[United States Statutes at Large, Volume 133, 116th Congress, 1st Session]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


Public Law 116-10
116th Congress

An Act


 
To designate the outstation of the Department of Veterans Affairs in
North Ogden, Utah, as the Major Brent Taylor Vet Center
Outstation. <>

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) Major Brent Taylor began his military service following
the attacks of September 11, 2001. He joined the Army National
Guard in 2003, three days after his engagement to his wife,
Jennie. Five of his brothers would eventually serve in the Armed
Forces following the deadly attacks.
(2) During his time in the Army National Guard, Major Taylor
distinguished himself in service to the United States and the
State of Utah. He received a commission as a second lieutenant
from the Brigham Young University Reserve Officer Training Corps
in 2006, while graduating as a member of the National Society of
Collegiate Scholars.
(3) During his impressive career with the Utah National
Guard, Major Taylor distinguished himself in multiple
specialties, including Intelligence and Military Police. One of
his earliest assignments included analyzing foreign language
documents in support of the Defense Intelligence Agency. He also
led document exploitation efforts in multiple European and South
American languages for a variety of intelligence community
customers. Major Taylor also managed a team that assessed
security vulnerabilities at high-profile facilities across the
United States, all while maintaining a successful private sector
career in Utah.
(4) Major Taylor was continuously ready to take up a call to
arms from the United States and deployed four times in support
of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. His deployed duties
varied from Platoon Leader and Combat Advisor to Chief of Staff
to the Special Operations Advisory Group, responsible for
leading a joint task force advising and assisting an elite
Afghan special operations unit.
(5) Throughout his deployments, Major Taylor distinguished
himself on several occasions, earning a multitude of awards
including the Bronze Star. The citation credits the ability of
Major Taylor to think calmly and decisively to keep his
subordinates safe while traversing 600,000 miles of roads in
Iraq, laden with improvised explosive devices (commonly referred
to as ``IED'') and ripe for ambush.

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(6) During one particularly harrowing mission, Major
Taylor's vehicle was struck by an IED. Although he survived the
attack, the wounds he received earned him the Purple Heart.
(7) Major Taylor's amazing record of service was not limited
to the battlefield. In 2010, he served as a member of the North
Ogden City Council and, in 2013, Major Taylor was elected mayor.
His steadfast leadership led to the city being recognized as
``Business Friendly'' by the Governor of Utah, and as one of the
safest, freest cities in the United States by several
organizations. His initiatives included improvements to public
works and infrastructure, attracting businesses to the area,
developing a local community center, and increasing
transparency. His action led his constituents to reelect Major
Taylor in 2017.
(8) In 2018, Major Taylor placed himself on a leave of
absence from his mayoral duties in order to deploy to
Afghanistan, explaining to his constituents, ``Service is what
leadership is all about.''.
(9) While serving in Afghanistan, a dear colleague, Afghani
Lieutenant Kefayatullah, was killed shortly before the Afghan
elections. Major Taylor wrote, ``The strong turnout at that
election, despite the attacks and challenges, was a success for
the long-suffering people of Afghanistan, and for the cause of
human freedom. I am proud of the brave Afghan and U.S. soldiers
I serve with. Many American, NATO and Afghan troops have died to
make moments like this election possible.''. He also extolled
the American public to embrace its civic duty, stating, ``I hope
everyone back home exercises their precious right to vote. And
that whether the Republicans or Democrats win, that we all
remember that we have far more as Americans that unites us than
divides us.''.
(10) Tragically, on Saturday, November 3, 2018, Major Taylor
was killed in an attack in Afghanistan. He was survived by his
wife, Jennie, and his seven children, Megan, Lincoln, Alex,
Jacob, Ellie, Jonathan, and Caroline.
(11) The impression that Major Taylor left was indelible. An
Afghan officer who had served with Major Taylor penned a letter
to his wife, stating, ``Your husband taught me to love my wife
Hamida as an equal and treat my children as treasured gifts, to
be a better father, to be a better husband, and to be a better
man.''. That officer further commented that, ``He died on our
soil but he died for the success of freedom and democracy in
both of our countries.''.
(12) It is only well and fitting that, as a tribute to the
amazing life of Major Taylor, Congress name a facility in honor
of Major Taylor's shining example of service and sacrifice.
SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF MAJOR BRENT TAYLOR VET CENTER OUTSTATION IN
NORTH OGDEN, UTAH.

(a) Designation.--The outstation of the Department of Veterans
Affairs located at 2357 North 400 East Washington Boulevard, North
Ogden, Utah, shall after the date of the enactment of this Act be known
and designated as the ``Major Brent Taylor Vet Center Outstation''.
(b) Reference.--Any reference in any law, regulation, map, document,
paper, or other record of the United States to the facility

[[Page 842]]

referred to in subsection (a) shall be considered to be a reference to
the Major Brent Taylor Vet Center Outstation.

Approved March 21, 2019.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--S. 49:
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 165 (2019):
Feb. 5, considered and passed Senate.
Mar. 5, considered and passed House.