SouthtownStar

A move to have the U.S. post office in Chicago’s Mount Greenwood community named after late Chicago Fire Department Capt. Herbie Johnson is a step closer to becoming reality.

U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski, D-3rd, announced in a press release that the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has approved the Herbie Johnson Post Office bill, HR 3085.

Lipinski’s bill would designate the Mount Greenwood Post Office, 3349 W. 111 St., the Capt. Herbert Johnson Memorial Post Office Building, after the longtime captain. The 54-year-old Johnson died Nov. 2, 2012, while fighting a house fire on the city’s South Side in the Englewood community.

“Capt. Johnson heroically served area residents for over 32 years, paying the ultimate price protecting the neighborhoods he loved,” Lipinski said in a prepared statement.

“This bill not only honors him, but all first responders who bravely put their lives on the line every day for people they don’t even know. This bill ensures that Johnson, his family and the sacrifices of all first responders will not be forgotten by future generations,” Lipinski said.

Over the years, Johnson taught more than 1,000 recruits as an instructor at the Robert J. Quinn Fire Academy. After the terrorist attacks on 9/11, he volunteered for the rescue efforts in New York City. In 2007, he received the state’s highest award for firefighters, the Illinois Medal of Honor, for rescuing several children from a burning apartment.

He and his family lived in the Morgan Park community for 27 years.

Daughter Laurie last year was impressed when Lipinski’s office contacted the family about naming the post office for her late father.

“Isn’t it incredible? You can’t say ‘no’ to something like this,” she said.