To designate the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense joint outpatient clinic to be constructed in Marina, California, as the "Major General William H. Gourley VA-DOD Outpatient Clinic".

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you, Congresswoman Davis, for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of, obviously, the legislation I have authored, but I really appreciate the statements that have been made here about General Gourley. He was a very special human being--tall- statured, an incredible soldier, and a retiree who kind of brought together the retiree community of the military along the entire Monterey Peninsula.

We still have nine military missions, including the Naval Postgraduate School, the Defense Language Institute, at which all the languages of the world are taught, the Manpower Development Center, Fort Hunter Liggett, Camp Roberts, and so on. So we have a lot of military there.

He recognized that not only did the Active Duty soldiers--men and women in uniform who have a clinic at the Defense Language Institute-- have to live off of TRICARE but, really, so did their spouses and children. A lot of the doctors in the community wouldn't accept TRICARE because the reimbursement rates were so low. So here were underserved populations. There was a widow population of military retirees, who, after the base closed and the hospital closed and where there was space available, they weren't really familiar with how to use TRICARE or how to find TRICARE doctors. There was the Active Duty military, and then there was this incredible veterans community. So, for the first time in the history of this country, we got the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense together, and we decided that they ought to plan a clinic.

General Gourley was so instrumental in getting that sort of one-stop, proud-to-serve opportunity to be in the design of a building and in the operation of a building, and it was no small task because all of these agencies want to be joined. I always remind people that you can't be a veteran without having walked through the Department of Defense first. In the old days, when you left the Department of Defense, then you had to find your way. You had to find your papers and get them all transferred and do all of this heavy lifting, and there was always bureaucracy and a loss of papers and a loss of stuff. So this one-stop system, which we all think is much more cost-effective and a proud way to say ``thank you'' to those who serve, is really going to be implemented in this brand new clinic on which we just broke ground on Veterans Day, a week ago.

From my seat on the Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee, I have learned that we really need to find this unity. When we had found it, it had always been advocated by General Gourley. Unfortunately, he passed away a couple of years ago, but just before he passed away, I was able to do an oral interview with him to archive in the Library of Congress because Congress has developed this oral history archive. I would urge all of my colleagues in Congress to take part in doing these interviews with veterans and to archive their experiences.

General Gourley served in many, many places in this country. He was always a leader and was outspoken. He was critical of things that needed to be criticized. When he was head of the War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, he insisted that soldiers couldn't go to class unless they brought their wives, so that those spouses would come to understand that the Army mindset, in the form of a greater bond within the family, is a shared duty and a shared sacrifice. In that sense of unity, he always used to say, ``Leave a better Army.'' Leave it better than you found it.

I think he left this world a lot better than he found it. One way the community would like to pay tribute to him for his using his retirement to continue to bring this collaboration and this ``thinking outside the box'' together is to name this new clinic after him. He

would be so proud. I was at his burial at Arlington National Cemetery in 2008. In honor of his lifetime of service to our country, to our troops, to our veterans, I am really proud to have introduced this bill, which is to name the clinic after this American hero. I am proud to have been his friend, and I ask your support in passing the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 272) to designate the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense joint outpatient clinic to be constructed in Marina, California, as the ``General William H. Gourley Federal Outpatient Clinic: A Joint VA-DOD Health Care Facility'', as amended.

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 material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 272, which designates the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense joint outpatient clinic to be constructed in Marina, California, as the General William H. Gourley VA-DOD Outpatient Clinic.

I want to commend Representative Sam Farr of California for sponsoring this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, the late Major General William H. Gourley gave this Nation 36 years of committed and distinguished service in the United States Army. That service took him to far off places such as Vietnam, Korea, Turkey, and Germany, where he had an immediate and positive impact on the soldiers and officers with whom he served.

When General Gourley's service to the Nation was done, he returned to his beloved Monterey, California, to retire. He became actively involved in the Monterey community, helping to oversee the restructuring of Fort Ord for civilian reuse following the Base Realignment and Closure decision to shut down that Army post.

Mr. Speaker, General Gourley was also instrumental in paving the way for the joint VA-DOD outpatient clinic to be constructed in Marina, California, which is why it is fitting that that clinic, which when completed will serve our Active Duty and retired military, their families and veterans, be named the General William H. Gourley VA-DOD Outpatient Clinic.

General Gourley dedicated his life to serving the military. The VA- DOD clinic will stand as a reminder of his service to all those who will benefit from the health care provided by the clinic in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, at this time, I have no further requests for time. I am prepared to close after my colleague has yielded back her time.

