Rodney C. Hamilton Sr. Va Clinic

Floor Speech

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Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6963) to designate the community-based outpatient clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Lafayette, Louisiana, as the ``Rodney C. Hamilton Sr. VA Clinic''.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 6963

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. DESIGNATION OF RODNEY C. HAMILTON SR. VA CLINIC IN LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA.

(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--

(1) Rodney Carroll Hamilton Sr. was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on March 24, 1932, and his family moved to Lafayette, Louisiana, in the summer of 1948;

(2) in 1949, at age seventeen, Rodney Hamilton joined the reserve components of the Marine Corps at the urging of his football coach Lou Campbell while attending Lafayette High School;

(3) Rodney Hamilton served the United States during the Korean War, was wounded in combat in September 1951, and was awarded the Purple Heart;

(4) Rodney Hamilton loved the Marine Corps and was proud of all Marines who served the United States;

(5) Rodney Hamilton was a member of the Marine Corps League, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, and the Veteran's Action Coalition of Southwest Louisiana, where he served as Founder and Chairman Emeritus;

(6) Rodney Hamilton served as a full-time elected official in the Lafayette City Government from 1968 through 1972 as a Trustee of Public Property;

(7) Rodney Hamilton made numerous contributions to help make Lafayette a better place, including leading efforts to secure and build the community-based outpatient clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Lafayette, which opened in 2016;

(8) due to the dedication of Rodney Hamilton in realizing the community-based outpatient clinic in Lafayette, the street on which the clinic is located was named in his honor and now bears signs saying, ``Veterans Way, Honorary Rodney Hamilton''; and

(9) Rodney Hamilton passed away at the age of 88 on November 30, 2020.

(b) Designation.--The community-based outpatient clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Lafayette, Louisiana, shall after the date of the enactment of this Act be known and designated as the ``Rodney C. Hamilton Sr. VA Clinic''.

(c) Reference.--Any reference in any law, regulation, map, document, paper, or other record of the United States to the clinic referred to in subsection (b) shall be considered to be a reference to the Rodney C. Hamilton Sr. VA Clinic.

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Mr. BOST. 6963.

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Mr. BOST.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6963, to designate the community-based outpatient clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Lafayette, Louisiana, as the Rodney C. Hamilton Sr. VA Clinic sponsored by Representative Higgins.

At just 17 years old, Rodney Hamilton enlisted in the United States Marine Corps out of Lafayette, Louisiana, to serve his country. He would go to serve in the Korean war, where he was wounded in combat and received the Purple Heart. As a fellow marine, I know that the Marine Corps leaves a mark on every man and woman that earns the title.

For Rodney, this sense of duty did not end when he returned home. He came back to Lafayette and continued serving by working to improve the lives of fellow veterans across southwest Louisiana.

He served in Lafayette city government from 1968 to 1972 and later founded the Southwest Louisiana Veterans Action Coalition, giving local veterans a stronger voice and fighting to make sure their needs were met. That advocacy helped lead to one of his most lasting accomplishments, the establishment of the VA clinic in Lafayette.

When the clinic opened in 2016, it brought VA care closer to home for veterans across the region and reflected years of work by Rodney Hamilton and others who believed Lafayette veterans deserved better access to the care they had earned.

Naming this facility in his honor would recognize a marine, a Purple Heart recipient, and a community leader whose work continues to serve veterans today.

H.R. 6963 is a fitting tribute to Rodney Hamilton, Sr., a man who served his country in war, returned home to serve his community, and never stopped standing up for his fellow veterans.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 6963, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, today, we are actually naming many clinics. This one in Lafayette, the sponsor, Representative Higgins, feels that this is vitally important. With the hecticness around here today, we are hoping that he does make it to make comments on this bill, but we need to move on with our business.

Mr. Speaker, I have no more Members wishing to speak, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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