[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 94 (Tuesday, June 17, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H5385-H5387]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  DR. CAMERON McKINLEY DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS VETERANS CENTER

  Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1216) to designate the Department of Veterans Affairs Vet 
Center in Prescott, Arizona, as the ``Dr. Cameron McKinley Department 
of Veterans Affairs Veterans Center''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1216

       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) Dr. Cameron K. McKinley was born on December 9, 1930, 
     in Shreveport, Louisiana.
       (2) Dr. McKinley served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve in 
     Shreveport, Louisiana, from 1947 to 1949.
       (3) Dr. McKinley served valiantly at Wiesbaden Air Force 
     Hospital during and after the Vietnam War, providing therapy 
     to military personnel and their families.
       (4) Dr. McKinley served with great distinction as the Chief 
     of Psychology at the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Prescott, 
     Arizona, from 1981-1995.
       (5) At the Prescott Veterans Affairs Hospital, Dr. McKinley 
     organized a ``Rap Group'' for Vietnam Era veterans dealing 
     with various degrees of post-traumatic stress disorder 
     (PTSD). That group of veterans formed the Vietnam Veterans of 
     America, Chapter 95.
       (6) Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 95, in concert 
     with Dr. McKinley, local leaders, businesses and nonprofit 
     groups petitioned the Federal Government for a free-standing 
     Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC).
       (7) Congress authorized 91 new rural VAMCs, among them the 
     Prescott Vet Center. In June of 1985, the Prescott Vet Center 
     opened.
       (8) Dr. McKinley spent decades confronting the pressing 
     issue of PTSD by providing cutting-edge psychological and 
     neuropsychological assessments to the returning veterans of 
     three wars. He produced targeted action plans for veterans 
     suffering from PTSD, giving them tools to deal with their 
     afflictions and transition successfully back into civilian 
     life.

[[Page H5386]]

       (9) Dr. McKinley's cutting-edge work has earned him 
     recognition from Prescott VAMC, Vietnam Veterans of America, 
     the Veterans' Readjustment Counseling Center, and the 
     Department of the Army for his outstanding work to improve 
     the lives of veterans of multiple generations.
       (10) It is only well and fitting that as a tribute to this 
     remarkable person's life that Congress seek to name the 
     facility after the leader who was its inspiration and a 
     lifesaver for so many.

     SEC. 2. DR. CAMERON MCKINLEY DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 
                   VETERANS CENTER.

       (a) Designation.--The Department of Veterans Affairs Vet 
     Center located at 3180 Stillwater Dr. #A, Prescott, Arizona, 
     shall after the date of the enactment of this Act be known 
     and designated as the ``Dr. Cameron McKinley Department of 
     Veterans Affairs Veterans Center''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     Department of Veterans Affairs Vet Center referred to in 
     subsection (a) shall be deemed to be a reference to the ``Dr. 
     Cameron McKinley Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans 
     Center''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Colorado (Mr. Lamborn) and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. 
Kennedy) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Colorado.


