LAREDO, Texas — A new bill introduced by Republican U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn seeks to honor three military service members who died in the line of duty through the potential renaming of a South Texas post office.
The bill would rename the post office located at 2395 East Del Mar Blvd. in Laredo after Lance Corporal David Lee Espinoza, Lance Corporal Juan Rodrigo Rodriguez, and Sergeant Roberto Arizola Jr., all of whom are from Laredo or nearby border communities, according to a release from Cruz's office.
Espinoza, according to the release, was one of 13 soldiers killed in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan in 2021. He was 20 years old at the time.
Rodriguez, after leading his high school JROTC unit to a national championship, joined the U.S. Marine Corps and died in action in Iraq at age 25.
Arizola Jr., meanwhile, enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1996 but was killed in a 2005 explosion just one day before he was scheduled to return home from Iraq, the release states.
“There is no greater sacrifice than giving your life to protect your country," Cruz is quoted as saying in the release. "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."
The bill will first be studied by the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee before it hits the Senate floor for a potential vote. If passed in its current form, the post office would be renamed the "Lance Corporal David Lee Espinoza, Lance Corporal Juan Rodrigo Rodriguez & Sergeant Roberto Arizola Jr. Post Office Building."
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