CAPTAIN RHETT W. SCHILLER POST OFFICE

Floor Speech

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Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin. I thank my colleagues on a bipartisan basis for doing this.

As the chief sponsor of this, I rise in support of H.R. 5873, which would designate the United States Postal facility at 218 North Milwaukee Street in Waterford, Wisconsin, as the ``Captain Rhett W. Schiller Post Office.''

In 1999 I had the pleasure of appointing Rhett, Captain Schiller, to the United States Military Academy at West Point, an institution from which he subsequently graduated with a major in Chinese. Following his graduation, Captain Schiller was assigned to the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg, first as a platoon leader in Company B and later as an executive officer for Company A of the 3rd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment.

In 2006 he was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. Very cool. It was in this capacity that he was deployed to Iraq as part of a Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition Team.

On his 100th day in the country, while leading a squad of six paratroopers and six Iraqi Army soldiers, Captain Schiller's unit came under small arms fire during a canal cleaning operation. Captain Schiller was killed in action on November 16, 2006.

He has earned the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraqi Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Army Ranger Tab, the Expert Infantryman Badge, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Master Parchutist Badge, and he graduated as the honor graduate from his Reconnaissance and Surveillance Leadership course. Captain Schiller also qualified for the Army Commendation Medal.

I knew Rhett Schiller. He was a young man coming out of Waterford, Wisconsin, in Racine County, idealistic, energetic, extraordinarily gifted, and patriotic. He became a leader in our military in the Army. He served under the command of a very personal close friend of mine, Colonel Andy Poppas from Janesville, Wisconsin, who I grew up with, who also went to West Point, and was his commanding officer.

When we heard that he was killed in action, Andy and I had emailed each other at that time about this. Colonel Poppas emailed Rhett's dad, who had put long years over at S.C. Johnson Wax.

From his own commanding officer, who, like I said, is a good friend of mine, this is a story of a man who was brave. This is a story of a man who cared about his country and who cared about the men and women he served with and who put himself in harm's fire so that he could protect those around him, those he was serving with.

And this is the stuff that makes our country great. It is this kind of dedication, this kind of sacrifice that the best and brightest within our communities come to the military to serve our country and all that it stands for. This is why we do these bills, why we do this dedication, and why it is so wholly proper and fitting to dedicate this post office in Waterford, Wisconsin, the ``Captain Rhett W. Schiller Post Office.''

I'm so proud to do this. I am pleased that my entire Wisconsin delegation are cosponsors of this legislation so that we can have this proper and fitting memorial so that when young people go through the post office, they will know that one among their ranks in their community stood up, offered bravery, service to country. And that is the kind of example that makes this country the freest, greatest, most exceptional, and prosperous country in the world. And I'm just so proud to have known Rhett Schiller and so proud to actually sponsor this legislation.

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