Doug Lamborn

Mr. LAMBORN

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Chairman, there is an important program to help our Special Forces troops and families. It is called the Preservation of the Force and Family program. Admiral McRaven, who is the commander of Special Operations Command, has told the Armed Services Committee that this is his highest priority. It combines several kinds of help and assistance to wounded warriors and to their families in a holistic way. For those who are in it and have benefited from it, it has been a tremendous, tremendous program. What I am proposing in this amendment is to take $5 million from the Special Operation Command's budget request for flying hours, which in my understanding was increased by the Appropriations Committee, which is normally an excellent thing to fund, but they even gave, in my understanding, Mr. Chairman, above and beyond what the command had asked for. So based on that, I am asking for a transfer back of $5 million from the flying hours budget to the Preservation of the Force and Family Program. This aligns with what the Armed Services Committee had put in the NDAA after their deliberations in committee. I would ask that the House adopt this amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. LAMBORN

Mr. LAMBORN. I ask my colleagues to also support H.R. 3375, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3375) to designate the community-based outpatient clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs to be constructed at 3141 Centennial Boulevard, Colorado Springs, Colorado, as the ``PFC Floyd K. Lindstrom Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic''.

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 3375.

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3375, which would name the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic at 3141 Centennial Boulevard in Colorado Springs, Colorado, the PFC Floyd K. Lindstrom Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic. We are here today to honor the life and sacrifice of Private First Class Floyd K. Lindstrom by naming a new VA community-based outpatient clinic in southern Colorado after him. PFC Lindstrom was raised by his mother in Colorado Springs, which is part of the Fifth Congressional District that I am honored to represent. There, he spent much of his youth working summers on the Stratton farm and playing basketball. As a young man, he delivered fruit and produce between California and Colorado, while helping to support his mother and sister. Just after his 30th birthday, PFC Lindstrom answered the Nation's call to serve by enlisting in the United States Army on June 22, 1942. He was trained as a machine gunner; assigned to 2nd Platoon, H Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division; and arrived in North Africa in the early months of 1943. That is when my father was also in North Africa. On July 12, 1943, PFC Lindstrom's convoy was in Sicily and came under attack from enemy aircraft when he saw an out-of-control truck heading for a friendly dismounted soldier. Noticing that the soldier was unaware of the threat, Lindstrom abandoned the safety of his protective cover and redirected the truck, saving his fellow soldier's life. For these actions, Lindstrom was awarded the Silver Star. This wasn't the only time he displayed extraordinary heroism and selfless sacrifice. On November 11, 1943, PFC Lindstrom's unit was providing machine gun support for a rifle company attacking a hill near Mignano, Italy. When a German counterattack forced friendly forces to retreat to a defensive position, Lindstrom demonstrated complete fearlessness in the face of almost certain death by singlehandedly assaulting and knocking out an enemy machine gun position. That display of aggressive spirit and conspicuous gallantry was credited with breaking up the counterattack, and Lindstrom was subsequently nominated for the Medal of Honor. I would like to read the last sentence from the citation for PFC Lindstrom when he received his Medal of Honor: His spectacular performance completely broke up the German counterattack. PFC Lindstrom demonstrated aggressive spirit and complete fearlessness in the face of almost certain death. Mr. Speaker, at this time, I will introduce into the Record the citation for his Medal of Honor. Medal of Honor citation Private First Class Lindstrom's official Medal of Honor citation reads: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of life above and beyond the call of duty. On 11 November 1943, this soldier's platoon was furnishing machinegun support for a rifle company attacking a hill near Mignano, Italy, when the enemy counterattacked, forcing the riflemen and half the machinegun platoon to retire to a defensive position. Pfc. Lindstrom saw that his small section was alone and outnumbered 5 to 1, yet he immediately deployed the few remaining men into position and opened fire with his single gun. The enemy centered fire on him with machinegun, machine pistols, and grenades. Unable to knock out the enemy nest from his original position, Pfc. Lindstrom picked up his own heavy machinegun and staggered 15 yards up the barren, rocky hillside to a new position, completely ignoring enemy small arms fire which was striking all around him. From this new site, only 10 yards from the enemy machinegun, he engaged it in an intense duel. Realizing that he could not hit the hostile gunners because they were behind a large rock, he charged uphill under a steady stream of fire, killed both gunners with his pistol and dragged their gun down to his own men, directing them to employ it against the enemy. Disregarding heavy rifle fire, he returned to the enemy machinegun nest for 2 boxes of ammunition, came back and resumed withering fire from his own gun. His spectacular performance completely broke up the German counterattack. Pfc. Lindstrom demonstrated aggressive spirit and complete fearlessness in the face of almost certain death.

