[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 133 (Wednesday, December 6, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H8829-H8830]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     ROBERT SILVEY DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS OUTPATIENT CLINIC

  Mr. BROWN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules 
and pass the Senate bill (S. 4073) to designate the outpatient clinic 
of the Department of Veterans Affairs located in Farmington, Missouri, 
as the ``Robert Silvey Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient 
Clinic''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

[[Page H8830]]

                                S. 4073

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

     SECTION 1. ROBERT SILVEY DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 
                   OUTPATIENT CLINIC.

       (a) Designation.--The outpatient clinic of the Department 
     of Veterans Affairs located in Farmington, Missouri, shall be 
     known and designated as the ``Robert Silvey Department of 
     Veterans Affairs Outpatient 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 ``Robert Silvey Department of Veterans 
     Affairs Outpatient Clinic''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
South Carolina (Mr. Brown) and the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Filner) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from South Carolina.
  Mr. BROWN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as 
I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, S. 4073 would rename the outpatient clinic of the 
Department of Veterans Affairs located in Farmington, Missouri as the 
``Robert Silvey Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic.''
  Robert Silvey, a decorated veteran of World War II, served as a 
member of the famed 82nd Airborne Division and was among a group of 
troopers who parachuted into France the night before the invasion of 
Normandy on D-Day. While fighting in France, Mr. Silvey was wounded 
three times and was subsequently awarded the Purple Heart. After 
returning home from World War II, Mr. Silvey had been active in various 
service organizations in the Farmington area and was instrumental in 
advocating for the construction of this new outpatient clinic and has 
served as an active member in his community as well as in local 
veterans organizations. Naming this outpatient clinic for Mr. Silvey 
would be entirely appropriate.
  I ask for the support of my colleagues in passing this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, we also support S. 4073, and I know the 
gentlewoman from Missouri will speak about Mr. Silvey and make sure we 
know why his service is so honored.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BROWN of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, House bill H.R. 5994 has 
the full support of the Missouri delegation and the State veterans 
service organizations and is identical to the Senate language.
  Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to yield 3 minutes to the 
original sponsor of H.R. 5994, the gentlewoman from Missouri, Mrs. Jo 
Ann Emerson.
  Mrs. EMERSON. Mr. Speaker, I first want to thank the chairman and 
ranking member for all of the help they have given us in ensuring that 
the new veterans clinic in Farmington, Missouri can be named after the 
person who has advocated most vocally for it, and that is my good 
friend Bob Silvey.
  You mentioned, Mr. Chairman, Mr. Silvey's service as part of the 82nd 
Airborne and going to the shores of France, actually parachuting in the 
night before the invasion of Normandy. But Bob has always been an 
incredible leader in the community of Farmington. As a matter of fact, 
when Bob asks you to do something, you would never want to say ``no,'' 
number one. And number two, you always want to make sure that it gets 
done as quickly as possible because he will not allow you to say ``no'' 
and he will not allow anything not to happen. So when we originally 
built our smaller veterans facility in Farmington, Missouri, Bob knew 
the second day that we moved in that it wasn't going to be adequate 
enough. So he went about looking in the community for a larger space to 
put it on, one now that is actually adjacent to our VFW post, and it 
all began like that.
  But I have to say that this is an important and incredible tribute to 
Bob Silvey, but it is also a commitment to all of our servicemen and 
servicewomen in Missouri and around the country. Like Bob, so many of 
them continue to be active members of their community, and they are 
working tirelessly, as Bob did, to improve the quality of veterans 
health care in Southern Missouri.
  I was really excited in March of this year to break ground on the 
facility and then in August for us to move into it, and it is a state-
of-the-art facility, and really it is only a larger facility but it is 
there in large part because Bob Silvey was relentless in pursuit of 
this.
  Bob has been an active member of the VFW Post 5896 of Farmington, 
Missouri. He served as commander four times. He twice served as 
commander of the VFW Post in Ironton, a town south of Farmington, a 
couple of times. And I was very, very proud, and I know Bob was too, 
that the members of the VFW Post 5896 and the American Legion Post 416 
in Farmington unanimously passed resolutions in support of naming the 
new Farmington veterans clinic after Bob Silvey.
  In addition, I might want to add that members of our Missouri 
statehouse and the State senate wrote letters of support in naming this 
clinic after Bob; so this is an important tribute to him. And certainly 
this legislation that you all have enabled us to put on the floor today 
would allow the residents of Farmington, Missouri to honor one of their 
greatest World War II veterans and ensure that the name on the new 
clinic reflects the service of a great contributor to our American 
freedom and the quality of our veterans' lives here at home.
  Bob, I know that you are watching this on C-SPAN right now, and I 
hope that you know how well loved you are. I hope that you know what a 
leader you have been, and your commitment and your dedication to this 
country has been next to none. And this is a very real and fitting 
tribute to all that you have done to ensure that America remains the 
greatest country on the face of the earth.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I thank very much Chairman Brown and Ranking Member 
Filner for this opportunity.


                Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair would remind all Members to 
address their remarks to the Chair.
  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I thank the gentlewoman, through the Chair, for her testimony to this 
decorated hero.
  I would also point out we have another hero named Bob in the audience 
today. I would just like to recognize Bob Cover from the Legislative 
Counsel's Office, who has been 30 years writing this legislation and 
dealing with title 38. And we couldn't do anything without your 
expertise, Bob. We thank you for all your work. We wish you well in the 
future, and we appreciate your work to help veterans in this Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. BROWN of South Carolina. Mr. 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 South Carolina (Mr. Brown) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the Senate bill, S. 4073.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds of those voting having 
responded in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the Senate 
bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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