                             General Leave

  Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on 
H.R. 1216.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Colorado?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1216, sponsored by my good 
friend and colleague, Representative Paul Gosar of Arizona. This bill 
would name the Vet Center in Prescott, Arizona, as the Dr. Cameron 
McKinley Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Center.
  Dr. Cameron McKinley joined the United States Marine Corps Reserve 
after World War II. Following his time in uniform, Dr. McKinley pursued 
a career in service to his fellow veterans, eventually becoming chief 
psychologist at the VA Medical Center in Prescott, Arizona. Given his 
lifelong service to the mental well-being of his fellow veterans, it is 
only appropriate that the Vet Center in Prescott, Arizona, bear his 
name.
  I am grateful to Representative Gosar for sponsoring this legislation 
and urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 1216.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume.
  I rise today in support of H.R. 1216, which designates the Department 
of Veterans Affairs Veterans Center in Prescott, Arizona, as the Dr. 
Cameron McKinley Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Center.
  Dr. McKinley was a dedicated and greatly admired public servant in 
Prescott, Arizona. As chief of psychology at the Prescott VA Medical 
Center from 1981 to 1996, he earned the respect and honor of many 
veterans' service organizations. His tireless efforts to support the 
mental health needs of Arizona servicemembers and their families made a 
huge difference to many veterans.
  Dr. McKinley was a groundbreaker. He established a 24-hour 
information center, teams of support groups, and was responsible for 
establishing a veterans' mental health and rehabilitation center.
  For his ``exceptionally meritorious and conspicuous service to his 
community,'' he received the Military Order of the Purple Heart. He was 
also made a charter member of Chapter 95 of the Vietnam Veterans of 
America, who cited his dedicated efforts on their behalf.
  A Shreveport, Louisiana, native, Dr. McKinley was an avid 
outdoorsman, capturing the beauty he experienced fishing, hiking, and 
canoeing with his camera and on canvas as an artist and calligrapher.
  An avid reader of student history, Dr. McKinley also volunteered for 
the Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress. He helped to 
preserve firsthand accounts of veterans he met at the veterans center 
he helped establish. In 1997 to 1998, he volunteered at the national 
Vietnam Wall in Washington.
  While Dr. McKinley is no longer with us, his longstanding commitment 
to our Nation's heroes lives on. He is the ideal candidate for the 
naming of the Veterans Affairs Vet Center in Prescott.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LAMBORN. I thank my colleague from Massachusetts for his gracious 
words.
  I would now yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Arizona (Mr. Gosar), the sponsor of the legislation.
  Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I would like to quickly thank Chairman Miller 
and Chairman Lamborn for their continued leadership at the House 
Veterans' Affairs Committee.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise before you to honor a great man who served this 
Nation and its veterans with a lifetime of work. That man was Dr. 
Cameron Keith McKinley. The bill being considered here today, H.R. 
1216, would designate the Veterans Affairs Vet Center in Prescott, 
Arizona, as the Dr. Cameron McKinley Department of Veterans Affairs 
Veterans Center.
  By way of background, Dr. McKinley served in the U.S. Marine Corps 
Reserves in Shreveport, Louisiana, from 1947 to 1949. He served with 
honor at the Wiesbaden Air Force Hospital during and after the Vietnam 
war, providing therapy to military personnel and their families.
  Later, he served with great distinction as the chief of psychology at 
the Veterans Affairs hospital in Prescott, Arizona, from 1981 to 1995.
  Dr. McKinley spent decades confronting the pressing issues of 
posttraumatic stress disorder, also known as PTSD, by providing 
cutting-edge psychological and neuropsychological assessments to the 
returning veterans of three separate wars.
  At the Prescott VA, Dr. McKinley organized a rap group for Vietnam 
veterans dealing with varying degrees of PTSD. Dr. McKinley and his 
team also made available off-station crisis intervention groups and 
other specialized groups to combat veterans experiencing PTSD. He 
produced targeted action plans for veterans suffering from PTSD, giving 
them tools to deal with their afflictions and transitioning them 
successfully back into civilian life.
  Dr. McKinley and a group of veterans who have been working with him 
in that area then formed the Chapter 95 of the Vietnam Veterans of 
America. That VVA chapter, in concert with Dr. McKinley, local leaders, 
businesses, and nonprofit groups, successfully petitioned the Federal 
Government for a freestanding Veterans Affairs Medical Center in 
Prescott, Arizona. That vet center opened in June of 1985.
  Dr. McKinley's cutting-edge work has earned him recognition from 
Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the Vietnam Veterans of America, the 
Veterans' Readjustment Counseling Center, and the Department of the 
Army for his outstanding work to improve the lives of veterans 
of multiple generations.

  Among his numerous awards, I will name a few here: Special 
Recognition Award from the Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 95, in 
1983; Special Recognition Award from The Military Order of the Purple 
Heart; appreciation awards from the Prescott Vet Center on November 8, 
1995; Certificate of Appreciation from the Veteran's Readjustment 
Counseling Center on November 11, 1989; United States Department of the 
Army Certificate of Appreciation for Outstanding Work in Support of 
Combat Veterans of Desert Shield and Desert Storm and Their Families on 
May 20, 1991; Special Appreciation, Prescott Vet Center, in December of 
1995; and a Special Appreciation and Recognition Award for volunteer 
work at the Prescott Veterans Center in 2004.
  Today it is with a heavy heart that I report to this Chamber that Dr. 
McKinley left this world on October 11, 2013. Thankfully, he passed 
peacefully at his home, surrounded by his loving family.
  I insert his obituary from the Prescott Daily Courier in the 
Congressional Record.

                   [From the Prescott Daily Courier]

                    Obituary: Cameron Keith McKinley

       Many longtime Prescott residents will be saddened by news 
     of the death of Dr. Cameron Keith McKinley, former Chief of 
     Psychology at the Prescott VA Medical Center

[[Page H5387]]