Mr. LAMBORN. Following that event, PFC Lindstrom was given the option of staying with his fellow soldiers or taking a significantly safer assignment as a guard far removed from enemy lines. Consistent with his previous actions, Lindstrom refused to put his own safety ahead of his fellow soldiers and chose to remain with his unit. Less than 3 months later, he was killed during a German counterattack at Anzio, Italy. On April 20, 1944, PFC Lindstrom was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his courageous actions near Mignano. He is now interred in Evergreen Cemetery in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The new VA community-based outpatient clinic in Colorado Springs is set to open in the next few months and was only made possible through many years of hard work by the veterans of southern Colorado and the support of my colleagues here in Congress. The new facility will double the size of existing clinics while providing health care that is more comprehensive and convenient to the veterans of southern Colorado. It is only fitting for the new clinic to be named after one of Colorado Springs'--and the Nation's--greatest heroes. I can think of no one more deserving of this honor than Private 1st Class Floyd K. Lindstrom. It is my pleasure to offer H.R. 3375, and I am grateful for the leadership and support of the VA Committee Chairman Jeff Miller, Ranking Member Michaud, and the entire Colorado delegation. I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring this great hero by supporting this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague, the gentleman from South Carolina, for his words and his support on this bill. This has special meaning to me because my father fought, also, in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy, and he recently passed away as one of the members of the Greatest Generation. Floyd Lindstrom, though, never came back. I believe he was engaged. He had a fiancee or a girlfriend, but he never came back. So it is only fitting that we honor the veterans who have served in the past on a building that is going to be serving the needs of our veterans in the present. And I believe this will also inspire generations in the future as they know the story of Floyd Lindstrom. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. LAMBORN

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4199) to name the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Waco, Texas, as the ``Doris Miller Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center''.

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 4199.

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4199, which is sponsored by my good friend and colleague and fellow committee member, Representative Bill Flores of Texas, who serves as the chairman of the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee. H.R. 4199 would name the VA medical center in Waco, Texas, the Doris Miller Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Petty Officer Doris--or ``Dorie''--Miller served in the U.S. Navy from 1939 to 1943. During the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Dorie's heroic actions in the heat of battle helped to save the lives of many of his fellow servicemembers. For his actions, he received the Purple Heart Medal, the American Defense Service Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, and the Navy Cross, making him the first African American in our Nation's history to receive that honor. It is only appropriate that the VA Medical Center in Waco, Texas, bear Dorie's name. I am grateful to Representative Flores for sponsoring this legislation and urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 4199. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas, Representative Bill Flores, the sponsor of the bill.

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from South Carolina for his words and for his constructive and inspiring thoughts. I thank the sponsor for bringing this excellent piece of legislation forward. I encourage all Members to support H.R. 4199. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LAMBORN

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1216) to designate the Department of Veterans Affairs Vet Center in Prescott, Arizona, as the ``Dr. Cameron McKinley Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Center''.

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 1216.

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1216, sponsored by my good friend and colleague, Representative Paul Gosar of Arizona. This bill would name the Vet Center in Prescott, Arizona, as the Dr. Cameron McKinley Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans Center. Dr. Cameron McKinley joined the United States Marine Corps Reserve after World War II. Following his time in uniform, Dr. McKinley pursued a career in service to his fellow veterans, eventually becoming chief psychologist at the VA Medical Center in Prescott, Arizona. Given his lifelong service to the mental well-being of his fellow veterans, it is only appropriate that the Vet Center in Prescott, Arizona, bear his name. I am grateful to Representative Gosar for sponsoring this legislation and urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 1216. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LAMBORN. I thank my colleague from Massachusetts for his gracious words. I would now yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar), the sponsor of the legislation.

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Arizona for this excellent piece of legislation and his work on behalf of veterans in his district. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support H.R. 1216, and with that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LAMBORN

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3682) to designate the community-based outpatient clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs located at 1961 Premier Drive in Mankato, Minnesota, as the ``Lyle C. Pearson Community-Based Outpatient Clinic''.

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 3682.

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3682, which is sponsored by my good friend and colleague and fellow committee member on the Veterans' Affairs Committee, Representative Tim Walz, from Minnesota. H.R. 3682 would name the VA Community-Based Outpatient Clinic in Mankato, Minnesota, the Lyle C. Pearson Community-Based Outpatient Clinic. Lyle Pearson was a World War II prisoner of war who received the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with Clusters, and the Purple Heart for his service. He was also a lifelong public servant, serving as the Disabled American Veterans National Commander from 1975 to 1976. Recognizing Lyle's service and his sacrifice by naming the CBOC in Mankato after him is a fitting and appropriate honor. I am grateful to Representative Walz for sponsoring this legislation and urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 3682. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to work with my colleague, Representative Walz, on this fine piece of legislation honoring someone very deserving of this honor and the naming of this clinic. So with that, Mr. Speaker, I urge all of our Members and colleagues to support H.R. 3682, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LAMBORN

Mr. LAMBORN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the chairman's H.R. 4810, the Veteran Access to Care Act. Recent reports from within the VA have confirmed that the manipulation of scheduling data and unacceptable wait times first highlighted in Phoenix are systemic throughout the VA system. Unfortunately, we have seen some of this in Colorado--at Colorado Springs, in particular. I am really upset about that. These findings prompted me to author a letter last week that was signed by 35 of my colleagues urging Acting Secretary of the VA Gibson to expand the use of fee-based care in order to clear the current backlog and address any capacity shortfalls. H.R. 4810 takes the next steps in addressing these shortfalls by mandating that the VA expand access to fee-based care and defines the parameters under which this care will be administered. ``Fee-based'' means that the veteran can get private health care providers to step in and take care of his health care needs when the VA doesn't have the capacity at that time to take care of him or her. In order to ensure this timely delivery of quality care, H.R. 4810 also requires the VA to have an independent assessment conducted on the Veterans Health Administration to evaluate the Department's performance and to provide recommendations for improvement. Also, I would like to mention, bonuses will not be available to VA bureaucrats until 2016 under this bill, until this problem gets solved. Mr. Speaker, I fully support H.R. 4810. I appreciate the chairman's leadership on this issue, and I ask my colleagues to support this important piece of legislation as well.