[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 186 (Monday, December 16, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H7175-H7177]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HENRY PARHAM VA CLINIC
Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 4955) to name the community-based outpatient clinic of the
Department of Veterans Affairs in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, as the
``Henry Parham VA Clinic''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 4955
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) Henry Parham was born in Emporia, Virginia, in November
1921.
(2) At age 21, Henry Parham was drafted into the Army and
shipped out to England in 1943 with the 320th Barrage Balloon
Battalion in preparation for the D-Day invasions.
(3) The 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, a segregated Army
unit, consisted of approximately 700 African-American
soldiers with the mission of hoisting barrage balloons
designed to entangle incoming German planes and prevent them
from conducting strafing runs on ground troops.
(4) On June 6, 1944, Private First Class Henry Parham and
his section of the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion landed at
Omaha Beach. With the threat of enemy sniper and rifle fire
ever present, PFC Parham's unit performed their duties,
hoisting their barrage balloons 2,000 feet into the air over
the beachhead in Normandy.
(5) For two months, Private First Class Henry Parham and
the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion stood watch at Omaha
Beach, keeping the pipeline of incoming supplies and Allied
troops secure before returning to the United States in
September 1944.
(6) After his service, Henry Parham moved to Wilkinsburg,
Pennsylvania, where he lived and worked as a heavy equipment
operator until 1986. There, he met and married his wife,
Ethel Parham, to whom he was married for more than 45 years.
(7) Henry Parham died on July 4, 2021, in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, at the age of 99. He was survived by his wife,
Ethel, both of
[[Page H7176]]
whom served for decades as volunteers at the medical center
of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, and local chapters of veterans service
organizations.
(8) Henry Parham was the last surviving African-American
combat veteran who took part in the D-Day landings on June 6,
1944.
SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF HENRY PARHAM DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS
AFFAIRS CLINIC.
(a) Designation.--The community-based outpatient clinic of
the Department of Veterans Affairs in Monroeville,
Pennsylvania, shall after the date of the enactment of this
Act be known and designated as the ``Henry Parham Department
of Veterans Affairs Clinic'' or the ``Henry Parham 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 Henry Parham
VA Clinic.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Bost) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.
General Leave
Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on
H.R. 4955.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Illinois?
There was no objection.
Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4955, a bill to
designate the community-based outpatient clinic of the Department of
Veterans Affairs in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, as the Henry Parham VA
Clinic.
Henry Parham was born in 1921 in Greenville, Virginia, and was
drafted into World War II in 1942.
In June of 1944, he took part in the D-day landing in France, serving
in the 320th Very Low Altitude Anti-Aircraft Barrage Balloon Battalion.
His unit was responsible for downing dozens of enemy aircraft.
After the war, he returned home. In his spare time, he kept serving
his community by volunteering with his wife in their local VA. He was
also the last surviving African American who took part in the D-day
landings when he passed away in 2021.
Henry Parham is a great example of what it means to live a life of
service, and I am proud to name this VA clinic after him to continue to
tell the story of service and inspire future generations.
I thank the sponsor of the bill, Representative Lee, as well as the
entire Pennsylvania delegation.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, H.R. 4955, and
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my support for H.R. 4955. This bill
will designate the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based
outpatient clinic in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, as the Henry Parham VA
Clinic. I thank my colleague, Representative Lee, for introducing this
bill.
A member of a segregated Army unit, Private First Class Parham was
likely the last surviving African-American D-day combat veteran. His
heroic actions during perhaps the most famous military operation in
American history are worthy of our continued gratitude. It is my
pleasure to support this bill to do just that.
Mr. Parham was born in Emporia, Virginia, in November 1921 and was
the son of a sharecropper. With limited educational opportunities in
Emporia for African Americans, Mr. Parham moved to Richmond as a
teenager to begin work as a porter for Trailways buses.
Following American entry into World War II, Mr. Parham was drafted
into the Army at age 21. His unit, the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion,
had the mission of protecting ground forces by raising the hydrogen-
filled balloons to disrupt and down enemy aircraft.
The 320th, an all-Black unit, initially trained in Tennessee before
being sent to England in 1943 to prepare for the D-day invasion.
