[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 175 (Monday, November 14, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H8455-H8457]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SY KAPLAN VETERANS CENTER
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 7925) to designate the outpatient clinic of the Department
of Veterans Affairs in Palm Desert, California, as the ``Sy Kaplan
Veterans Center'', as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 7925
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) Seymour ``Sy'' Kaplan was born on February 28, 1924.
(2) Sergeant Kaplan served in the United States Army from
1942 to 1945 as a combat engineer.
(3) Sergeant Kaplan served in the 2d, 4th, and 14th Armored
Divisions, seeing service in North Africa, Italy, and France.
(4) Sergeant Kaplan rose to the rank of Technical Sergeant
and earned 3 Battle Stars and 2 Purple Hearts.
(5) Sergeant Kaplan served under General George Patton at
the Battle of the Bulge and received 2 Purple Hearts for his
service.
(6) In April 1945, Sergeant Kaplan was grievously wounded
in an enemy mortar attack in Czechoslovakia and returned to
the United States a wounded warrior.
(7) Sergeant Kaplan served as Commander of the Disabled
American Veterans, Chapter 78 (Coachella Valley) for many
years.
(8) Sergeant Kaplan was instrumental in the opening of the
Department of Veterans Affairs clinic in Palm Desert.
(9) Sergeant Kaplan personally provided countless local
veterans with advice and assistance in obtaining their earned
Department of Veterans Affairs benefits.
(10) Sergeant Kaplan received the Senior Inspiration Award
from Riverside County Supervisor Roy Wilson in 2001.
(11) Wilson also appointed Sergeant Kaplan the first chair
of the Desert Palms Community Council.
SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
COMMUNITY-BASED OUTPATIENT CLINIC LOCATED IN
PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA.
(a) Designation.--The Department of Veterans Affairs
community-based outpatient clinic located in Palm Desert,
California, shall after the date of the enactment of this Act
be known and designated as the ``Sy Kaplan VA 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 ``Sy Kaplan VA Clinic''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
California (Mr. Takano) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ellzey) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.
General Leave
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
to include extraneous material on H.R. 7925, as amended.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from California?
There was no objection.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to celebrate the life of Technical Sergeant
Seymour ``Sy'' Kaplan, a wounded warrior, a World War II veteran, and a
decades-long advocate for other veterans living in the Coachella Valley
of southern California.
I thank my colleague, a fellow Californian and member of the
Veterans' Affairs Committee, Dr. Raul Ruiz, for his work on this bill,
which will designate a brand-new VA outpatient clinic in Palm Desert,
California, the Sy Kaplan VA Clinic.
The state-of-the-art Palm Desert clinic provides primary care,
behavioral health services, and preventative medicine to thousands of
veterans in the Inland Empire as part of VA's Loma Linda Healthcare
System.
Sergeant Kaplan enlisted in the military in 1942 and served overseas
as a combat engineer in northern Africa, Italy, and France. He fought
under
[[Page H8456]]
General Patton in the Battle of the Bulge, which helped ensure Allied
victory in the Second World War. In 1945, he was seriously wounded by
an enemy mortar attack during a bridge-building mission in
Czechoslovakia.
For his heroism, Sergeant Kaplan earned three battle stars and two
Purple Hearts and returned home 100 percent disabled.
His injuries did not impede Sergeant Kaplan's unwavering commitment
to our Nation's veterans, however. For 25 years, he served as commander
of Disabled American Veterans Chapter 78 in the Coachella Valley. In
this role, Sergeant Kaplan assisted countless veterans, helping ease
their transition back to civilian life and providing them with a tight-
knit sense of community.
His passion, leadership, and sense of purpose were evident to all who
knew him.
Following a lifetime of service, Sergeant Kaplan passed away in April
2019, not long after celebrating his 95th birthday. His legacy
continues, however, in the grateful community of those whose lives he
touched.
I am happy to know that for generations of veterans to come, this VA
facility will honor Sergeant Kaplan's memory.
H.R. 7925, as amended, has been endorsed by The American Legion, DAV,
and Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record letters of support for H.R. 1925
from The American Legion, VFW, and Disabled American Veterans, as well
as the California delegation.
The American Legion,
Department of California,
Sanger, CA, July 18, 2022.
Hon. Raul Ruiz, M.D.,
House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
Dear Congressman Ruiz: On behalf of The American Legion,
Department of California, we thank you for your continued
leadership in advocating for the more than I 20,000 veterans
living in Riverside County. TAL Department of California is
proud to support your legislation, designating the outpatient
clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Palm Desert,
California, as the, Sy Kaplan Veterans Center''.
By naming the Palm Desert outpatient clinic after United
States Army Technical Sergeant, Seymour ``Sy'' Kaplan, not
only memorializes his contributions and sacrifices made
fighting in North Africa, Italy and France during World War
II, but also underscores his significant contributions
towards Veterans Advocacy in the Palm Desert area. This
advocacy was instrumental in the opening of the very VA
clinic your legislation hopes to name after him.
Thank you again for your leadership and advocacy of all
veterans. TAL Department of California recognizes all the
work that went into this effort and wholeheartedly supports
this legislation. Moreover, we hope this bill will be passed
and signed into law most expeditiously.
Sincerely,
Jere Romano, Commander,
The American Legion Department
of California.
____
Veterans of Foreign Wars,
June 6, 2022.
Rep. Raul Ruiz,
Washington DC.
Dear Hon. Representative Ruiz, MD: The Veterans of Foreign
Wars, Department of California takes great pleasure in
supporting your bill to name the VA's Outpatient Clinic
building in Palm Desert, CA as the Sy Kaplan Veterans Center.
