Captain Rosemary Bryant Mariner Outpatient Clinic
Floor Speech
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Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7698) to designate the outpatient clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Ventura, California, as the ``Captain Rosemary Bryant Mariner Outpatient Clinic''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 7698
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) As of January 2021, of the 1,255 health care facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs, two are named after women.
(2) Rosemary Ann Bryant was born on April 2, 1953, in Harlingen, Texas, to Captain Cecil Bryant and Constance Boylan Bryant, a World War II Navy nurse.
(3) Captain Mariner was the first woman to enroll in the aeronautics program at Purdue University in 1971.
(4) Captain Mariner joined the Navy in 1973, and after graduating from officer candidate school that year, she became a member of the Navy's first flight-training class for women.
(5) In 1974, Captain Mariner was one of six women to earn her wings and in 1975 she became the first female Naval aviator to fly a jet attack aircraft.
(6) In July 1990, Captain Mariner was named commander of Navy ``Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 34'' at Naval Air Station Point Mugu in Ventura County, California. The unit was 30 percent female and made Captain Mariner the first woman to command an operational air squadron, even though women were still barred from flying combat missions.
(7) Captain Mariner became a passionate advocate for women in the military, leading the Women Military Aviators and working with Congress and the Department of Defense to lift restrictions barring women from flying in combat.
(8) Captain Mariner attended the National War College in the District of Columbia, earning a master's degree in national security strategy and served on the staff of the Joint Chiefs at the Pentagon, and a professor of joint military studies at the National War College.
(9) Captain Mariner retired from the Navy in 1997, and moved to Tennessee with her husband Commander Tommy Mariner and her daughter Emmalee.
(10) During her Naval career Captain Mariner logged 17 landings on aircraft carriers and more than 3500 flight hours in 15 different aircraft.
(11) In retirement, Captain Mariner continued her service in her community as a resident scholar in the University of Tennessee's Center for the Study of War and Society, and taught military history in UT's history department for 15 years.
(12) Captain Mariner passed away from ovarian cancer on January 24, 2019, in Knoxville, Tennessee.
(13) In honor of Captain Mariner, the United States Navy conducted its first all-female flyover at the funeral service for Captain Mariner on Saturday, February 2, 2019, in Maynardville, Tennessee.
(14) In July 2021, a panel of Ventura County members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and military spouses recommended that the Ventura Medical Center be named in honor of Captain Rosemary Bryant Mariner. SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF CAPTAIN ROSEMARY BRYANT MARINER OUTPATIENT CLINIC.
(a) Designation.--The outpatient clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Ventura, California, shall after the date of the enactment of this Act be known and designated as the ``Captain Rosemary Bryant Mariner Outpatient Clinic''.
(b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States to the facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be a reference to the ``Captain Rosemary Bryant Mariner Outpatient Clinic''.
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Mr. TAKANO. 7698.
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Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the memory of Captain Rosemary Bryant Mariner, a member of the Navy's first flight-training class for women, the first woman to command a naval aviation squadron, and a lifelong advocate for women's military service.
The bill before us, H.R. 7698, would appropriately name the VA outpatient clinic in Ventura, California, the ``Captain Rosemary Bryant Mariner Outpatient Clinic.''
I thank Representative Julia Brownley, chairwoman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee's Women Veterans Task Force, for championing this effort.
The VA has more than 1,200 healthcare facilities nationwide, yet as of the beginning of this Congress, just two of these facilities bore the names of women veterans. Representative Brownley's bill will begin to correct this regretful disparity.
More than 2 million women veterans live in the United States today. They serve across all military branches and divisions, and they are the fastest growing group of veterans that utilize VA healthcare services. So it is fitting that we honor a trailblazing woman like Captain Mariner at one of these VA healthcare facilities.
Captain Mariner had service to this country in her veins. The daughter of a World War II Navy nurse and Army pilot killed in a plane crash when she was just 3 years old, Captain Mariner grew up watching planes take off and land at the Miramar Naval Air Station in San Diego, California.
Captain Mariner went on to become the first woman to enroll in the aeronautics program at Purdue University in 1971, one of six initial women to earn her wings as a U.S. naval aviator in 1974, and the first woman aviator to fly a jet attack aircraft in 1975.
In 1990, Captain Mariner became commander of the Navy's tactical warfare squadron at Naval Air Station Point Mugu in Ventura County.
She continued in public service following her 24-year military career, teaching military history at the University of Tennessee for an additional 15 years.
At Captain Mariner's funeral service in 2019, following a long battle against ovarian cancer, the Navy conducted its first flyover featuring all female pilots. This was, like the naming of the Ventura VA outpatient clinic will be, a fitting tribute to a life of service to this Nation.
H.R. 7698 has letters of support from the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Disabled American Veterans.
Madam Speaker, I include in the Record these three letters. The American Legion, Department of California, Sanger, CA, April 6, 2022. Rep. Julia Brownley, Washington, DC.
Rep. Brownley: The American Legion Department of California is proud to support the naming of the Ventura County Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic after captain Rosemary Bryant Mariner.
Since its founding in 1919, the American Legion has served veterans, service members, and communities throughout our nation. Our commitment to serving all veterans has been one of the main pillars outlining our purpose. As the United State Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) continues to make strides in the way it supports and cares for women veterans, I believe by renaming VA facilities after brave female veterans it is a great step towards recognizing the contribution of this Nation's woman warriors.
