Lt. Col. Luke Weathers, Jr. Va Medical Center

Floor Speech

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Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Takano and Ranking Member Bost for bringing this bill to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of our bill, H.R. 6863, to name the Memphis VA hospital in honor of a true World War II hero and a hero in American life, Lieutenant Colonel Luke Weathers, Jr.

I didn't know of Lieutenant Colonel Weathers until his passing, and I read about his passing in the Memphis newspaper, the Commercial Appeal, and I went and attended his funeral at St. Theresa Little Flower Church, where he was a member. I think he integrated the church. The church is a large church and it was packed.

In spite of the fact that he had moved to retire to Arizona, possibly in Tucson, maybe 15 or 20 years earlier, the people knew Lieutenant Colonel Weathers, they knew his work, they knew his good deeds in the community, and they knew his actions. I was honored to be at that funeral, and I thought this man is something else.

It has been well documented what he did with his life and with the Tuskegee Airmen and the Red Tails and the several airplanes he shot down.

There is a movie coming out now that is getting a lot of advertisement, and all Members of Congress have been invited to see this week, called ``Devotion,'' about an African-American pilot who was a star in the Korean war.

It was Lieutenant Colonel Weathers and the Tuskegee Airmen who were the predecessors of that gentleman's opportunity to defend his country and to show his skills. That is another reason why his name at the veterans hospital will be so important, to inspire people to go into a military career and pursue aviation, which Lieutenant Colonel Weathers encouraged people to do, particularly African-American young men.

I was also honored to attend his funeral. It was a funeral with a flyover, military caisson, and ``Taps,'' as befitting a gentleman who had served his country as he did.

His family is very strong in Memphis in support of their father's legacy. I met them in St. Theresa Little Flower Church at his funeral in 2011.

Lieutenant Colonel Weathers paved the way for many to become pilots, and his legacy endures in the countless lives that he touched.

I thank our Tennessee delegation who unanimously supported this legislation and this naming of the new Memphis VA Medical Center. It was also endorsed by The American Legion, the Disabled American Veterans, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

I thank Chairman Takano, Ranking Member Bost, and the members of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee for advancing the bill through committee and bringing it to the floor today. I thank Mr. Hoyer for his help with that, too.

We have done a good thing today to honor a true American hero. I think fondly of him. I had commissioned a plaque to be created and installed at the Memphis airport recognizing his service in the Federal Aviation Administration and integrating that facility. I am honored I will be a part of keeping his memory alive forever.

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