Sergeant Kaplan's service to our country in WWII is
impressive. He not only gave his all during his service, but
he also continued that back at home in service to veterans
and with the same commitment. His legacy is worthy of and in
line with this Department's desires to pay honor to our
servicemen and women by naming California veteran facilities
after them.
On behalf of the 61,000+ combat veterans of this
Department, we thank you for recognizing our nation's heroes.
Sincerely,
Dawn M. Napier,
State Commander.
____
Disabled American Veterans,
San Diego, CA, December 5, 2021.
Hon. Raul Ruiz M.D.
Dear Congressman Ruiz: I am writing this letter of
endorsement to rename the Desert Clinic the Seymour (Sy)
Kaplan Desert Clinic. This is an Honor he richly deserves.
Mr. Kaplan, a force to be reckoned with, was the catalyst in
the establishment of the clinic. His tireless commitment to
all veterans was inspiring. A highly decorated war hero, Mr.
Kaplan spent a lifetime giving to the veteran community, not
only in the desert community but the State of California.
I thank you in advance for all your consideration in this
matter.
Nancy Casey,
Department of California DAV, Jr. Vice Commander, National
Service Officer, Disabled American Veterans.
____
November 1, 2022.
Hon. Jon Tester,
Chairman, Committee on Veterans' Affairs, U.S. Senate,
Washington, DC.
Hon. Jerry Moran,
Ranking Member, Committee on Veterans' Affairs, U.S. Senate,
Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Tester and Ranking Member Moran: We write in
support of H.R. 7925, legislation to rename the Palm Desert
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) outpatient clinic after
Sy Kaplan.
Sy Kaplan served in the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1945 as a
combat engineer. He rose to the rank of Technical Sergeant
and earned three Battle Stars and two Purple Hearts. In April
1945 he was grievously wounded in an enemy mortar attack in
Czechoslovakia and returned to the U.S. a wounded warrior.
When he retired, Mr. Kaplan served as Commander of the
Disabled American Veterans, Chapter 78 (Coachella Valley) for
many years, where he personally provided countless local
veterans with advice and assistance in obtaining their earned
VA benefits. Additionally, he was instrumental in the opening
of the VA Clinic in Palm Desert which we wish to name in his
honor.
Mr. Kaplan was recognized for his work within his community
and received the Senior Inspiration Award from Riverside
County Supervisor Roy Wilson in 2001 and was appointed the
first chair of the Desert Palms Community Council.
We hope that you will swiftly advance H.R. 7925 to
recognize this true war hero and pillar of the community by
supporting our bill to rename the Palm Desert VA outpatient
clinic the Sy Kaplan Veterans Center.
Sincerely,
Raul Ruiz, M.D., Dianne Feinstein, Alex Padilla, Kevin
McCarthy, Mark Takano, Jared Huffman, Ami Bera, M.D., Nancy
Pelosi, Doug LaMalfa, Mike Thompson, Jay Obernolte, Jerry
McNerney, Mark DeSaulnier, Jackie Speier, Jim Costa, Anna G.
Eshoo, Josh Harder, Barbara Lee, Eric Swalwell, Ro Khanna,
Zoe Lofgren; Members of Congress.
Salud Carbajal, Brad Sherman, Grace F. Napolitano, Karen
Bass, Ken Calvert, Judy Chu, Pete Aguilar, Norma J. Torres,
Lucille Roybal-Allard, Katie Porter, J. Luis Correa, Michelle
Steel, Juan Vargas, Darrell Issa, Linda T. Sanchez, Alan S.
Lowenthal, Mike Levin, Scott H. Peters, David G. Valadao,
Doris Matsui; Members of Congress.
Jimmy Gomez, Mike Garcia, Adam B. Schiff, John Garamendi,
Maxine Waters, Jimmy Panetta, Ted Lieu, Tony Cardenas, Tom
McClintock, Young Kim, Julia Brownley, Connie Conway; Members
of Congress.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, again, I thank Dr. Ruiz and all of our
fellow members of the California delegation for their support of this
bill.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation,
and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ELLZEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 7925, as amended, a bill
to designate the outpatient clinic of the Department of Veterans
Affairs in Palm Desert California as the Sy Kaplan Veterans Center.
Sy Kaplan enlisted in the Army at age 18. He served in World War II
as a combat engineer in the 2nd, 4th, and 14th Armored Divisions during
the North Africa campaign and the liberation of Italy and in France. In
that service, he earned three battle stars and two Purple Hearts. He
rose to the rank of technical sergeant.
At the end of the war, in 1945, he was seriously wounded by an enemy
mortar attack in the former Czechoslovakia and returned to the United
States due to his injuries.
Following his return, he started and operated his own construction
company. He retired in 1991 and moved to California, as everybody did.
Sergeant Kaplan embraced his new community, where he personally
provided countless local veterans with advice and assistance in
obtaining and earning their VA benefits.
He served as the commander of the Disabled American Veterans Chapter
78 in Coachella Valley for many years, and, of course, he played an
instrumental role in establishing the VA clinic in Palm Desert.
Sergeant Kaplan dedicated his life to service and, most importantly,
to helping his fellow veterans. Having his name on this VA clinic will
continue his legacy of inspiration.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in
passing H.R. 7925, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.
[[Page H8457]]
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. 7925, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
The title of the bill was amended so as to read: ``A bill to
designate the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient
clinic located in Palm Desert, California, as the `Sy Kaplan VA
Clinic'.''.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________