Postal facility renamed for local Korean War hero

A bill offered by U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, R-Mo., to name the Cape Girardeau U.S.Mail Processing and Distribution Facility for Korean war hero Richard G. Wilson passed unanimously in the House Tuesday evening with 392 representatives present to vote.

Wilson, a medic with the 187th airborne, was killed in action at age 19 when his unit came under attack near Opari, Korea. He returned to the battlefield, unarmed and against orders, to attempt to save the life of a soldier who was trying to crawl to safety. Both were found killed, side by side, two days later.

The House bill will now proceed to the Senate where it will be held at the desk. Emerson spokesman Jeffrey Connor said that means the bill can be brought to the Senate in its original House language and voted on at any time without being assigned to a committee for debate. Connor said he expects the Senate to act on it quickly.

In her remarks to the House, Emerson said that Wilson's actions "will stand as a testament in Cape Girardeau that we respect his sacrifice but it also will signal that we wish him to serve as an example for generations of Americans to come."