Collins, Gillibrand Applaud House Passage of Legislation to Name Post Office After Military Hero
Congressman Collins and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand released the following remarks after the passage of H.R. 3472 a bill to name the U.S. Post Office in Alden, New York after Army Sergeant Brett Gornewicz, an Alden native who died while courageously serving in Afghanistan.
“It is an honor to sponsor legislation naming a post office in the 27th district after a hometown hero,” said Congressman Collins. “Sergeant Gornewicz courageously served our country and made the ultimate sacrifice to defend our freedom. This post office will honor the memory of Sergeant Gornewicz, and ensure that his legacy of service and sacrifice lives on.”
“Sergeant Gornewicz represented the very best of Alden and all of New York,” Senator Gillibrand said. “He answered the highest call, put his life on the line for others, and made the ultimate sacrifice for his country. Naming the Alden Post Office after him will honor his legacy in the community he loved for all to proudly remember his life and his service.”
A graduate of Alden High School, Sergeant Gornewicz enlisted in the Army Reserves in 2006 and was deployed to Iraq, where he served from 2007 to 2008. After returning, he earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Buffalo State College. He was working as a computer-aided designer and mechanical designer for a Tonawanda company when he was assigned to a second deployment to Afghanistan. Sergeant Gornewicz was awarded a Bronze Star with Valor for his bravery in saving a life during a firefight.
Along with fellow New Yorkers Staff Sergeant Dain Taylor Venne and Specialist Ryan P. Jayne, Gornewicz died from wounds sustained when their vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device in the Paktia Province of Afghanistan. All three were assigned to the 444th Engineer Company based in Oswego.
The legislation would rename U.S. postal facility located at 13127 Broadway Street in Alden the “Sergeant Brett E. Gornewicz Memorial Post Office.”