[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7163 Referred in Senate (RFS)]
<DOC>
115th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7163
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
November 28, 2018
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans'
Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To designate the outstation of the Department of Veterans Affairs in
North Ogden, Utah, as the Major Brent Taylor Vet Center Outstation.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Major Brent Taylor began his military service following
the attacks of September 11, 2001. He joined the Army National
Guard in 2003, three days after his engagement to his wife,
Jennie. Five of his brothers would eventually serve in the
Armed Forces following the deadly attacks.
(2) During his time in the Army National Guard, Major
Taylor distinguished himself in service to the United States
and the State of Utah. He received a commission as a second
lieutenant from the Brigham Young University Reserve Officer
Training Corps in 2006, while graduating as a member of the
National Society of Collegiate Scholars.
(3) During his impressive career with the Utah National
Guard, Major Taylor distinguished himself in multiple
specialties, including Intelligence and Military Police. One of
his earliest assignments included analyzing foreign language
documents in support of the Defense Intelligence Agency. He
also led document exploitation efforts in multiple European and
South American languages for a variety of intelligence
community customers. Major Taylor also managed a team that
assessed security vulnerabilities at high-profile facilities
across the United States, all while maintaining a successful
private sector career in Utah.
(4) Major Taylor was continuously ready to take up his
Nation's call to arms and deployed four times in support of
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. His deployed duties varied
from Platoon Leader and Combat Advisor to Chief of Staff to the
Special Operations Advisory Group, responsible for leading a
joint task force advising and assisting an elite Afghan special
operations unit.
(5) Throughout his deployments, Major Taylor distinguished
himself on several occasions, earning a multitude of awards
including the Bronze Star. The citation credits Major Taylor's
ability to think calmly and decisively with keeping his
subordinates safe while traversing 600,000 miles of roads in
Iraq, laden with improvised explosive devices (hereinafter,
``IED'') and ripe for ambush.
(6) During one particularly harrowing mission, Major
Taylor's vehicle was struck by an IED. While he survived the
attack, the wounds he received earned him the Purple Heart.
(7) Major Taylor's amazing record of service was not
limited to the battlefield. In 2010, he served as a member of
the North Ogden City Council and, in 2013, Major Taylor was
elected mayor. His steadfast leadership led to the city being
recognized as ``Business Friendly'' by the Governor of Utah,
and as one of the safest, freest cities in the United States by
several organizations. His initiatives included improvements to
public works and infrastructure, attracting businesses to the
area, developing a local community center, and increasing
transparency. His action led his constituents to reelect Major
Taylor in 2017.
(8) In 2018, Major Taylor placed himself on a leave of
absence from his mayoral duties in order to deploy to
Afghanistan, explaining to his constituents, ``Service is what
leadership is all about''.
(9) While serving in Afghanistan, a dear colleague, Afghani
Lieutenant Kefayatullah, was killed shortly before the Afghan
elections. Major Taylor wrote, ``The strong turnout at that
election, despite the attacks and challenges, was a success for
the long-suffering people of Afghanistan, and for the cause of
human freedom. I am proud of the brave Afghan and U.S. soldiers
I serve with. Many American, NATO and Afghan troops have died
to make moments like this election possible.''. He also
extolled the American public to embrace its civic duty,
stating, ``I hope everyone back home exercises their precious
right to vote. And that whether the Republicans or Democrats
win, that we all remember that we have far more as Americans
that unites us than divides us.''.
(10) Tragically, on Saturday, November 3, 2018, Major
Taylor was killed in an attack in Afghanistan. He is survived
by his wife, Jennie, and his seven children, Megan, Lincoln,
Alex, Jacob, Ellie, Jonathan, and Caroline.
(11) The impression that Major Taylor left was indelible.
An Afghan officer who had served with Major Taylor, penned a
letter to his wife, stating, ``Your husband taught me to love
my wife Hamida as an equal and treat my children as treasured
gifts, to be a better father, to be a better husband, and to be
a better man.''. That officer further commented that, ``He died
on our soil but he died for the success of freedom and
democracy in both of our countries.''.
(12) It is only well and fitting that, as a tribute to this
man's amazing life, Congress name a facility in honor of Major
Taylor's shining example of service and sacrifice.
SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF MAJOR BRENT TAYLOR VET CENTER OUTSTATION IN
NORTH OGDEN, UTAH.
(a) Designation.--The outstation of the Department of Veterans
Affairs located at 2357 North 400 East Washington Boulevard, North
Ogden, Utah, shall, after the date of the enactment of this Act, be
known and designated as the ``Major Brent Taylor Vet Center
Outstation''.
(b) Reference.--Any reference in any law, regulation, map,
document, paper, or other record of the United States to the facility
referred to in subsection (a) shall be considered to be a reference to
the Major Brent Taylor Vet Center Outstation.
Passed the House of Representatives November 27, 2018.
Attest:
KAREN L. HAAS,
Clerk.