For Cesar Lora, the post office on 180th Street in Washington Heights means much more than a place to buy stamps or mail packages, because in 2004 Congress renamed it for his stepson, Marine Sgt. Riayan A. Tejeda.

Tejeda died on April, 4, 2003, the first Dominican killed in the Iraq war. But since spring, the post office has been in jeopardy; its lease was about to expire and the Postal Service and the landlord could not agree on new terms. After protests led by Lora and community leaders, the U.S Postal Service (USPS) reached a deal to extend the lease temporarily.

The post office’s future remains uncertain, however. Though its new manager, Stanley Jong, said “the lease was renewed for another year at least,” New York USPS spokeswoman Darleen Reid-De Meo said she could not confirm that. While an agreement might have been reached locally, she explained “it would have to be confirmed through the northeast area office first, and then by the headquarters.”

So the Tejeda Post Office operates on one month-long extension after another. Reid-De Meo said discussions were underway to extend the lease after its current Oct. 30 expiration date. “When we set up in a community, we want to stay,” she said, adding that the USPS would like to negotiate a long-term lease, but eventually wanted to move the post office to another location in the same neighborhood.

Even if it moves, the post office dedicated to Tejeda will stay close to 180th Street, where Tejeda grew up, a street now also renamed for him. It’s a victory for his stepfather. “I feel very happy and proud, for me and my family, my sons and the community, especially the people who cannot walk” — to a far-off location — “because they are old or sick,” he said.

His stepson’s life was deeply linked to his community. “He grew up here and he was very famous around here. He had lots of friends — and girlfriends,” Lora said. He showed where Tejeda and his friends used to play basketball, hanging a pierced milk case on the streetlight at West 180th Street and Saint Nicholas Avenue, right under the plaque now dedicating the street to him.

“I know that no matter where he is, my son is very happy,” Lora said. “He was always hanging out in front of the building,” he added, “I believe this is the first reason to keep it around here.”

He recalled Christmas 2002, the first time in several years the extended family could celebrate it together, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Right afterwards, his son received a phone call from the Army.

“He locked himself in a room,” Lora said. “Then he told us he had to leave with the first plane to New York and get to California, but he wouldn’t tell us why.” At the end of March 2003, Tejeda called his stepdad and said “I only can talk to you for one minute. Take care of yourself, take care of Mommy. I love you.”

“And that’s it,” said Lora. “I didn’t hear from him after that.” On April 12th, two Marine officers knocked on the family’s door. “My wife opened and she said, ‘My son got killed and that’s why you’re here’, and then she collapsed,” Lora said. “I ran from my room and the officers were saying they were sorry, and I told them, ‘Do me a favor, leave the house. I saw you, OK? Now leave and come back tomorrow’.”

Only after his death did his family learn Tejeda was in Iraq, Lora said, “because he was in special forces, so I knew nothing.” Two months before he was killed, Tejeda had signed up for another four years in the Marines, “because he wanted to finish school to become FBI.”

Tejeda was a resident, not a citizen, “but he felt part of the United States,” his stepfather said. Tejeda was posthumously granted U.S citizenship.

The building’s door still says “Washington Bridge Post Office,” but inside there’s a plaque with Tejeda’s name and dates of birth and death. A framed picture shows him looking serious in his uniform, in front of American and Dominican flags.

Rep. Charles Rangel was part of the effort to rename the post office for Tejeda. “We got assurance by the USPS that any new facility would have the same name, the plaque, and would remain in the same area,” Rangel’s spokesperson Elbert Garcia said.

The post office’s next location remains as unclear as its move-out date. Reid-De Meo said the USPS was considering many options. Temporarily relocating in mobile postal units, or “post offices on wheels,” as the Postal Service discussed this summer, remains the last resort.