I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, health care is a morale staple of our military, both in Active Duty and when we become veterans, whether it is in theatre or at home, as those who have served or who are serving know that, on the health care side, we have their backs. General Gourley understood that.

I urge all to vote in favor of this bill in order to give him the recognition that is due.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably absent during the week of November 18, 2013. If I were present, I would have voted on the following.

Monday, November 18, 2013

Rollcall No. 588: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as Amended H.R. 2061, ``yea.''

Rollcall No. 589: On the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 272, ``yea.''

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Rollcall No. 590: On ordering the Previous Question and providing for consideration of H.R. 1965 and H.R. 2728, ``nay.''

Rollcall No. 591: On agreeing to the resolution providing for consideration of H.R. 1965 and H.R. 2728, ``no.''

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Rollcall No. 592: On ordering the Previous Question and Providing for consideration of H.R. 1900, ``nay.''

Rollcall No. 593: On agreeing to the resolution providing for consideration of H.R. 1900, ``no.''

Rollcall No. 594: On agreeing to the amendment on H.R. 1965 offered by Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, ``aye.''

Rollcall No. 595: On agreeing to the amendment on H.R. 1965 offered by Alan Lowenthal of California, ``aye.''

Rollcall No. 596: On agreeing to the amendment on H.R. 1965 offered by Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, ``aye.''

Rollcall No. 597: On agreeing to the amendment on H.R. 1965 offered by Jared Polis of Colorado, ``aye.''

Rollcall No. 598: On agreeing to the amendment on H.R. 1965 offered by Peter DeFazio of Oregon, ``aye.''

Rollcall No. 599: On Motion to recommit with instructions on H.R. 1965, ``aye.''

Rollcall No. 600: On passage of H.R. 1965, ``no.''

Rollcall No. 601: On agreeing to the amendment on H.R. 2728 offered by Rush Holt of New Jersey, ``aye.''

Rollcall No. 602: On agreeing to the amendment on H.R. 2728 offered by Peter DeFazio of Oregon, ``aye.''

Rollcall No. 603: On Motion to recommit with instructions on H.R. 2728, ``aye.''

Rollcall No. 604: On passage of H.R. 2728, ``no.''

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Rollcall No. 605: On agreeing to the amendment on H.R. 1900 offered by Paul Tonko of New York, ``aye.''

Rollcall No. 606: On agreeing to the amendment on H.R. 1900 offered by Kathy Castor of Florida, ``aye.''

Rollcall No. 607: On agreeing to the amendment on H.R. 1900 offered by Jackie Speier of California, ``aye.''

Rollcall No. 608: On agreeing to the amendment on H.R. 1900 offered by Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, ``aye.''

Rollcall No. 609: On agreeing to the amendment on H.R. 1900 offered by John Dingell of Michigan, ``aye.''

Rollcall No. 610: On Motion to recommit with instructions on H.R. 1900, ``yea.''

Rollcall No. 611: On passage of H.R. 1900, ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Major General William Gourley was truly a soldier's soldier. His long and storied career can be summed up by the motto he took with him across the Army to every unit he commanded: ``Soldiers first.'' He insisted that support of the military must focus on the needs of soldiers, and this mantra soon became the standard across the entire Army personnel community.

After more than 30 years in uniform, General Gourley continued fighting for the well-being of soldiers and their families. His bigger- than-life persona and caring nature endeared him to Active Duty soldiers and veterans alike, and he could often be seen at the former Fort Ord--at the commissary or at the PX--inquiring as to how servicemembers were and as to how he could help them. He was a fixture at the local VA clinic, but dreamed of a larger facility that could seamlessly integrate care over the life of a soldier.

It was this desire, coupled with his penchant for helping others, which led him to play an instrumental role in the planning and development of the soon-to-be joint VA-DOD hospital. It would only be fitting to see this new and innovative facility named after a true American hero.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to my colleague from California (Mr. Farr), the sponsor of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, we have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today regarding my absence from the House for votes on the evening of November 18, 2013, due to a medical issue. I would like to submit how I would have voted had I been in attendance for the following votes:

Rollcall No. 588, on the motion to suspend the rules and pass, as amended, the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act (H.R. 2061): I would have voted ``yea.''

Rollcall No. 589, on the motion to suspend the rules and pass, as amended, a bill (H.R. 272) to designate the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense joint outpatient clinic to be constructed in Marina, California, as the General William H. Gourley Federal Outpatient Clinic: A Joint VA-DOD Health Care Facility: I would have voted ``yea.''