On Monday, July 14, 2014, the House will consider H.R. 4355, To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 201 B Street in Perryville, Arkansas, as the “Harold George Bennett Post Office,” under suspension of the rules. H.R. 4355 was introduced on April 1, 2014 by Rep. Tim Griffin (R-AR) and was referred to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The bill was marked up on May 21, 2014 and was ordered reported by unanimous consent.
H.R. 4355 designates the U.S. post office located at 201 B St. in Perryville, Arkansas as the “Harold George Bennett Post Office.”
Harold George Bennett was born in Thornburg, Arkansas and enlisted in the Army in 1957.[1] After completing his Special Forces and Ranger training, Bennett volunteered in 1964 to serve in South Vietnam “as a Special Forces Advisor with the Military Assistance Command. After a fierce, hours-long firefight on December 29, 1964, Sergeant Bennett’s unit was overcome. Two times he directed American helicopter pilots attempting to rescue him to stand down. Captured by the Viet Cong, he spent 179 days as a POW and attempted to escape three times. During his last attempt he injured an enemy soldier, and his captors executed him on June 25, 1965. Only 24 years old, he was the first American POW murdered in Vietnam, and, like many other U.S. servicemen who lost their lives there, his remains have never been returned to the United States.”[2]
In 2004, Bennett was inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame; and in 2006, his family was presented with “a Combat Infantryman’s Badge, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Prisoner of War Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal and Purple Heart. In 2010, Bennett’s family was presented with his Silver Star.”[3]
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[1] Griffin Introduces Bill to Name Perryville Post Office in Honor of First American POW Killed in Vietnam (Apr. 2, 2014).
[2] Id.
[3] Id.
A CBO cost estimate is not available.
For questions or further information contact the GOP Conference at 5-5107.