[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 150 (Monday, September 19, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H7940-H7942]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           CAPTAIN ROSEMARY BRYANT MARINER OUTPATIENT CLINIC

  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 7698) to designate the outpatient clinic of the Department 
of Veterans Affairs in Ventura, California, as the ``Captain Rosemary 
Bryant Mariner Outpatient Clinic''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 7698

       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) As of January 2021, of the 1,255 health care facilities 
     of the Department of Veterans Affairs, two are named after 
     women.
       (2) Rosemary Ann Bryant was born on April 2, 1953, in 
     Harlingen, Texas, to Captain Cecil Bryant and Constance 
     Boylan Bryant, a World War II Navy nurse.
       (3) Captain Mariner was the first woman to enroll in the 
     aeronautics program at Purdue University in 1971.
       (4) Captain Mariner joined the Navy in 1973, and after 
     graduating from officer candidate school that year, she 
     became a member of the Navy's first flight-training class for 
     women.
       (5) In 1974, Captain Mariner was one of six women to earn 
     her wings and in 1975 she became the first female Naval 
     aviator to fly a jet attack aircraft.
       (6) In July 1990, Captain Mariner was named commander of 
     Navy ``Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 34'' at Naval Air 
     Station Point Mugu in Ventura County, California. The unit 
     was 30 percent female and made Captain Mariner the first 
     woman to command an operational air squadron, even though 
     women were still barred from flying combat missions.
       (7) Captain Mariner became a passionate advocate for women 
     in the military, leading the Women Military Aviators and 
     working with Congress and the Department of Defense to lift 
     restrictions barring women from flying in combat.
       (8) Captain Mariner attended the National War College in 
     the District of Columbia, earning a master's degree in 
     national security strategy and served on the staff of the 
     Joint Chiefs at the Pentagon, and a professor of joint 
     military studies at the National War College.
       (9) Captain Mariner retired from the Navy in 1997, and 
     moved to Tennessee with her husband Commander Tommy Mariner 
     and her daughter Emmalee.
       (10) During her Naval career Captain Mariner logged 17 
     landings on aircraft carriers and more than 3500 flight hours 
     in 15 different aircraft.
       (11) In retirement, Captain Mariner continued her service 
     in her community as a resident scholar in the University of 
     Tennessee's Center for the Study of War and Society, and 
     taught military history in UT's history department for 15 
     years.
       (12) Captain Mariner passed away from ovarian cancer on 
     January 24, 2019, in Knoxville, Tennessee.
       (13) In honor of Captain Mariner, the United States Navy 
     conducted its first all-female flyover at the funeral service 
     for Captain Mariner on Saturday, February 2, 2019, in 
     Maynardville, Tennessee.
       (14) In July 2021, a panel of Ventura County members of the 
     Armed Forces, veterans, and military spouses recommended that 
     the Ventura Medical Center be named in honor of Captain 
     Rosemary Bryant Mariner.

     SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF CAPTAIN ROSEMARY BRYANT MARINER 
                   OUTPATIENT CLINIC.

       (a) Designation.--The outpatient clinic of the Department 
     of Veterans Affairs in Ventura, California, shall after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act be known and designated as 
     the ``Captain Rosemary Bryant Mariner 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 ``Captain Rosemary Bryant Mariner 
     Outpatient Clinic''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Takano) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Bost) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. TAKANO. Madam 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 material on H.R. 7698.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the memory of Captain Rosemary Bryant 
Mariner, a member of the Navy's first flight-training class for women, 
the first woman to command a naval aviation squadron, and a lifelong 
advocate for women's military service.
  The bill before us, H.R. 7698, would appropriately name the VA 
outpatient clinic in Ventura, California, the ``Captain Rosemary Bryant 
Mariner Outpatient Clinic.''
  I thank Representative Julia Brownley, chairwoman of the Veterans' 
Affairs Committee's Women Veterans Task Force, for championing this 
effort.
  The VA has more than 1,200 healthcare facilities nationwide, yet as 
of the beginning of this Congress, just two of these facilities bore 
the names of women veterans. Representative Brownley's bill will begin 
to correct this regretful disparity.
  More than 2 million women veterans live in the United States today. 
They serve across all military branches and divisions, and they are the 
fastest growing group of veterans that utilize VA healthcare services. 
So it is fitting that we honor a trailblazing woman like Captain 
Mariner at one of these VA healthcare facilities.
  Captain Mariner had service to this country in her veins. The 
daughter of a World War II Navy nurse and Army pilot killed in a plane 
crash when she was just 3 years old, Captain Mariner grew up watching 
planes take off and land at the Miramar Naval Air Station in San Diego, 
California.
  Captain Mariner went on to become the first woman to enroll in the 
aeronautics program at Purdue University in 1971, one of six initial 
women to earn her wings as a U.S. naval aviator in 1974, and the first 
woman aviator to fly a jet attack aircraft in 1975.
  In 1990, Captain Mariner became commander of the Navy's tactical 
warfare squadron at Naval Air Station Point Mugu in Ventura County.
  She continued in public service following her 24-year military 
career, teaching military history at the University of Tennessee for an 
additional 15 years.
  At Captain Mariner's funeral service in 2019, following a long battle 
against ovarian cancer, the Navy conducted its first flyover featuring 
all female pilots. This was, like the naming of the Ventura VA 
outpatient clinic will be, a fitting tribute to a life of service to 
this Nation.
  H.R. 7698 has letters of support from the American Legion, Veterans 
of Foreign Wars, and Disabled American Veterans.
  Madam Speaker, I include in the Record these three letters.