     (1981-1996). Dr. McKinley died at his home in Evergreen, 
     Colo., on the morning of Oct. 11, 2013, surrounded by his 
     family and the beautiful pine-forested mountains filled with 
     the many birds and animals he enjoyed watching.
       He was born on Dec. 9, 1930, in Shreveport, La., to William 
     Samuel McKinley Sr. and Goldia Simmons McKinley. He attended 
     Louisiana Tech University and Centenary College and received 
     a B.A. degree. He earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in clinical 
     psychology from the University of Houston.
       Dr. McKinley completed an internship and residency at the 
     University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, where he 
     stayed on for another six years in clinical practice. For the 
     next nine years, he and his family lived in Wiesbaden, 
     Germany, during which time he established a Child & Family 
     Treatment program at the U.S. Air Force Hospital. From there, 
     the next assignment and home was Prescott, Ariz.
       He was honored by many veterans organizations, among them 
     the U.S. Army Reserve for his support of active military, 
     veterans and their families, and for establishing a 24-hour 
     information center, teams of support groups, a successful 
     fundraising event, and a veterans mental health and 
     rehabilitation center. He received the Military Order of the 
     Purple Heart for exceptionally meritorious and conspicuous 
     service to his community, fellow citizens and veterans. He 
     was recognized by Vietnam Veterans of America as a charter 
     member of Chapter 95 in Prescott, acknowledging his dedicated 
     efforts on their behalf.
       Cam volunteered at the National Vietnam Wall in Washington 
     from 1997-1998, and also at the VA Hospital in Prescott for 
     the Veterans History project and at the Vet Center that he 
     established. In 2012, after letters and urging from the 
     community, U.S. Congressman Paul Gosar introduced House 
     Resolution 1743, a bill that would name the Veteran Affairs 
     Vet Center in Prescott the Dr. Cameron K. McKinley Vet 
     Center. Rep. Gosar introduced this bill to honor a 
     groundbreaking health provider and true hero. It passed in 
     the House of Representatives but stalled in the Senate 
     because federal buildings are only named after someone who 
     has died. Efforts to name the Vet Center in honor of Dr. 
     McKinley will be renewed in the near future by those who knew 
     him and respected his deep commitment to our military 
     veterans.
       Dr. McKinley married Anne Hinton McKinley April 9, 1955. He 
     is survived by his wife; his daughter Carol; his son, John, 
     and their spouses, Mark Harris and Mary McKinley; his 
     grandchildren, Adam and Paige Roberts, Jeremy and Tim Lisby, 
     and Cameron and Elizabeth McKinley; great-granddaughter 
     Jillian Lisby; sister Nadine McKinley Runsick; nephews Alan 
     and Joel Jessup; and niece Kristina McKinley Estes McKinley. 
     His father, mother and brother, Bill, preceded him in death. 
     His love of family was most important and brought him great 
     peace toward the end of his life.
       Cam, as he was known to those close to him, loved canoeing, 
     hiking, fishing--the great outdoors. He took pride and 
     interest in his Scottish heritage. He read voraciously, wrote 
     his memoirs and expressed his artistic talents through 
     painting, calligraphy, and his passion, photography. He 
     captured the beauty of nature through the lens of his camera.
       For those who knew Cam McKinley, his qualities of 
     leadership, courage, humor and resilience stood out. He was 
     generous of spirit, giving himself in service to others. We 
     will remember his laugh and the twinkle in his eye. He will 
     be missed by many and we are all better for having known him.
       The family suggests memorial donations be sent to the 
     Intrepid Fallen Heroes fund (fallenheroesfund.org), or the 
     Mount Evans Hospice Inc. for their outstanding and loving 
     care, 3081 Bergen Park Drive, Evergreen, CO 80439.

  Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, so it is only well and fitting, as a tribute 
to this remarkable man's life, Congress names the facility after the 
very leader who was its inspiration and who was a lifesaver for so 
many.
  I am also saddened that we could not take up this bill and pass it 
into law sooner so that Dr. McKinley could live to see how this 
hallowed body shows its appreciation for his work. I hope his family 
may share a few smiles as the bill moves forward in the legislative 
process. I would also like to think that Dr. McKinley is smiling down 
upon us right now.
  I pose a challenge to my colleagues, Members of the executive branch, 
and anyone else listening. Dr. McKinley strove for exemplary service to 
his veteran colleagues. In naming this building after Dr. McKinley, we 
hold his life's work in the highest esteem. We hold it in this way to 
show all Americans what it means to lead a life of service to others, 
and so we shall all strive to follow in his footsteps.
  The challenge before us is to provide timely, quality, patient-
centered, and patient-friendly care to each and every veteran. Most 
importantly, it is long past time that the Federal Government follow 
his example and do the very thing that he did with all his veteran 
patients. The Federal Government must listen.
  Today, I thank the Veterans' Affairs Committee for supporting this 
bill. I thank my Arizona colleagues for their support in being original 
cosponsors of this bill. I thank all of the veterans' service 
organizations for their support of this bill and all they do for our 
vets.
  Finally, I want to thank a very special organization known as Friends 
of Camp McKinley for their continued advocacy on behalf of such a great 
man.
  I ask my colleagues to pass this bill.
  Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Arizona 
for this excellent piece of legislation and his work on behalf of 
veterans in his district.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers at this time. I 
urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1216, and I yield back the balance 
of my time.
  Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support H.R. 1216, 
and with that, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Lamborn) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 1216.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________