Legislation would name Alden post office for fallen soldier

Legislation is being presented in Congress to name the U.S. Post Office in Alden for Army Sgt. Brett Gornewicz, an Alden man who was killed while serving in Afghanistan in 2012.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Rep. Chris Collins are sponsoring the legislation.

Gornewicz enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves in 2006 and served in Iraq in 2007 and 2008 before returning home to earn an engineering degree from SUNY Buffalo State. He was redeployed to Afghanistan in 2012 and was awarded a Bronze Star for saving the life of another during a firefight. He and two other soldiers, Staff Sgt. Dain Taylor Venne and Spec. Ryan P. Jayne, were killed Nov. 3, 2012 when their Humvee hit an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan’s Paktia province. Gornewicz was 27. The men were assigned to the 444th Engineer Company.

The legislation would rename the postal facility at 13127 Broadway the Sergeant Brett E. Gornewicz Memorial Post Office. In response to the proposal, Gornewicz’s family said in a statement, “Brett was not only proud of his country but also the town he came from. We continue to be humbled by Alden’s support in honoring his memory.”