[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 194 (Monday, November 16, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H5745-H5746]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRAVIS W. ATKINS DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS CLINIC
Mrs. LURIA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (S. 900) to designate the community-based outpatient clinic of the
Department of Veterans Affairs in Bozeman, Montana, as the ``Travis W.
Atkins Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic'', as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
S. 900
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. DESIGNATION OF TRAVIS W. ATKINS DEPARTMENT OF
VETERANS AFFAIRS CLINIC IN BOZEMAN, MONTANA.
(a) Designation.--The community-based outpatient clinic of
the Department of Veterans Affairs located in Bozeman,
Montana, shall after the date of the enactment of this Act be
known and designated as the ``Travis W. Atkins Department of
Veterans Affairs Clinic'' or the ``Travis W. Atkins VA
Clinic''.
(b) Reference.--Any reference in any law, regulation, map,
document, paper, or other record of the United States to the
community-based outpatient clinic referred to in subsection
(a) shall be considered to be a reference to the Travis W.
Atkins Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
Virginia (Mrs. Luria) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Virginia.
General Leave
Mrs. LURIA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
to insert extraneous materials on S. 900, as amended.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Virginia?
There was no objection.
Mrs. LURIA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to remember the life of Army Staff Sergeant
Travis Atkins, who was killed in Iraq on June 1,
[[Page H5746]]
2007. I thank my colleague, Mr. Gianforte from Montana, for bringing
this bill before us so we may all pay tribute to a selfless public
servant.
Travis was born on December 9, 1975, to parents Jack and Elaine.
Growing up in Bozeman, Montana, he was an active outdoorsman, spending
most of his time fishing, hunting, and snowmobiling. After high school,
he worked as a painting and concrete contractor but soon felt called to
serve.
On November 9, 2000, 24-year-old Travis joined the Army. He deployed
to Kuwait with the 101st Airborne Division in March of 2003 and was an
infantry team leader during the invasion of Iraq later that month.
After that deployment, he decided to pursue college and was honorably
discharged in December of 2003. But as his father put it, the civilian
life just didn't do it for him, and he rejoined the Army in December of
2005 as part of the 10th Mountain Division and was again deployed to
Iraq.
Mr. Speaker, on June 1, 2007, during a route clearance in a town
outside of Baghdad, Atkins' unit noticed two men trying to cross a road
that they were securing. Atkins asked the men to stop. When trying to
search one of the men, a fight broke out. Realizing the man was wearing
a suicide vest, he fought to keep him from finding the trigger.
Eventually, he did. Without hesitating, Staff Sergeant Atkins bear-
hugged the insurgent, threw him to the ground and pinned him there,
shielding his fellow soldiers only a few feet away. Staff Sergeant
Atkins saved three men that day.
In every account of his character from his battle buddies, the word
most used to describe him was a ``leader,'' and a fine leader he was,
right up until his final moments.
Surviving Sergeant Atkins are his parents and his son, Trevor. Trevor
said that he wants his father to be remembered as the best dad and the
best soldier that anyone could ask for. At the White House, on March
27, 2019, Trevor accepted his father's Medal of Honor.
The legacy of Staff Sergeant Atkins--of loyalty, of dedication, of
leadership--must never be forgotten. As the citizens he protected, we
honor him by trying to live by his example to care deeply and lead
well.
While we will never be able to fully convey the depth of our
gratitude to the Atkins family, I hope that this bill, the naming of
the clinic in his hometown, will offer some fraction of that comfort.
Mr. Speaker, I wholeheartedly support this bill and I urge my
colleagues to do the same.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. 900, as amended, a bill to
name the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient
clinic in Bozeman, Montana, the Travis W. Atkins Department of Veterans
Affairs Clinic.
Staff Sergeant Travis Atkins was a Montana native and Army veteran.
He was killed in action in Iraq in 2007 during an encounter with two
enemy insurgents when he put himself between a suicide bomber and his
fellow soldiers.
Staff Sergeant Atkins' quick and selfless actions saved the lives of
those three soldiers and led to him being posthumously awarded the
Medal of Honor. By naming the VA clinic in Bozeman after him today, we
will further ensure that his life and legacy is forever remembered.
This bill was sponsored in the Senate by Senator Steve Daines and in
the House by my friend and colleague Congressman Greg Gianforte, who
will be the Governor of Montana very soon. It is also strongly
supported by the other member of Montana's congressional delegation,
the ranking member of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee and
another good friend of mine, Senator Jon Tester.
I am grateful to Senator Daines, Congressman Gianforte, Ranking
Member Tester, and the many Montana veteran service organizations that
sent in letters of support for this bill, for their efforts to honor
Staff Sergeant Atkins' service and sacrifice through this legislation.
These are the true heroes, Mr. Speaker. I know you know that.
Staff Sergeant Atkins was just 32 years old when he died. He left
behind many loved ones, including his then 11-year-old son, Trevor. I
send my prayers to Trevor and to all of Staff Sergeant Atkins' friends
and family members who, I know, are still grieving his loss today.
I hope that it is a small comfort to them to know that, with the
passage of this bill, Mr. Speaker, Staff Sergeant Atkins' memory will
live on and serve as an inspiration to all the veterans who seek hope
and healing in the clinic that will now bear his name.
I am proud to support this bill, Mr. Speaker, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
Mrs. LURIA. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in passing S.
900, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Luria) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, S. 900, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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