[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 74 (Tuesday, June 1, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H3555-H3557]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    CHARLES WILSON DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS OUTPATIENT CLINIC

  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 4317) to name the Department of Veterans Affairs 
outpatient clinic located in Lufkin, Texas, as the ``Charles Wilson 
Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 4317

       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, LUFKIN, TEXAS.

       The Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic 
     located in Lufkin, Texas, shall after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act be known and designated as the 
     ``Charles Wilson 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 
     Charles Wilson Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient 
     Clinic.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Miller) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Rodriguez) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller).
  (Mr. MILLER of Florida asked and was given permission to revise and 
extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4317 would name the VA outpatient clinic in the 
city of Lufkin, Texas, for our former colleague, the honorable Charles 
Wilson of Texas. I did not have the opportunity to know Mr. Wilson 
during his time in Congress, but Members who worked with him remember 
Charlie Wilson for his steadfast support of our Nation's defense and 
intelligence operations.
  Mr. Wilson's personal history is as spirited as the Lone Star State 
where he was born. Growing up in Lufkin in east Texas, he graduated 
from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1956 and 
thereafter served honorably in the United States Navy. After serving in 
the Texas House of Representatives and the senate, Mr. Wilson was 
elected to Congress in 1972. Mr. Wilson represented the second 
congressional district of Texas for 12 terms. He retired in 1996 and 
has maintained a successful consulting business here in Washington and 
in his native Texas.
  Over 20 years ago, as a Member of the House Committee on 
Appropriations and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, Mr. 
Wilson focused his energy on the plight of the Afghan people, then 
under invasion by the old Soviet Union. Mr. Wilson's singular effort to 
sustain covert U.S. aid for the rebels in Afghanistan was a crucial 
resource for the Afghan people to drive the Soviets out of their 
country. Influenced by Mr. Wilson's work in Afghanistan, the U.S. Cold 
War operation contributed to the eventual collapse of the USSR. These 
events are vividly depicted in the recent book, ``Charlie Wilson's War: 
The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History.''
  I believe using any definition of the term, Charlie Wilson is an 
extraordinary man in foreign affairs and in intelligence matters. 
Closer to home, as an advocate for our veterans and our Armed Forces, 
who were his constituents in Texas, Mr. Wilson played a key role in 
convincing the VA to open an outpatient clinic in his hometown of 
Lufkin.

                              {time}  1515

  The clinic can was dedicated in 1991, and it remains an important 
provider of health care to veterans in East Texas. I believe that our 
colleague, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Turner), the sponsor of this 
bill, will speak in greater detail about our former Member Charles 
Wilson.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4317, a bill to rename the 
Department of Veterans Affairs clinic in Lufkin, Texas, after a fellow 
Texan and our fellow Congressman Charles Wilson.
  I appreciate the effort of my good friend, the gentleman from Texas 
(Congressman Turner), for sponsoring this particular piece of 
legislation; and I

[[Page H3556]]

