Florida news

June 9, 2023

Lakeland Southside Post Office to be dedicated on June 16

Ceremony honors fallen U.S. Marine Corporal Ronald R. Payne, Jr.

Ronald R. Payne, Jr

What:

Lakeland Southside Post Office dedication in honor of the late U.S. Marine Corporal Ronald R. Payne, Jr.

Who:

The Honorable Scott Franklin, U.S. House of Representatives, FL-18
Ronald R. Payne, Sr., Father of Corporal Payne
Colonel John Kinitz, U.S. Marine Corps
Robert Gaskin, USPS Manager, Customer Relations

When:

Friday, June 16, 1:00 p.m.

Where:

Lakeland Southside Post Office
6000 S. Florida Ave
Lakeland, FL 33813

Background:

On April 29, 2022, U.S. Representative Scott Franklin introduced H.R. 7638, a bill to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 6000 S. Florida Ave. in Lakeland, FL as the “U.S. Marine Corporal Ronald Payne, Jr. Post Office.” U.S. Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott sponsored the Senate version. The bill was signed by the President on December 27, 2022, and became P.L. 117-307.

Ronald Payne, Jr. enlisted in the Marines in 1999 after graduating from Mulberry, FL High School. He was assigned to the 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp LeJeune, NC. He was part of the initial force that invaded Iraq and went to Baghdad.

He volunteered to return to combat for a second tour during Operation Enduring Freedom when he met his untimely death on May 7, 2004 in a rocket-propelled grenade attack in Tawara, Afghanistan.

Corporal Payne will always be remembered as a true hero who gave his life for his country.

The Post Office dedication ceremony is free and is open to the public.

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The United States Postal Service is an independent federal establishment, mandated to be self-financing and to serve every American community through the affordable, reliable and secure delivery of mail and packages to 169 million addresses six and often seven days a week. Overseen by a bipartisan Board of Governors, the Postal Service is implementing a 10-year transformation plan, Delivering for America, to modernize the postal network, restore long-term financial sustainability, dramatically improve service across all mail and shipping categories, and maintain the organization as one of America’s most valued and trusted brands.

The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

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