                                              The American Legion,


                                     Department of California,

                                        Sanger, CA, April 6, 2022.
     Rep. Julia Brownley,
     Washington, DC.
       Rep. Brownley: The American Legion Department of California 
     is proud to support the naming of the Ventura County 
     Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic after 
     captain Rosemary Bryant Mariner.
       Since its founding in 1919, the American Legion has served 
     veterans, service members, and communities throughout our 
     nation. Our commitment to serving all veterans has been one 
     of the main pillars outlining our purpose. As the United 
     State Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) continues to make 
     strides in the way it supports and cares for women veterans, 
     I believe by renaming VA facilities after brave female 
     veterans it is a great step towards recognizing the 
     contribution of this Nation's woman warriors.
       On behalf of the 80,000+ American Legion members in 
     California we urge congress to take action to name this 
     facility to honor this woman veteran who embodies the true 
     essence of duty and service to our community, state, and 
     Nation.
           Respectfully,

                                          Autrey B. James Jr.,

                                             Department Commander,
                                              The American Legion,
     Department of California.
                                  ____



                                     Veterans of Foreign Wars,

                                  Elk Grove, CA, November 1, 2021.
     Rep. Julia Brownley,
     Washington DC.
       Dear Rep. Brownley: On behalf of the sixty-four thousand 
     members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of 
     California, I am writing to support naming the Ventura County 
     Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic after 
     Captain Rosemary Bryant Mariner.
       It is our privilege to help recognize and support the 
     contributions of women in military service, notably Capt. 
     Mariner, who we

[[Page H7941]]

     believe embodies the requirements necessary to name a federal 
     building in her honor. The panel convened in the Ventura 
     County area consisting of members of the Armed Forces, 
     veterans, and military spouses recommended that the Ventura 
     Medical Center be named in honor of Captain Rosemary Bryant 
     Mariner and we agree that her military service and women 
     veterans' advocacy is notable for this prestigious honor.
       The VFW is committed to improve VA medical centers services 
     for women veterans through legislative advocacy and fully 
     support your work on behalf of our nation's veterans.
       Thank you for your time and consideration.
           Sincerely,
                                                   Dawn M. Napier,
     State Commander.
                                  ____