am honored to manage the time today on behalf of the Committee on 
Veterans' Affairs.
  Charlie Wilson has had a remarkable and noteworthy career, and it is 
fitting to honor him by naming the VA clinic in Lufkin after him. He 
began his career at the prestigious U.S. Naval Academy, and he served 
in the Navy from 1956 to 1960. After he left the Navy, he decided to 
try his hand at elected office. He did well. He won his first race in 
1960 and then got elected again 18 times for various offices.
  He began his distinguished career representing the people of East 
Texas in the Texas House of Representatives for over 6 years and in the 
Texas Senate for an additional 3 terms. As a former member of the Texas 
house myself, I know the hard work and dedication required. I know 
Charlie Wilson gave it his all.
  On November 7, 1972, in the 2nd District of Texas, Charlie Wilson was 
elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. The House has not known 
many like him. For 24 years he represented the people of East Texas 
often in very colorful and unforgettable ways but always with a 
dedication and commitment to his constituents.
  His hard work earned him a spot on the Committee on Appropriations 
Subcommittee on Defense. He used his position not only to help Texas 
and America and also his constituents but to advance the United States' 
effort to win the Cold War and defeat the Soviet expansion. Perhaps 
most notably Charlie used his influence to secure billions of dollars 
to counter the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Without a doubt, his 
efforts helped push the Soviets out of Afghanistan and helped end the 
eastern bloc communism.
  The CIA recognized the special nature of his efforts by making him 
the only civilian to receive the CIA's Honored Colleague Award. His 
work is now enshrined in a well-known book that may even become a 
movie.
  While in Congress, Charlie made constituent service a top priority; 
and his staff regularly won praise for their hard work on behalf of the 
district. As a Korean War veteran, Charlie Wilson was always a strong 
advocate of veterans, especially in his district. He brought more 
veterans affairs resources to his constituents than ever before.
  It is appropriate that we name the VA clinic in Lufkin for him, a 
proud Texan, a proud American, an outstanding veteran.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Turner), who is the author of the legislation and also the 
ranking minority leader on the Select Committee on Homeland Security.
  Mr. TURNER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Texas for 
yielding. I want to thank all of my colleagues. I want to thank the 
distinguished majority leader from Texas for cosponsoring this 
legislation with me along with other colleagues from Texas.
  This legislation, I think, does something that needs to be done, that 
should be done; and I think our former colleague, Congressman Charles 
Wilson, could think of nothing that he would rather for this Congress 
to do than to put his name on the veterans outpatient clinic in Lufkin, 
Texas, which is the largest community in our congressional district.
  Charlie Wilson had a distinguished career in this body as well as in 
the Texas legislature. He served the public for over 36 years. He 
served three terms in the Texas house, three terms in the Texas Senate, 
and 12 terms in this body.
  Charlie Wilson is, first and foremost, a soldier. In his very 
youngest years he dreamed of being a soldier, and he became a student 
of history because he loved to read about battles and about the great 
wars. He ended up being admitted to the Naval Academy and served both 
at home and abroad in the United States Navy with great distinction.
  Charlie Wilson served in this body on the House Committee on 
Appropriations, and when he left this body he was the most senior 
Democrat on the Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export Financing 
and Related Programs, and a senior Democrat on the Appropriations 
Subcommittee on Defense. He was appointed to the Permanent Select 
Committee on Intelligence in the 100th Congress.
  Charlie Wilson became a recognized expert on defense and intelligence 
matters. And as the gentleman from Florida mentioned earlier, in the 
book ``Charlie's War,'' the story is recounted of Charlie's devotion, 
commitment, and his enthusiastic efforts to help kick the Soviets out 
of Afghanistan. We all know that that was the last big battle before 
the Soviet Union fell, and many credit our efforts against the Soviets 
in Afghanistan as leading to the fall of the Iron Curtain.
  Charlie Wilson believed in this country. He was a fierce fighter 
against the Communist influence that at that time was going around the 
world.
  Charlie Wilson was recognized for his expertise not only in defense 
and intelligence but in the area of international energy policy. He 
served on the Energy Conference Committee that is responsible for the 
landmark comprehensive National Energy Act of 1978.
  Charlie Wilson established the outpatient clinic in Lufkin. It was 
something that he really believed in, because in our part of this 
country and the rural piney woods of East Texas we have a large number 
of patriotic Americans who have served in the United States military. 
He knew that our veterans in our part of the State were having to 
travel over 100 miles to get to the nearest VA hospital to receive 
care. Because Charlie was a veteran, because he believed in standing up 
for veterans and he believed that every veteran should be honored for 
the service they have given, he fought to establish this outpatient 
clinic in Lufkin; and it has served the people of our area very well.
  Charlie Wilson worked hard during his career to serve the needs of 
all veterans and of all senior citizens, and he had in his office one 
of the largest caseloads of veterans work of any Member of Congress. I 
have been pleased, in succeeding him, to have carried on that 
responsibility of assisting the many veterans in deep East Texas.
  Charlie Wilson was a colorful Member of Congress. One did not have to 
wonder where Charlie Wilson stood on the issues, and one did not have 
to know whether you were getting a straight story or not. Because 
whether Charlie was talking about an issue on the floor of the Congress 
or talking about something going on in his district or talking about 
something in his own personal life, he was always very candid with his 
constituents; and for that they reelected him 12 times to this body.
  So I am very proud that my colleagues have joined with us in 
introducing this resolution honoring Charlie Wilson, and I would invite 
all Members to join with us in adopting it.
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Lampson), who also has the distinction of representing our 
Missing and Exploited Children Caucus and does a tremendous job in that 
area.
  Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for allowing me to 
have a few seconds to talk about my friend Charlie Wilson.
  We knew him at the beginning of his service in the Texas legislature 
as Timber Charlie, a tall, lanky, East Texan who, as the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Turner) just said, always spoke as straight and as 
straightforward as one human being can.
  What a nice gentleman. Many colorful stories obviously can and have 
been told about him. The people remembered him and loved him throughout 
all of East Texas.
  I remember fondly the days he would come to all of those parades we 
would have through East Texas. He always had a mule that he saddled up 
and rode in the parade, wearing brightly colored clothes and those 
suspenders that were always his trademark. A wonderful, caring, human 
being.
  Charlie Wilson probably taught me more about, and I think many of the 
other of his colleagues and those of the House that followed him, about 
the job of a Member of Congress providing constituent service. He 
prided himself on what he did for the people at home. And it was 
interesting a comment that was made in an article not long ago

