Posted: 03/14/2011 06:03:09 PM PDT

The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday voted to rename the tiny Inverness Post Office in honor of Army Spc. Jake Robert Velloza, the 22-year-old Inverness resident who was killed in action while serving in Mosul, Iraq, in May 2009.

"I think it's great, and I think he's deserving of it," said May Velloza, Jake's grandmother. "He died serving our country."

Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Petaluma, introduced Monday's bill that will — with Senate approval and the signature of President Obama — create the Jake R. Velloza Post Office at 12781 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. The measure, which was co-sponsored by the entire California House delegation, passed by a vote of 394-0, with one member voting "present."

"Jake Velloza was a courageous young man with a bright future and big dreams," Woolsey said in a statement. "He exemplified the very best America has to offer. By putting his name on a public building in his community, we can ensure that Jake's legacy of service and sacrifice endures."

Velloza, the only child of Bob and Susan Velloza, was born June 21, 1986 in Santa Rosa and grew up in Inverness. After distinguishing himself as an athlete at Tomales High School, Velloza joined the Army in 2006 and was serving his second tour of duty in Iraq in 2009, having earned the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.

He died just a few days before his 23rd birthday when a lone gunman opened fire on a group of Americans in Mosul.

Naming a public building — particularly a post office — in honor of an individual is "a fairly unusual event that doesn't happen every day," according to Post Office spokesman James Wigdel. Many of those honors have gone to well-known politicians or public officials, such as Eureka Mayor Sam Sacco and Lim P. Lee, former postmaster of San Francisco's Chinatown.

"I've been in my position for four years now, and so far there have been maybe three" re-namings, said Wigdel, who represents the San Francisco, Santa Barbara and Bakersfield areas.

The death of Velloza — only the second Marin soldier killed during the current Iraq war — struck a chord with residents throughout the county. Hundreds of mourners followed the progress of his body from San Francisco International Airport, across the Golden Gate Bridge and through Marin County, and hundreds more attended his funeral at Olema's Sacred Heart Catholic Church. The priest who celebrated Velloza's funeral, the Rev. John O'Neill, helped lead the effort to re-name the Inverness Post Office in his honor, a church spokeswoman said.

One year later, Velloza and Army Pfc. Nicholas Olson of Novato were honored with a memorial at the Marin County Veterans Auditorium in San Rafael.

Once President Obama approves the decision to rename the Inverness facility, the U.S. Post Office will organize a celebration to commemorate the event, Wigdel said.

Contact Rob Rogers via e-mail at rrogers@marinij.com

Source: http://www.marinij.com/westmarin/ci_17613721