[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 52 (Tuesday, March 26, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E288]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





   CELEBRATING THE 100TH BIRTHDAY OF THE KERRVILLE VETERANS AFFAIRS 
                             MEDICAL CENTER

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. CHIP ROY

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 26, 2024

  Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 100th birthday 
of the Kerrville Veterans Affairs Medical Center in my district. This 
beautiful campus serves veterans from across multiple counties in the 
Texas Hill Country.
  The Benevolent War Risk Society and the American Legion recognized 
the need for medical care of World War I veterans. Countless veterans 
contracted tuberculosis during and after that conflict. Fundraising for 
the hospital began in 1919. The generous Schreiner family of Kerrville 
donated over 700 acres of land for the hospital grounds. Unfortunately, 
funding ran out in early 1921. The American Legion came to the 
project's rescue and eventually donated the hospital to the State of 
Texas.
  As a result, the name ``American Legion Memorial Sanatorium'' was 
bequeathed on the facility. The first patients were admitted on June 
22, 1921. The federal Veterans Administration began to lease the 
hospital from the State of Texas two years later. The facility became 
the 93rd veteran hospital to open in the United States on July 12, 
1923, under the name ``Veterans Administration Hospital at Kerrville.'' 
There were a total of 15 buildings on campus at the time, some of which 
are still used today.
  President Herbert Hoover created the Veterans Administration in July 
1930, changing the name of the hospital yet again. Over the years, 
efforts were made to expand. A two million-dollar project in 1947 
resulted in 400 additional beds and a total of 8 hospital floors. 
January of 1960 saw the conversion of the facility to full general 
medical services.
  On March 15, 1995, the South Texas Veterans Healthcare System was 
created when the Kerrville VA Medical Center merged with the Audie L. 
Murphy Memorial Hospital in San Antonio.
  Over the years, the Veterans Administration donated most of the 
original land to various local entities. The current footprint of the 
Kerrville VA Medical Center is 70 acres, including a Veterans National 
Cemetery. My constituents will gather on April 12, 2024 to recognize 
the significant contributions of this medical facility to Texas 
veterans.

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