[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 98 (Tuesday, July 25, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H6790-H6791]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  DONALD J. MITCHELL DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS OUTPATIENT CLINIC

  Mr. STUMP. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1982) to name the Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient 
clinic located at 125 Brookley Drive, Rome, New York, as the ``Donald 
J. Mitchell Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic,'' as 
amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 1982

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. NAME OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS OUTPATIENT 
                   CLINIC, ROME, NEW YORK.

       The Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic in 
     Rome, New York, shall after the date of the enactment of this 
     Act be known and designated as the ``Donald J. Mitchell 
     Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic''. Any 
     reference to such outpatient clinic in any law, regulation, 
     map, document, record, or other paper of the United States 
     shall be considered to be a reference to the Donald J. 
     Mitchell Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. Stump) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Stump).
  (Mr. STUMP asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)


                             General Leave

  Mr. STUMP. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1982.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Arizona?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. STUMP. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, H.R. 1982 names the Department of Veterans Affairs 
medical facility in Rome, New York, after Donald J. Mitchell. Mr. 
Mitchell, a five-term Member of the House, is being honored because of 
his service as a naval aviator in two wars. A citizen soldier, Mr. 
Mitchell served his state and Nation, and we honor him with this 
designation.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. EVANS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, the measure now before this House names the outpatient 
clinic in Rome, New York, after Donald J. Mitchell, a former Member of 
this House. This is a well-deserved tribute for a truly outstanding 
American.
  A naval aviator during World War II and a veteran of the Korean War, 
Don Mitchell served the House of Representatives from 1973 to 1983 as a 
Representative from the City of New York. Prior to being elected to 
Congress, he served his fellow citizens as a town councilman, a mayor, 
and as a member of the state assembly as well.
  This measure honoring former Congressman Mitchell is strongly 
supported by the members of the New York Congressional delegation. It 
likewise deserves the support of each Member of this body.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. STUMP. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Boehlert). I want to thank the gentleman 
for bringing this matter before us.
  (Mr. BOEHLERT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. BOEHLERT. Madam Speaker, today we are saluting a genuine American 
hero, Don Mitchell. Let me tell you a little bit about the man.
  Don Mitchell served with great distinction in the United States Navy 
from 1942 to 1946 as an aviator, then returned home, only to return to 
the military in the Korean conflict, where he served as a flight 
instructor. After that service, he returned back home to his beloved 
Herkimer, New York.
  His talents were recognized. His talent for leadership, his vision, 
were recognized by the people of Herkimer. First they elected him a 
town councilman. Then they elected him mayor. But his talents were such 
and so obvious that he was obviously destined for higher office, and 
higher office came. He was elected to the New York State Assembly, 
where he served with great distinction for 8 years, and, once again, as 
they say, cream rises to the top, and before long, Don Mitchell was 
Majority Whip of the New York State Assembly, a leadership position.
  So here is a distinguished American who had served in World War II, 
served in Korea, served as a town councilman, then a mayor, then in the 
State Assembly, and was beginning to think perhaps he had done his 
share.
  But the people of Central New York would not have it, because they 
insisted that his talents go far beyond the community and the State, 
and he was elected to the United States Congress, where he served with 
great distinction for 10 years. During those 10 years he served on the 
House Committee on Armed Services, and defense was very much in his 
mind and heart. He provided leadership in that area. I recall 
particularly his call for an adequate civil defense program for America 
and the necessity of having an emergency preparedness scheme to protect 
our Nation and her people.
  But Don Mitchell's finest hour perhaps occurred when the Department 
of the Air Force floated an ill-conceived idea that perhaps the Rome 
Air Development Center at the Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, New 
York, one of the Nation's premier research and development facilities, 
dealing with command, control, communications and computer technology, 
and having a very sensitive role to play in intelligence technology, 
the Air Force thought that maybe Rome Air Development Center should be 
``disestablished,'' to use their word, and the assets scattered at 
other installations around the country.
  Don Mitchell would not hear of it, and he led the fight, he was the 
quarterback of the team, and one year after that announcement was made 
of the Air Force's intention, Don Mitchell single-handedly convinced 
the officials in the Pentagon and the Department of the Air Force this 
should not occur, and it did not. And today, in the year 2000, that 
fine research and development facility still stands, and it is a 
tribute to Don Mitchell.
  But in the intervening years, the BRAC commission closed the former 
Griffiss Air Force Base, but they set off in a controlment area that 
one magnificent R&D facility, and it is still serving our Nation well 
and proudly.
  Don Mitchell has done so much for so many over the years, but let me 
tell you a little bit about the facility. When the Air Force was going 
to close the base and the hospital, a lot of people said that should 
not happen, because we still have a large veterans population, we still 
have a lot of military retirees and their dependents who need medical 
service, and we still had, at the Rome Air Development Center, a 
research laboratory where there were military families and their 
dependents.
  Where were they to be served? I was able to convince the Department 
of Air Force, working in conjunction with the Veterans' Administration, 
to transfer that facility that was destined to be closed to the 
Veterans' Administration, who are operating it today as a full-service 
Veterans' Administration outpatient clinic, serving an average of 135 
patients with quality medical care that they desire, but, more 
importantly, that they deserve, every single day.
  That is a little bit about the facility; that is a lot of bit about 
the man.
  So I want to commend the gentleman from Arizona (Chairman Stump) for 
recognizing the importance of honoring a very distinguished American, 
and I would like to thank all of my colleagues in the House, 
Republicans and Democrats alike. Every single member of the New York 
Congressional delegation has cosponsored my bill to honor Mr. Mitchell.

[[Page H6791]]

  So, collectively today, in the people's House, our House, we stand in 
the well and we salute a distinguished American.
  Mr. EVANS. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. STUMP. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 
Evans) for his work on this, and I would like to especially thank the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Boehlert) for bringing this to our 
attention.
  Having served with Mr. Mitchell many, many years ago on the Committee 
on Armed Services, it is truly a pleasure to honor a great American 
hero in this fashion.
  Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Stump) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 1982, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  The title was amended so as to read: A bill to name the Department of 
Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic in Rome, New York, as the ``Donald 
J. Mitchell Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic''.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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