Colonel Hans Christian Heg Post Office

Floor Speech

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Mr. STEIL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 7199 to designate the post office on Janesville Road in Muskego, Wisconsin, as the Colonel Hans Christian Heg Post Office.

Colonel Heg had deep roots in both the Fifth District and the First District of Wisconsin. The Muskego settlement straddles the line between Waukesha County and Racine County.

As we know, Colonel Hans Christian Heg would ultimately lose his life in the Battle of Chickamauga.

Colonel Hans Christian Heg was an immigrant who moved to the United States and signed up to serve the Union in the Civil War. He was a devout abolitionist and was opposed to slavery. Ultimately, he gave his life in defense of our Nation.

Two statues were built to honor Colonel Hans Christian Heg. One was located in the town of Norway in Racine County and the other in front of the Wisconsin State Capitol.

In the summer of 2020, a group of rioters would tear down that statue outside the Wisconsin State Capitol. They would take the head off the statue, and they would carry it into the lake. The ignorance of those rioters should not be lost on us today. They tore down the statue of an abolitionist who gave his life preserving the Union and fighting against slavery.

Naming the post office in Muskego, Wisconsin, after Colonel Hans Christian Heg is a statement against the vandalism we saw in the summer of 2020, but it is also a way to recognize and remember the heroic bravery of Colonel Hans Christian Heg.

This bill will serve his legacy, and it will serve to remind all of us in Wisconsin of the sacrifice that he made on behalf of our country.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to support H.R. 7199.

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