To designate the Department of Veterans Affairs health care center in Center Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, as the "Abie Abraham VA Clinic".

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman. I brought with me today a picture of Master Sergeant Abraham. Now, I never knew him when he looked like this. I knew him when he was much older. I have got to tell you that to know Master Sergeant Abraham, you would never have known what he had gone through in his life because all of these folks from that time period just did what they had to do. When you ask them, ``Why did you do it?'' they said, ``It wasn't an option. It wasn't an option. We had to do it.'' There is just certain times in our history that people rise up and they do things that are incredible, ordinary people doing extraordinary things.

Just being around Mr. Abraham for a long time--I never called him Abie, by the way. I did not call him Abie. I always called him sergeant or Mr. Abraham--I was just always so impressed with him. It is such an honor and a privilege to be able to stand here in the people's House to talk about a true American hero, somebody who was not just a patriot, but was compassionate, somebody who never stopped serving his country in so many different ways.

When I first read ``The Ghost of Bataan,'' I went back and I talked to Mr. Abraham. I said: You never told me about these things.

He said: Oh, don't worry about that. Those were just things we had to do.

I said: No, but what you did was incredible: to survive the Bataan Death March, to be in a Japanese prison camp for 3\1/2\ years, to be stabbed, to be shot, to be beaten, to survive malaria and starvation. Did you ever think of trying to get away?

He said: Yeah, Mike, I did, but here was the thing: if one of us were to escape, the Japanese soldiers would shoot 10 of the prisoners who were still in the camp; so we didn't want to do that to any of our colleagues. I watched them die. I held them as they died. We tried to get them through the darkest times that we could.

I said: How did you endure?

He said: My faith. My faith.

That is how we all get through the darkest time, on both knees, believing that God is there for us no matter what. But when you read his books and you understand who this man was--and

I think the second book was the one that was incredible. Let me read this because I just thought if there was anything that somebody did out of love, it was Mr. Abraham.

His second book was ``Oh, God, Where Are You?'' I want you to think of this as a prisoner of war who survived the Bataan Death March, who watched his colleagues killed along the way, and if they fell down, they got shot. Toward the end, when they fell down and they couldn't move anymore, they were put into open graves, and they were told to go ahead and cover the graves. He refused to do it. He said: They are still moving.

So we come to today and we think about what it is that we as Americans can do. What is it we can do? What is in our hearts? What is in our memory? What about all those who came before us and what they went through?

Mr. Abraham, as a child, went to school barefoot. His family didn't have money to even buy him shoes, but he had a love for our Nation. He had a love for his fellow man. He had a love for veterans that was just incredible. But imagine the despair of being in that prison camp and not knowing what was going on in the outside war.

I asked him: What did you do? How did you keep people's spirits up?

He said: I made up stories. I would tell them that I just heard there was a rumor going through camp that our armies are close and they are going to rescue us.

Think about that. They were clinging to a made-up story from this man because he knew that is how he could keep their spirits up in the darkest of times. He kind of smiled about it.

I said: That is incredible.

He said: Well, sometimes you have to do things a little different just to get people's spirits up.

I want you to fast forward to who this man was. I watched him walk with a cane as he got into his later years, in his eighties and nineties, going to VA Butler Healthcare Center every single day to help fellow veterans. His sole purpose in life was to help other American citizens, to help other veterans, to bring a little light into their life, to bring a little happiness into their life; 40,000 hours of service in a VA center. He could have spent his time doing other things, but he didn't. He chose to stay with those he loved. He chose to serve those he loved. He chose to continue to serve even in his retirement this Nation that he loved so much.

I can't tell you how much it means to be able to look at that new health center going up and knowing that Mr. Abraham, from his new post, is looking down and is so thankful to a grateful nation that we are taking time to take care of those who have given everything they can to make sure our Nation remains free.

This is an incredible time in our history. This has nothing to do with parties. It has nothing to do with who you vote for. It has to do with who we are, the fact that every single one of us has a role. I would just ask people to please look into Abie Abraham. Go online and see about Mr. Abraham. Go and see what Master Sergeant Abraham did, and say: If I could just be a little bit like Abie Abraham, the world would be a better place. For all those who have died in the service of our country, they will rest easier.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 609) to designate the Department of Veterans Affairs health care center in Center Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, as the ``Abie Abraham VA Clinic''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and add extraneous material.

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

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 609, a bill to name the Department of Veterans Affairs health care center in Center Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, the Abie Abraham VA Clinic.