[[Page H3557]]

when he said that when the day was done, says Charlie, the working 
people knew I was on their side. And the blacks knew I was on their 
side. It is hard to explain, but there is a tolerance for human frailty 
that does not exist outside of East Texas.
  Charlie Wilson loved his folks, still does today, and will continue; 
and southeast Texas will never, ever forget him. The fact that we are 
honoring him there with the naming of this veterans' facility is a 
magnificent tribute to a wonderful gentleman.
  We wish you well in your retirement, Charlie Wilson. I am glad to 
support my colleagues in supporting this legislation.
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of our 
time.
  Mr. RODRIGUEZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to close with a little story that I read 
about Charlie Wilson. That was in his first campaign he talks about the 
fact that at one time when he came back from the Navy and was going to 
be running for office he thought that there was going to be a 
discussion about issues regarding taxes. He found out that, and 
according to the article, the story was that one of the biggest issues 
in East Texas at that time was that they were using dogs to hunt deer 
at that time way back in the early 1960s. And they got the impression 
that Charlie was against that, and they were extremely angry with him 
and upset. So one of the first things he talks about is going to 
deliver a speech among 3,000 people and bringing about five or six 
hounds with him.
  So he was and is a very colorful individual. I take pride in being 
the manager for this bill, and I ask for the naming of the VA clinic in 
his name and in his honor.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, this is a bipartisan bill. I urge 
all Members of this body to support H.R. 4317 to name the Lufkin, 
Texas, VA clinic the Charles Wilson Department of Veterans Affairs 
Outpatient Clinic.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in 
support of H.R. 4317.
  A fellow Texan, Charlie Wilson was educated at the U.S. Naval Academy 
and served overseas as well as at the Pentagon. After retiring from the 
Navy in 1960 with the rank of Lieutenant, he returned back to Lufkin 
and ran successfully for the Texas Legislature, serving in that 
capacity for twelve years.
  In 1972, Charlie was elected as the U.S. Representative for the 2nd 
Congressional District of Texas and began has distinguished 24-year 
career in the U.S. House of Representatives.
  Naming the Lufkin VA Clinic in honor of Congressman Wilson would be a 
fitting tribute to such a devoted public servant.
  Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 4317.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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