[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 10]
[House]
[Pages 13600-13601]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      DR. OTIS BOWEN VETERAN HOUSE

  Mrs. BROOKS of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 5509) to name the Department of Veterans Affairs 
temporary lodging facility in Indianapolis, Indiana, as the ``Dr. Otis 
Bowen Veteran House''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5509

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. NAME OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS TEMPORARY 
                   LODGING FACILITY, INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

       The Department of Veterans Affairs temporary lodging 
     facility in Indianapolis, Indiana, shall after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act be known and designated as the 
     ``Dr. Otis Bowen Veteran House''. Any reference to such 
     temporary lodging facility in any law, regulation, map, 
     document, record, or other paper of the United States shall 
     be considered to be a reference to the Dr. Otis Bowen Veteran 
     House.

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


                             General Leave

  Mrs. BROOKS of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and insert extraneous materials in the Record on the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Indiana?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. BROOKS of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5509, which will 
formally rename the home for families of veterans undergoing medical 
treatment in Indianapolis as the Dr. Otis Bowen Veteran House. Passing 
this bill today is the least we can do to repay an individual who gave 
so much of himself to serving our Nation, to providing care to his 
neighbors as a family physician, and to supporting our veterans.
  As a lifelong Hoosier, Dr. Bowen was born and raised in Indiana and 
later went on to receive his bachelor's and his medical degree from 
Indiana University. As a newly minted doctor, ``Doc,'' as he became 
known, courageously served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1946. During 
his service in World War II, he bravely tended wounded servicemen 
during the first wave of Allied troops in the invasion of Okinawa in 
1945.
  After serving his country, Doc Bowen came home to Indiana and set up 
a family medical practice in his hometown of Bremen, Indiana. During 
his 26 years of private practice, he delivered over 3,000 babies in a 
town with a population of just over 4,500 people.
  It was during this time that he also became involved with Indiana 
politics. Rising all the way from local coroner to speaker of the 
Indiana House of Representatives and, eventually, one of our State's 
most popular Governors, Doc Bowen consistently won the trust and 
respect of Hoosiers with his patented bedside manner.
  As Governor, Doc Bowen drew upon his war experiences as a combat 
physician to improve healthcare services in Indiana by pioneering a 
statewide emergency medical services system.
  Upon leaving office in 1981, Doc Bowen served as a professor of 
medicine and director of undergraduate medical practice education at 
the IU Medical Center in Indianapolis.
  Doc Bowen returned to public service in 1985, when he answered the 
call of President Ronald Reagan to become the first doctor to serve as 
Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. There he 
spearheaded the Federal Government's response to the spread of AIDS, 
promoted public awareness of the dangers of the disease, and worked 
toward its eradication.
  Throughout his career, Doc Bowen was active in our community as a 
force for good and advocate for others. Most notably, Doc Bowen was an 
active member of the American Legion post in Bremen for 59 years. He 
was also a member of the VFW, the American Medical Association, and he 
sat on the board of the Lilly Endowment, a philanthropic organization 
based in Indianapolis.
  Through Doc Bowen's leadership on the Board of the Lilly Endowment, 
the Richard L. Roudebush Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center 
secured a $9.9 million charitable grant to construct a home for the 
families of veterans undergoing surgery at the center.
  As a doctor, Doc Bowen knew that love is a vital component of the 
healing process and that a family can't dedicate their time and energy 
to the recovery process when they have to worry about where their next 
meal might be coming from or where they might lay their heads at night 
while visiting their family members at the hospital.
  Unfortunately, in 2013, Doc Bowen passed away at the age of 95. 
Throughout his career, he touched so many Hoosiers and always worked to 
enrich the lives of others through selfless sacrifice, hard work, and 
dedication. The eulogy of Pastor Rhode at his funeral summed up Doc's 
life most eloquently

[[Page 13601]]

when he said: ``He only sought to work for others. He took the talents 
and gifts God gave him and used them to his fullest.''

