was doing, eventually prompting Congress to pass a bill nicknamed ``The Ernie Pyle Bill'' that provided combat infantry with an additional $5 to $10 a month. This benefit would eventually lead to the creation of combat pay as we know it today. Near the end of the war on April 18, 1945, Pyle was reporting on the U.S. Army's 305th Infantry Regiment on the island of Iejima when he was killed by Japanese gunfire. Following his death, President Harry Truman stated, ``No man in this war has so well told the story of the American fighting man as American fighting men wanted it told.'' Ernie Pyle was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for journalism for his war correspondence as well as the Medal for Merit and the Purple Heart posthumously. Today his legacy lives on through the work of dedicated nonprofit organizations and in museums and libraries, such as the Ernie Pyle Library in New Mexico that has been designated a national historic landmark and the Ernie Pyle World War II Museum in his home town of Dana, Indiana, in my congressional district. I am grateful to this body for taking up this legislation to honor the legacy of a great Hoosier and an American hero. I urge a ``yes'' vote on this bill. Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time. Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4734, and I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4734. The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. ____________________
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