Legislation is moving ahead to rename the Plainfield Post Office in honor of a 25-year-old Joliet native who was killed along with three other U.S. soldiers during an Army training exercise in Lithuania in March 2025.

U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville, is sponsoring legislation to rename the post office at 14855 South Van Dyke Road in Plainfield in honor of Staff Sgt. Jose Duenez Jr. The legislation passed the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform with unanimous bipartisan support.

The legislation now is headed to the full House of Representatives. Underwood secured support from every member of the Illinois congressional delegation.

“Staff Sergeant Jose Dueñez Jr. represents the best of our community,” Underwood said in a statement. “He was an extraordinary hero who served his country with strength and resilience. I’m honored to lead this legislation to permanently commemorate his sacrifice and service.”

The Plainfield Post Office will bear his name “as a reminder of his contributions not only to his country, but to his community and family as a father, husband, brother and son,” her statement said.

Dueñez Jr. was born April 8, 1999, and was raised in Joliet along with his five sisters.

He served in three overseas deployments – Poland in 2019, Germany in 2022 and Lithuania in 2025 – and was recognized with two Army commendation medals, three Army Achievement Medals, one Certificate of Achievement, two Army Good Conduct Medals and a National Defense Service Medal.

He grew up on Albert Avenue in Joliet. Last year, the street was renamed in his honor. Duenez’s family, city officials and about 100 appreciative residents gathered outside Duenez’s boyhood home in July 2025 for the street dedication ceremony.