John Gibson, Dan James, William Sapp, and Frankie Smiley Va Clinic

Floor Speech

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Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 593, which will rename the Department of Veterans Affairs, as you have heard, the community-based outpatient clinic in Hinesville as the John Gibson, Dan James, William Sapp, and Frankie Smiley VA Clinic.

Mr. Speaker, I have the honor and privilege of representing the First Congressional District of Georgia. We have much to be proud of in the First Congressional District of Georgia. We have a strong military presence in our district. We are home to Hunter Army Airfield, to Kings Bay Naval Base, and to Fort Stewart.

Fort Stewart is located in Hinesville, Georgia, in Liberty County. Whenever I travel to Fort Stewart, whenever I travel to Liberty County, I know that they know what they are talking about when they talk about military affairs.

I submit to you that the community of Hinesville, Georgia, supports their military as much if not more than any community in America.

However, I have to be quite honest with you. Last fall, I was called to a meeting with them and with some community leaders in Liberty County and they told me they wanted to name a VA clinic in Hinesville after four veterans who gave the ultimate sacrifice during the Vietnam war.

When I went into that meeting, I was skeptical. We can't do this. We can't rename a VA clinic anyway, much less after four individuals. I have to tell you when I left that meeting, not only was I convinced, but I was committed to making this happen.

Mr. Speaker, you heard the bios that Chairman Bost just read of these young men all in their 20s, all of them with their life ahead of them, all of them gave the ultimate sacrifice. Let's think of what they could have experienced in their life--children, graduations, family memories, but they gave their lives, all four of them gave their lives, so that we can enjoy the freedoms that we enjoy in this country.

I sat through that meeting that day and I listened to the families. I listened to their friends tell the stories of their loved ones. I was convinced this needs to happen. Each of them made an incredible sacrifice on behalf of their country and on behalf of their community. They serve as righteous examples of patriotism and selflessness that are deserving of being memorialized permanently by naming the Hinesville clinic after them.

This effort is supported by the families and by the community, and we believe that all four deserve to be memorialized for their extraordinary sacrifice and their valor.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the community members in Liberty County, in Hinesville, the local elected officials who brought this idea to our attention.

Secondly, I thank the Disabled American Veterans Southeast Georgia chapter, The American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Georgia State Department of Veterans Affairs for their support as well.

Last, but not least, I thank the entire Georgia delegation, Republican and Democrat, the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, and all the staff involved for their diligent work in getting this bill to the floor.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I look forward to working with my friends in the Senate to bring this piece of legislation to passage and signed into law.

Mr. Speaker, last weekend we celebrated Veterans Day. These four weren't with us to celebrate Veterans Day, but what they did gave us the opportunity to celebrate Veterans Day. Let's at least do this for the family and for the memory of these four heroes who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

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