Corporal Jerry K. Crump Va Clinic

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5481, as amended, a bill to name the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Forest City, North Carolina, as the Master Sergeant Jerry K. Crump VA Clinic.

Master Sergeant Crump was a soldier in the U.S. Army during the Korean war, where he received the Medal of Honor and a Purple Heart for his heroic actions in September 1951.

Master Sergeant Crump rose above and beyond the call of duty in combat. One night, a numerically superior enemy force launched an assault against his unit's position on Hill 284. In danger of being overrun, he repeatedly put himself in danger, effectively firing on enemy combatants, killing several of them.

He then noticed two enemy soldiers on the verge of capturing an American machine gun. He charged at them with his bayonet, killing both and regaining control of the weapon.

Upon returning to his firing position, an enemy grenade landed in his bunker. He proceeded to jump on it and absorbed the blast, saving his fellow soldiers. His actions inspired his men so much that they rallied and conducted a successful counterattack.

It is for those heroic actions that Master Sergeant Crump was presented with both the Purple Heart and the Medal of Honor.

He miraculously survived the war and lived another 26 years. Tragically, he died in a car accident in 1977, at age 43, in Lincoln County, North Carolina. It is only fitting that this clinic be named after its hometown hero. It will serve as an inspiration, just like Master Sergeant Crump, for many generations to come.

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Mr. ELLZEY. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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