Sen. Cruz on Introducing Bill to Rename Laredo Post Office in Honor of Fallen Military Heroes
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) issued the following statement after he and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) introduced a bill to rename a United States Postal Service office in Laredo, Texas to honor military service members who died in the line of duty:
“There is no greater sacrifice than giving your life to protect your country. Lance Corporal David Lee Espinoza, Lance Corporal Juan Rodrigo Rodriguez, and Sergeant Roberto Arizola, Jr., proudly represented their country and their sacrifice will forever be memorialized with the renaming of the Del Mar Post Office in Laredo. The renamed post office will serve as a reminder to their community of their heroic lives and will cement their legacy for years to come,” said Sen. Cruz.
Similar legislation was also introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas-28).
BACKGROUND:
- This bill would rename the post office at 2395 East Del Mar Boulevard in Laredo, Texas, in honor of fallen military heroes Lance Corporal David Lee Espinoza, Lance Corporal Juan Rodrigo Rodriguez, and Sergeant Roberto Arizola, Jr.
- Lance Corporal David Lee Espinoza lived in nearby Rio Bravo, Texas all his life. Shortly after graduating from high school, he joined the United States Marine Corps. On August 26, 2021, during the withdrawal from Afghanistan, LCpl Espinoza was one of 13 service members killed by a suicide bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan. He was 20 years old.
- Lance Corporal Juan Rodrigo Rodriguez lived in El Cenizo, a town near Laredo, where he was involved in Junior ROTC during high school, leading his unit to a Junior ROTC national championship in 1998. After graduating high school in 2000, he joined the United States Marine Corps Reserves. On January 13, 2005, LCpl Rodriguez died in action while conducting combat operations in Anbar Province, Iraq. He was 23 years old.
- Sergeant Roberto Arizola, Jr. was born in Laredo, Texas. He graduated from high school in 1992 and enlisted in the United States Army in 1996. Sgt. Arizola had been a Border Patrol agent in Laredo before being deployed to Iraq in May 2004. On June 8, 2005, a day before he was scheduled to return from Iraq, Sgt. Arizola was killed in an explosion near his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq. He was 31 years old.
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