On behalf of the 80,000+ American Legion members in California we urge congress to take action to name this facility to honor this woman veteran who embodies the true essence of duty and service to our community, state, and Nation. Respectfully, Autrey B. James Jr., Department Commander, The American Legion, Department of California. ____ Veterans of Foreign Wars, Elk Grove, CA, November 1, 2021. Rep. Julia Brownley, Washington DC.
Dear Rep. Brownley: On behalf of the sixty-four thousand members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of California, I am writing to support naming the Ventura County Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic after Captain Rosemary Bryant Mariner.
It is our privilege to help recognize and support the contributions of women in military service, notably Capt. Mariner, who we believe embodies the requirements necessary to name a federal building in her honor. The panel convened in the Ventura County area consisting of members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and military spouses recommended that the Ventura Medical Center be named in honor of Captain Rosemary Bryant Mariner and we agree that her military service and women veterans' advocacy is notable for this prestigious honor.
The VFW is committed to improve VA medical centers services for women veterans through legislative advocacy and fully support your work on behalf of our nation's veterans.
Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Dawn M. Napier, State Commander. ____ DAV, Department of California, Santa Fe Springs, CA, November 3, 2021. To: The Chairs and Ranking Members of both the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees Re Support Naming the Ventura VA Clinic after Captain Rosemary Bryant Mariner
Dear Veterans' Affairs Committees Chairs and Ranking Members: As Commander of the Department of California Disabled American Veterans representing over 70,000 DAV Life Members in the State of California and in recognition of our fallen veterans and their survivors . . . as a department of veterans--who advocate daily for the heroes that served this nation; we sincerely urge you to support the bill created to rename the Ventura VA Clinic in Ventura, California, after the late Captain Rosemary Bryant Mariner.
Since the Revolutionary War, millions of women and minorities have served in the Armed Forces of the United States. They have served in every role, from infantry soldier to cyber warfare engineer. Yet, as of January 2021, of the 1,255 VA healthcare facilities, only 13 have been dedicated to honor the service of minority veterans, and only two facilities have been named in honor of women veterans.
Rosemary Ann Bryant was born on April 2, 1953, in Harlingen, Texas, to Captain Cecil Bryant and Constance Boylan Bryant, a World War II Navy nurse. She was the first woman to enroll in the aeronautics program at Purdue University in 1971. She joined the Navy in 1973, and after graduating from officer candidate school that year, she became a member of the Navy's first flight-training class for women. In 1974, she was one of six women to earn her wings, and in 1975 she became the first female Naval Aviator to fly a jet attack aircraft.
In July 1990, Captain Mariner was named commander of Navy Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 34 at Naval Air Station Point Mugu in Ventura County, California. The unit was 30 percent female and made Captain Mariner the first woman to command an operational air squadron, even though women were still barred from flying combat missions. Captain Mariner became a passionate advocate for women in the military, leading the Women Military Aviators and working with Congress and the Defense Department to lift restrictions barring women from flying in combat.
She attended the National War College in Washington, DC., earning a master's degree in national security strategy and served on the staff of the Joint Chiefs at the Pentagon, and a professor of joint military studies at the National War College. Captain Mariner retired from the Navy in 1997 and moved to Tennessee with her husband Commander Tommy Mariner and her daughter Emmalee. During her Navy career, Captain Mariner logged 17 landings on aircraft carriers and more than 3500 flight hours in 15 different aircraft. In retirement, she continued her service in her community as a resident scholar in the University of Tennessee's Center for the Study of War and Society and taught military history in UT's history department for 15 years.
Captain Mariner passed away from Ovarian Cancer on January 24, 2019, in Knoxville, Tennessee. In honor of Captain Mariner, the United States Navy conducted its first all- female flyover at the funeral service for Captain Mariner on Saturday, February 2, 2019, in Maynardville, Tennessee. In July 2021, a panel of Ventura County members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and military spouses recommended that the Ventura Medical Center be named in honor of Captain Rosemary Bryant Mariner.
In a recent report, the VA Advisory Committee on Women Veterans recommended inclusive naming of VA facilities ``to demonstrate to women veterans that their service matters.'' While VA has concurred with the recommendation, it is the responsibility of Congress to pass legislation to actually name these facilities.
The Chairwoman of the Women Veterans Task Force has helped identify disparities in access to care and benefits, and, where necessary, introduced, advocated for, and passed legislation that fixes those gaps. Naming new or undedicated facilities for women veterans would be a symbolic step to show our appreciation for the great courage, dedication, and sacrifice that these veterans have demonstrated in defense of our Nation.
Please join me in honoring the incredible life of Captain Rosemary Bryant Mariner by co-sponsoring this bill and signing onto the letter of support to the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, a requirement to move the bill forward.
Thank you for your support of America's disabled veterans and their survivors. If you have any concerns, please do not hesitate to contact our Dept. of CA DAV Legislative Director Gerald G. ``J.R.'' Wilson, Jr. Sincerely, Michael Kerr,
Commander. Daniel Contreras,
DAV National 2nd Vice Commander, Adjutant/CEO. Gerald G. Wilson, Jr.,
Legislative Director.
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Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I wholeheartedly support this bill, I encourage all of my colleagues to do the same, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I want to say I appreciate the ranking member's mentioning of his daughter and the connection with today's action. I also extend my pride, and I feel his pride. We also are thankful for his daughter's service.
Madam Speaker, I yield 7 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Brownley), my good friend and the chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Health. She is the author of H.R. 7698, a vital piece of legislation.
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Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 7698, and I yield back the balance of my time.
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