Findings

Congress finds the following: (1)Oliver W. Dillard was born on September 28, 1926, in Margaret, Alabama. (2)In 1945, following basic training he was drafted and was assigned to the 349th Field Artillery Group in Germany as part of the World War II army of occupation. He was selected to serve as company clerk and began to work his way through the ranks, attaining Technical Sergeant. (3)Dillard successfully completed the Officer Candidate School (OCS) selection process and was approved for attendance at the Infantry OCS at Fort Benning in January 1947. He received a commission as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry after graduating from Infantry OCS in July 1947 and was the honor graduate of his Infantry officers basic course. (4)He served in command and intelligence positions in Korea, Germany, and Vietnam. (5)During his service, Dillard graduated from the Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC) in 1958, where he was one of only three Black officers in his class. After CGSC, he completed his bachelor’s degree at the University of Omaha leveraging his earlier studies at Tuskegee Institute. (6)In 1965, Mr. Dillard graduated from the National War College, becoming the first Black officer to do so. He graduated at the top of his class. (7)MG Dillard’s military awards include the Distinguished Service Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Bronze Star with one Oak Leaf Cluster and V Device, the Purple Heart, the Air Medal, the Combat Infantryman’s Badge with Star (two awards), the Army Staff Identification Badge, and the Vietnam Distinguished Service Order (1st and 2d Class). Dillard also received two civilian awards from the Republic of Vietnam, the Vietnam Rural Revolutionary Development Medal and the Vietnam Ethnic Development Service Medal (1st Class). (8)Dillard was inducted into the United States Army’s Military Intelligence Hall of Fame in 2012, the Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame in 2012, and the Alabama Military Hall of Honor in 2013. (9)He died in Canton, Michigan, in 2015, and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Designation of Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic located in Canton, Michigan

(a)

Designation

The Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic located in Canton, Michigan, shall after the date of the enactment of this Act be known and designated as the Major General Oliver W. Dillard VA Clinic. (b)

References

Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States to the facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be a reference to the Major General Oliver W. Dillard VA Clinic.