Thomas H. Corey Va Medical Center

Floor Speech

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Mr. MAST. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman and ranking member for recognizing an amazing man. I wish we could do this for every single veteran. Every single veteran deserves far more, but today is a victory, doing it for this veteran.

I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 7333, to name the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, as the Thomas H. Corey VA Medical Center.

I am going to speak about him as a friend because he was a friend. I would say this about him: He exhausted himself in the most worthy cause that he could find, and the most worthy cause that he could find was veterans.

Every veteran that he could find from every conflict, every war, not just his war, but anybody that put a flag on their shoulder, that put on a uniform on behalf of the United States of America, it gave him a sense of joy, a smile. He was a cheerful giver. Whatever he could do for one of our brothers and sisters in arms, that is how he lived his life every day.

Tom Corey served during the Vietnam war as an Army combat infantryman with the 1st Air Cavalry Division, 1st Battalion, and 12th Cavalry.

While engaged in an assault against enemy positions during the first day of the Tet Offensive, he was shot in the neck, leaving him permanently paralyzed.

Although he had injuries for the rest of his life, he did not let his injuries define him. He overcame his injuries to advocate for others in local, regional, and national veterans' organizations every single day going forward during his life.

Tom Corey was a longtime member of Vietnam Veterans of America, founding the Palm Beach County chapter at home in my district. He held multiple leadership roles in organizations, ultimately serving as the president of Vietnam Veterans of America from 2003 to 2005.

Mr. Corey was a tireless advocate for our veterans' healthcare, particularly Vietnam veterans suffering from illnesses attributed to Agent Orange. He worked for 15 years at the West Palm Beach VA Medical Center as an ombudsman, ensuring that veterans received the highest quality of care day in and day out.

Despite all of his efforts advocating for veterans here at home, he never forgot his brothers-in-arms who were still missing in action. Mr. Corey returned to Vietnam 16 times leading delegations to meet up with top Vietnamese and Laotian officials focused on locating and repatriating the remains of those he served shoulder to shoulder with.

Along with multiple service medals, including two Purple Hearts, Mr. Corey was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts and his work.

Tom Corey has shown the world that no injury was big enough to eclipse his mission to serve others. Naming the West Palm Beach VA in his honor is the least we can do to honor his legacy of service and his passionate advocacy for veterans.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Florida delegation for their support on this effort, and I urge all my colleagues to support this legislation.

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