                                                              DAV,


                                     Department of California,

                           Santa Fe Springs, CA, November 3, 2021.
     To: The Chairs and Ranking Members of both the House and 
         Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees
     Re Support Naming the Ventura VA Clinic after Captain 
         Rosemary Bryant Mariner
       Dear Veterans' Affairs Committees Chairs and Ranking 
     Members: As Commander of the Department of California 
     Disabled American Veterans representing over 70,000 DAV Life 
     Members in the State of California and in recognition of our 
     fallen veterans and their survivors . . . as a department of 
     veterans--who advocate daily for the heroes that served this 
     nation; we sincerely urge you to support the bill created to 
     rename the Ventura VA Clinic in Ventura, California, after 
     the late Captain Rosemary Bryant Mariner.
       Since the Revolutionary War, millions of women and 
     minorities have served in the Armed Forces of the United 
     States. They have served in every role, from infantry soldier 
     to cyber warfare engineer. Yet, as of January 2021, of the 
     1,255 VA healthcare facilities, only 13 have been dedicated 
     to honor the service of minority veterans, and only two 
     facilities have been named in honor of women veterans.
       Rosemary Ann Bryant was born on April 2, 1953, in 
     Harlingen, Texas, to Captain Cecil Bryant and Constance 
     Boylan Bryant, a World War II Navy nurse. She was the first 
     woman to enroll in the aeronautics program at Purdue 
     University in 1971. She joined the Navy in 1973, and after 
     graduating from officer candidate school that year, she 
     became a member of the Navy's first flight-training class for 
     women. In 1974, she was one of six women to earn her wings, 
     and in 1975 she became the first female Naval Aviator to fly 
     a jet attack aircraft.
       In July 1990, Captain Mariner was named commander of Navy 
     Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 34 at Naval Air Station 
     Point Mugu in Ventura County, California. The unit was 30 
     percent female and made Captain Mariner the first woman to 
     command an operational air squadron, even though women were 
     still barred from flying combat missions. Captain Mariner 
     became a passionate advocate for women in the military, 
     leading the Women Military Aviators and working with Congress 
     and the Defense Department to lift restrictions barring women 
     from flying in combat.
       She attended the National War College in Washington, DC., 
     earning a master's degree in national security strategy and 
     served on the staff of the Joint Chiefs at the Pentagon, and 
     a professor of joint military studies at the National War 
     College. Captain Mariner retired from the Navy in 1997 and 
     moved to Tennessee with her husband Commander Tommy Mariner 
     and her daughter Emmalee. During her Navy career, Captain 
     Mariner logged 17 landings on aircraft carriers and more than 
     3500 flight hours in 15 different aircraft. In retirement, 
     she continued her service in her community as a resident 
     scholar in the University of Tennessee's Center for the Study 
     of War and Society and taught military history in UT's 
     history department for 15 years.
       Captain Mariner passed away from Ovarian Cancer on January 
     24, 2019, in Knoxville, Tennessee. In honor of Captain 
     Mariner, the United States Navy conducted its first all-
     female flyover at the funeral service for Captain Mariner on 
     Saturday, February 2, 2019, in Maynardville, Tennessee. In 
     July 2021, a panel of Ventura County members of the Armed 
     Forces, veterans, and military spouses recommended that the 
     Ventura Medical Center be named in honor of Captain Rosemary 
     Bryant Mariner.
       In a recent report, the VA Advisory Committee on Women 
     Veterans recommended inclusive naming of VA facilities ``to 
     demonstrate to women veterans that their service matters.'' 
     While VA has concurred with the recommendation, it is the 
     responsibility of Congress to pass legislation to actually 
     name these facilities.
       The Chairwoman of the Women Veterans Task Force has helped 
     identify disparities in access to care and benefits, and, 
     where necessary, introduced, advocated for, and passed 
     legislation that fixes those gaps. Naming new or undedicated 
     facilities for women veterans would be a symbolic step to 
     show our appreciation for the great courage, dedication, and 
     sacrifice that these veterans have demonstrated in defense of 
     our Nation.
       Please join me in honoring the incredible life of Captain 
     Rosemary Bryant Mariner by co-sponsoring this bill and 
     signing onto the letter of support to the Senate Veterans' 
     Affairs Committee, a requirement to move the bill forward.
       Thank you for your support of America's disabled veterans 
     and their survivors. If you have any concerns, please do not 
     hesitate to contact our Dept. of CA DAV Legislative Director 
     Gerald G. ``J.R.'' Wilson, Jr.

           Sincerely,
     Michael Kerr,
       Commander.
     Daniel Contreras,
       DAV National 2nd Vice Commander, Adjutant/CEO.
     Gerald G. Wilson, Jr.,
       Legislative Director.
  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I wholeheartedly support this bill, I 
encourage all of my colleagues to do the same, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 7698, a bill to rename 
the VA outpatient clinic in Ventura, California, the Captain Rosemary 
Bryant Mariner Outpatient Clinic.
  Captain Mariner was a trailblazer for women in military aviation. She 
was born in Texas and grew up in San Diego, California. Her mother was 
a Navy nurse, and her father was a military pilot. She grew up watching 
planes take off from Naval Air Station Miramar, which inspired her to 
save up for flying lessons.
  In 1972, when she was just 19 years old, she became the first woman 
to graduate from Purdue University's aeronautical program. She then 
joined the Navy and was selected as one of the first eight women to 
enter pilot training. In 1974, she became one of the first six women to 
earn their naval aviator pilot's wings.
  She went on to become one of the first female aviators to fly the A-4 
Skyhawk fighter aircraft, the first woman to fly the A-7 Corsair strike 
aircraft, the first female aviator to be assigned to an aircraft 
carrier, and the first woman to command an aviation squadron in the 
Navy.
  She commanded a tactical electronic warfare squadron during the first 
Gulf war. After that, she was one of the first women in the Navy to be 
promoted to captain. She retired in 1997 after 24 years of military 
service with over 3,500 flight hours. Her funeral in 2019 was 
accompanied by the first all-female pilot flyover.
  Captain Mariner's contributions to the U.S. military and the Nation 
were truly remarkable. She set a lasting example for women in the Navy, 
whose ranks will include, as of Wednesday, my own granddaughter, which 
I am very proud of, even though I am still having trouble with the Navy 
over the Marines thing.
  Madam Speaker, I am so proud to support this bill, I am grateful to 
Congresswoman Brownley for sponsoring it, and I reserve the balance of 
my time.
  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I want to say I appreciate the ranking member's mentioning of his 
daughter and the connection with today's action. I also extend my 
pride, and I feel his pride. We also are thankful for his daughter's 
service.
  Madam Speaker, I yield 7 minutes to the gentlewoman from California 
(Ms. Brownley), my good friend and the chairwoman of the Subcommittee 
on Health. She is the author of H.R. 7698, a vital piece of 
legislation.
  Ms. BROWNLEY. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman of the committee 
and the ranking member for being so supportive of this bill. I also 
thank Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer, and every member of the 
California delegation, for their support.
  As the chair and ranking member mentioned, my bill, H.R. 7698, will 
name the new VA outpatient clinic in Ventura County after Captain 
Rosemary Bryant Mariner.
  This new VA clinic has been a long time in the making. Since I was 
elected to Congress, I have been working to expand VA services in 
Ventura County to ensure that our veterans have access to the timely 
and quality care that they have earned and deserve.
  When I first came to Congress, it was clear that Ventura County 
veterans were being deeply underserved by the undersized and 
understaffed local VA clinic, so I immediately set out to work to 
correct the situation.
  While I was able to secure improvements to the facility that existed, 
it