                              {time}  1930

  This is a lesson we all can learn from and is the reason I am proud 
to support this bill. I also want to thank all of my Hoosier colleagues 
from both sides of the aisle who signed on and support this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to join my colleague, the gentlewoman 
from Indiana (Mrs. Brooks) in supporting H.R. 5509, a bill to name the 
Department of Veterans Affairs temporary lodging facility in 
Indianapolis, Indiana, as the Dr. Otis Bowen Veteran House.
  Dr. Bowen was born near Rochester, Indiana. He graduated from Indiana 
University and received his M.D. degree from Indiana University School 
of Medicine. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Medical 
Corps from 1943 to 1946, and was with the first wave of Allied troops 
in the invasion of Okinawa in 1945, and was honorably discharged as a 
captain in 1946.
  When he returned home, he began his private practice, acquiring a 
respected place in Bremen, Indiana, as the country doctor.
  After serving in the Indiana Legislature for 14 years, Dr. Bowen was 
elected the 44th Governor of Indiana and ultimately served as the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services under President Ronald Reagan.
  I am very pleased to support this legislation and urge its passage.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. BROOKS of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my dear 
friend and colleague from California (Mr. Takano) for those remarks.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. 
Walorski). She is my dear friend from northern Indiana who has also 
served on the Veterans' Affairs Committee.
  Mrs. WALORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Representative 
Brooks from Indiana. I am thrilled to stand here tonight and be a part 
of naming this facility in Indianapolis the Dr. Otis Bowen Veteran 
House.
  Dr. Bowen spent most of his life in my district, Indiana's Second 
District. He was the consummate Hoosier, known for his personal 
integrity and leadership in service to this Nation and the State of 
Indiana.
  His nickname was Doc, as he was affectionately known, and I would be 
one person knocking on his door every so often just to check in and see 
how he was doing. He had a wall of fame in his house like none other. I 
would love to just sit and listen to his words of wisdom over the 
years. He was born in Rochester, Indiana, in Fulton County. He 
graduated from Francesville High School. To this day, today, all of 
those areas in those counties are proud that he actually resided in 
those areas.
  He received his medical degree from IU in 1942, completed his 
residency at Memorial Hospital of South Bend, joined the U.S. Medical 
Army Corps, was part of the first wave of troops to storm the beaches 
of Okinawa during World War II. After leaving the service, he started a 
family practice in Bremen, Indiana. In 1952, Doc began his career in 
public service, serving as Marshall County coroner in 1956, when he was 
elected to the Indiana House of Representatives. He was elected 
Governor of Indiana in 1972 and reelected in 1976.
  In 1985, Ronald Reagan appointed him as the Secretary of the 
Department of Health and Human Service, the first medical doctor to 
serve in that role.
  His commitment to serving Hoosiers made him one of the most adored 
public servants in the State of Indiana. His dedication is exemplified 
by the fact that after all these accomplishments and awards, he said 
his proudest achievement was delivering those 3,000 babies as a family 
physician in Marshall County.
  I can't think of a more deserving person to name this facility after.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers, and I urge my 
colleagues to support H.R. 5509.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. BROOKS of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, before we conclude, I would like to take a moment to 
personally thank Chairman Miller for all that he has done throughout 
his tenure in the House of Representatives and in shepherding this 
bill. I also would like to thank his staff who have helped us bring 
this bill to the floor.
  The people of Florida's First Congressional District couldn't have 
asked for a more dedicated public servant. The work that Chairman 
Miller has done to advance the rights and care of veterans is truly 
remarkable.
  Whether it was in the trenches of war for Doc Bowen or in political 
office or at his doctor's office, Doc Bowen had a clear passion for 
serving others. However, he always reserved a special place in his 
heart for his fellow veterans, like Chairman Miller. That is why it is 
only appropriate that the house--the home--that he helped build for 
veterans and their families carry his name and serve as a permanent 
reminder of the character and fortitude of this legendary man.
  Mr. Speaker, I, once again, urge passage today.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Brooks) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 5509.
  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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