One Hundred Thirteenth Congress of the United States of America
2d Session
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Friday, the third day of January, two thousand and fourteen
S. 1434
AN ACT
To designate the Junction City Community-Based Outpatient Clinic located at 715 Southwind Drive, Junction City, Kansas, as the Lieutenant General Richard J. Seitz Community-Based Outpatient Clinic.
Lieutenant General Richard J. Seitz Community-Based Outpatient Clinic
Findings
Congress finds that—
Lieutenant General Richard J. Seitz served as the cadet commander of a unit of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at Leavenworth High School in Leavenworth, Kansas, where he earned the American Legion Cup as an outstanding cadet;
while attending Kansas State University, Lieutenant General Seitz accepted a commission as a second lieutenant in the Army and was called into active duty in 1940;
Lieutenant General Seitz volunteered to be one of the first paratroopers in the United States;
at age 25, Lieutenant General Seitz as a major, was given command of the 2nd Battalion of the 517th Parachute Infantry Regimental Combat Team, becoming the youngest battalion commander in the Army;
along with the 7th Armored Division, the battalion commanded by Lieutenant General Seitz formed what became known as Task Force Seitz at the Battle of the Bulge with the mission to plug the gaps on the north slope of the Bulge when the Germans attempted to break out;
the service of Lieutenant General Seitz earned him the Silver Star, 2 Bronze Stars, the Purple Heart, and many other acknowledgments during his 37-year career in the Army;
after victory in Europe, Lieutenant General Seitz remained in the Army, commanding the 2nd Airborne Battle Group, 503rd Infantry Regiment, and the 82nd Airborne Division;
on retiring in 1978, Lieutenant General Seitz settled in Junction City, Kansas, near Ft. Riley, where he would greet deploying and returning units from Iraq and Afghanistan at all times of the day;
Lieutenant General Seitz remained active in the wider community, working with the Coronado Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the Fort Riley National Bank, Rotary International, and the Association of the United States Army and serving on the board of the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum;
Lieutenant General Seitz had a passion for mentoring young officers and noncommissioned officers at Fort Riley, never ceasing to be a soldier, according to his son, Richard M. Seitz;
Lieutenant General Seitz was named an Outstanding Citizen of Kansas;
in 2012 an elementary school at Fort Riley was named in honor of Lieutenant General Seitz, which is meaningful because he believed the fate of the United States relied on young children and the teachers who inspire them;
during visits to
the elementary school, Lieutenant General Seitz would talk with the
students
about what it meant to be a proud and great American
and his
message was always to respect the teachers and be a
learner
;
the family and friends of Lieutenant General Seitz have described him as a gentleman, compassionate, respected, full of integrity, gracious, giving, and a remarkable individual; and
Lieutenant General Seitz lived each day to its fullest and his commitment to his fellow man serves as an inspiration to all the people of the United States.
Designation
The Junction City Community-Based Outpatient Clinic located at 715 Southwind Drive, Junction City, Kansas, shall be known and designated as the Lieutenant General Richard J. Seitz Community-Based Outpatient Clinic.
References
Any reference in any law, map, regulation, document, paper, or other record of the United States to the Junction City Community-Based Outpatient Clinic referred to in subsection (b) shall be deemed to be a reference to the Lieutenant General Richard J. Seitz Community-Based Outpatient Clinic.
Speaker of the House of Representatives
Vice President of the United States and President of the Senate