[[Page H7942]]

was clear that the large veteran population in our region needed a much 
larger facility and one run by VA personnel, personnel that understood 
them and understood their experiences. That was critically important.
  Although the road to passing legislation to authorize a new facility 
was long, in 2017, my legislation was signed into law. This new clinic 
will be better equipped to deliver high-quality healthcare to a growing 
community of veterans living in Ventura County and in the area.
  Importantly, the new clinic will have VA personnel and will offer 
expanded services and more specialty care, like dental care, physical 
therapy, rehabilitation services, optometry, audiology, podiatry, 
cardiology, and other services.
  Getting the new facility open has been my highest priority in 
Congress, and I am very, very excited that it will be opening next 
Tuesday, September 27.
  I am very grateful for the work of all the dedicated VA personnel in 
our region, who have been laser focused on getting this new facility 
opened and hiring all the necessary staff it needs.

                              {time}  1830

  Already, the reviews from local veterans who have toured the new 
facility have been very positive. I am hopeful that as veterans begin 
to get care at the facility, it will be truly transformative in their 
lives.
  As chair of the Women Veterans Task Force, I am also especially 
pleased that the new clinic will be one of the first VA clinics in the 
country, and the very first in the greater Los Angeles area, with a 
women-only entrance.
  Since the Revolutionary War, millions of women have served in the 
Armed Forces of the United States. However, when they leave the 
military, they are often invisible, and far too many women leave 
military service with the scars of military sexual trauma. The women-
only entrance will ensure that our women veterans can feel safe and 
welcomed and, hopefully, never feel discouraged from seeking the care 
they need.
  While opening this clinic has been my highest priority, I also 
believe that naming the clinic will provide us with yet another 
opportunity to recognize the service and sacrifice of our women 
veterans.
  Women comprise the fastest growing and most diverse demographic in 
both the military and veteran populations.
  Through my work in Congress, I am constantly reminded that women are 
the most visible while serving and the most invisible when they return 
to civilian life. This is symbolized, sadly, by the lack of VA 
facilities named after women veterans. In fact, of the 1,255 VA 
healthcare facilities, only two facilities have been named in honor of 
women veterans--only two.
  To address this, I convened a local citizens advisory panel comprised 
of veterans and community leaders to select a woman veteran for whom we 
could name the new clinic, and they selected Captain Rosemary Bryant 
Mariner.
  Captain Mariner, a former resident of Ventura County, joined the Navy 
in 1973, where she became a member of the Navy's first flight training 
class for women. In 1974, she was one of six women to earn her wings 
and, the following year, became the first female naval aviator to fly a 
jet attack aircraft.
  Captain Mariner was named commander of the Naval Tactical Electronic 
Warfare Squadron 34 at Naval Air Station Point Mugu in Ventura County, 
California. The unit was 30 percent female and made Captain Mariner the 
first woman to command an operational air squadron.
  Throughout her career, Captain Mariner was a passionate advocate for 
women in the military, leading the Women Military Aviators and working 
with Congress and the Department of Defense to lift restrictions 
barring women from flying in combat.
  I could not be more pleased that the House is taking up my bill to 
honor Captain Rosemary Bryant Mariner.
  This bill and this clinic send a critically important message to our 
women veterans, and that is: We see you.
  Madam Speaker, for these reasons, I urge my colleagues to vote 
``yes'' on the bill.
  Mr. BOST. Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this 
bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in 
passing H.R. 7698, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Takano) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 7698.
  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.

                          ____________________