Lieutenant William D. Lebo Post Office Building

Floor Speech

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Mr. MEUSER. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Donalds), my good friend, for yielding on this important issue. I also thank my colleague from Maryland for his support.

Madam Speaker, it is truly my honor today to rise in support of this community bill, H.R. 3865, which would rename the post office at 101 South 8th Street in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, as the Lieutenant William D. Lebo Post Office Building.

Madam Speaker, Lieutenant Lebo, of the Lebanon City Police Department, tragically lost his life in the line of duty on March 31, 2022, while responding to a domestic-related burglary incident.

During his memorial, my very good friend, Lebanon County District Attorney Pier Hess Graf, said that Lieutenant Lebo's last words to his men before entering the House that fateful day were, ``I'm going to go in first, and I'm going to keep you safe.''

This is the kind of police officer Lieutenant Lebo was, a man who was willing to give his life to protect his fellow officers. He served the Lebanon Police Department and his community faithfully for 40 years and was just 30 days from retirement at the time of his passing.

Madam Speaker, as the son of a police officer, the risk of our finest, to protect and serve, needs never be forgotten and should always be respected and certainly not taken for granted.

Lieutenant Lebo's fellow officers say there is not a day that goes by without members of the department sharing fond stories of Lieutenant Lebo. I am told a story often shared is that Lieutenant Lebo would drive around in his patrol car with the windows down to better interact with the community he served but also to more easily hear if someone needed help. He was an incredibly community-oriented police officer who really served as a model for law enforcement.

Lieutenant Lebo is survived by his loving wife, Lora; his daughter, Corinne; and his mother, Rina. I am honored to have them joining us here today in the House Chamber, along with the mayor of Lebanon city, Sherry Capello, and Lebanon City Police Chief Bret Fisher. We are honored to have them with us.

Lieutenant Lebo was known as a mentor to younger officers, whom he loved training to be the best police officers that they could be.

As Chief Fisher has said: Somebody that has spent 40 years at the police department as Lieutenant Lebo did, they are still with you in so many ways. There isn't much you can touch or do that Lieutenant Lebo didn't have his hand in somewhere along his career on the Lebanon City Police Force.

To honor her husband's remarkable life, Lora Lebo established the Lieutenant William D. Lebo Memorial Foundation, which is dedicated to supporting the growth of Lebanon with positive intent, providing educational scholarship to Lebanon County first responders and their children, and providing comprehensive leadership development training to the law enforcement community.

While Lora and the community have already done such great work keeping Lieutenant Lebo's memory alive, it is my hope that the renaming of this post office in his honor will further serve as a lasting recognition of his life and legacy, during which he always put service above self.

I do know that memorializing Lieutenant Lebo in this manner will be so meaningful to the Lebanon community. While I attended Lieutenant Lebo's funeral, it was overwhelmingly clear just how much he meant to Lebanon and, in fact, to all of Pennsylvania. The procession, Madam Speaker, was miles long, and people lined the streets to pay their final respects.

Lieutenant Lebo was a dedicated public servant who is remembered by his colleagues and those he served as a calm, kind, and ethical police officer who was completely devoted to protecting the Lebanon community.

I ask my colleagues to join me today in supporting H.R. 3865 to rename the post office in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, for a very deserving local hero, Lieutenant William D. Lebo.

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