This bill is sponsored by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Kelly), my good friend. I am grateful to him for introducing this legislation in honor of an American hero.

Master Sergeant Abraham lived a truly remarkable life. As a teenager, he set a world record for tree sitting--a popular pastime in those days--after sitting in a tree for 3\1/2\ months, according to his obituary in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

In 1932, at the age of just 19, he enlisted in the United States Navy and, 2 years later, the United States Army. Over the course of a 30- year military career, he served in the Philippines, China, Germany, and Panama. He earned a number of accolades, including the Purple Heart. He survived, Mr. Speaker, the Bataan Death March and 3\1/2\ years in captivity, being beaten, shot, and starved.

Following his rescue, instead of returning immediately to the United States, Master Sergeant Abraham agreed to stay behind to recover the remains of his fallen comrades and to ensure they received the recognition they were certainly due.

Following his service, Master Sergeant Abraham devoted his time to caring for his fellow brothers and sisters in arms as a lifelong member of several veterans service organizations and as a volunteer at the VA Butler Healthcare Center, where he spent a total of almost 40,000 hours over the course of 23 years tending to the veteran patients there.

In his spare time, he authored two books, made public appearances at schools and community centers, and participated in documentary films that have aired on the Discovery and History Channels. In addition to all of that, he was also a lightweight boxing champion and trainer.

Master Sergeant Abraham most certainly lived a full and interesting life characterized by both service in and out of uniform. Given that, it is only fitting and appropriate that we honor him by naming the VA healthcare center in Butler County, Pennsylvania, after him. This legislation satisfies all the committee's naming criteria and is supported by the Pennsylvania congressional delegation as well as many VSOs.

Once again, I thank my colleague, Congressman Mike Kelly, for introducing this bill. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting it.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Kelly), my friend and colleague.

Mr. Speaker, I think this is an amazing story that Mr. Kelly shared before us. I had a history professor in college who survived the Bataan Death March. He spent 3\1/2\ years in the same--I wonder if these two men knew each other. He, indeed, too, was a remarkable man. I can think of no better honor in Butler, Pennsylvania, than to honor his memory by naming this medical center. Once again, I encourage all Members to support this legislation.

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

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

I would, first of all, like to thank the chairman for bringing H.R. 609 to the floor, and a very special thank you to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Kelly) for the honor and privilege to learn about this great American. You heard a little bit of the story, and you will hear more of it from Mr. Kelly. It is sometimes unimaginable that such as Mr. Abraham walked amongst us.

I oftentimes hear that people disparage when Congress does naming bills. If anyone was ever deserving of having a VA center named after them, and the importance of attaching that name and the history for those who come after, this is the gentleman.

You are going to hear more of this, but Mr. Abraham was born in Lyndora, Pennsylvania. The stories just keep coming up. Apparently he was gifted academically and, of course, was a boxer. Again, this is a point of personal privilege on this, he was actually a Regimental Sergeant Major for a time when he was in his service. He served in the Philippines, China, Germany, and Panama. He survived the Bataan Death March. Having been out on Corregidor Island and hearing the stories of the people who survived, unimaginable horrors that they survived, and then imagine after being rescued and being liberated and having a chance to come home, Mr. Abraham chose to make sure that all of his comrades came home.

He was a recipient of the Purple Heart and a lifelong member of the VFW, the American Legion, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the American Ex-Prisoners of War Organization, the Disabled American Veterans, and the American Defenders of Bataan; but I think the chairman brought up something truly remarkable: giving 40,000 hours of volunteer service to his fellow veterans. This Nation could ask no more of a single person, and Mr. Abraham continued to give.

To the gentleman from Pennsylvania, the State of Pennsylvania is represented well here. They were represented well by Mr. Abraham. It is an honor and a privilege to support this piece of legislation. I encourage my colleagues to not only support this, but to maybe go read the bio of this great American.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers and I am prepared to close.

I would just like to thank the gentleman again for bringing this to our attention, honoring Master Sergeant Abraham's life. Again, I think there is a little lesson here of how we conduct ourselves reflects on the sacrifice that people like Mr. Abraham gave; and the gentleman has done so honorably and nobly, and I thank him for that. I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 609.

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

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs be discharged from further consideration of H.R. 609 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. Speaker, on February 13, 2017, I missed four votes as a result of personal illness. Had I been present, I would have voted YES on H.R. 609, YES on H.R. 512, YES on H.R. 244, YES on H.R. 974.