Landing on Omaha Beach hours after the first wave of American troops,
Private First Class Parham and his unit encountered heavy German fire
and casualties spread across the battlefield. Private First Class
Parham survived the assault at Omaha Beach, and his service continued
in the months to come.
Private First Class Parham and the 320th remained at Omaha Beach for
2 months following the June 6 invasion. This unit played a critical
role in protecting supply lines and troop movements for follow-on
operations in the region. The actions of Private First Class Parham and
the 320th were crucial to the ultimate defeat of Nazi forces and Allied
victory in Europe.
Private First Class Parham and the 320th returned to the United
States in November of 1944. They were stationed in Hawaii. The unit
began preparing for deployment to the Pacific as part of the planned
invasion of Japan. They were still in Hawaii when atomic bombs were
dropped on Japan in August 1945, ending the war.
After World War II ended, Mr. Parham and his wife, Ethel, settled in
Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, just outside of Pittsburgh. He worked as a
heavy equipment operator for years in the region.
Following his retirement, both Mr. and Mrs. Parham became active
volunteers at local VA hospitals and with The American Legion.
Mr. Parham, like so many members of the Greatest Generation, answered
his Nation's call to serve to protect democracy at home and abroad.
During a time of racial division, Mr. Parham remained committed to a
country that often treated him as a second-class citizen. His actions
with the 320th Barrage Balloon Battalion on D-day and the months that
followed are deserving of our continued gratitude and respect.
What is more, his work with fellow veterans as a volunteer in his
post-military life demonstrated a lifelong commitment to our Nation's
heroes. There is perhaps no better way to honor Mr. Parham than to
ensure that this community facility bears his name and helps to educate
the public about his service.
Mr. Speaker, I support this important piece of legislation. I ask my
colleagues do the same, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Pennsylvania (Ms. Lee), the author of H.R. 4955 and my very good friend
who serves on the Oversight and Accountability Committee and the
Science, Space, and Technology Committee.
Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my
bill to designate the new Department of Veterans Affairs community-
based outpatient clinic in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, as the Henry
Parham VA Clinic.
Private First Class Henry Parham, who at the time of his passing on
July 4, 2021, was believed to be the last surviving Black combat
veteran of D-day. He passed away at the Pittsburgh VA Medical Center at
the age of 99, leaving behind an extraordinary legacy of courage,
resilience, and service.
Drafted into the Army at just 21 years old, Mr. Parham joined the
320th Barrage Balloon Battalion, the only Black combat unit to land on
D-day. Unable to swim on that day, Mr. Parham waded through neck-high
water onto Omaha Beach, carrying his equipment under the chaos of enemy
fire, praying for survival.
For 2 months, he and his battalion stood watch, aiding the flow of
supplies and reinforcements to sustain Allied forces in turning the
tide of the war. When asked about his service, Mr. Parham said simply:
I did my duty. I did what I was supposed to do as an American.
That sense of responsibility defined him. After the war, Mr. Parham,
like so many Black veterans, returned to a country that denied him the
very freedoms he had fought to protect. He endured, devoting his life
to service, spending decades volunteering at the Pittsburgh VA medical
center and his local American Legion alongside his wife of 54 years,
Ethel.
His dedication earned his recognition in his later year, including
the French Legion of Honor.
In September 2023, the VA opened the Monroeville community-based
outpatient clinic to improve veterans' access to primary and specialty
outpatient services in our region.
Naming this facility after Henry Parham will serve as both a tribute
to
[[Page H7177]]
his legacy and acknowledgment of the immense sacrifices made by
veterans like him, those who fought for freedom abroad while enduring
injustice at home. It is a testament to their courage and their
unyielding belief in this Nation's promise, even when that promise was
denied them.
In honoring Mr. Parham, let us continue to honor all veterans by
ensuring they receive the highest quality of care and support they
deserve.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Reschenthaler for co-leading this
effort with me, Senators Fetterman and Casey for their leadership in
the Senate, and the entire Pennsylvania delegation for their support,
and I urge my colleagues to pass this bill.
Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in passing
H.R. 4955, a bill to designate the Department of Veterans Affairs
community-based outpatient clinic in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, as the
Henry Parham VA Clinic, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, once again, I encourage Members to support
this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Bost) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 4955.
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.
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