To name the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Forest City, North Carolina, as the "Master Sergeant Jerry K. Crump VA Clinic".

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5481) to name the Department of Veterans Affairs community- based outpatient clinic in Forest City, North Carolina, as the ``Corporal Jerry K. Crump VA Clinic'', 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 include extraneous material on H.R. 5481, as amended.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life of Master Sergeant J.K. Crump, a native of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, and a Korean war veteran who embodied the courage and indomitable fighting spirit of our Nation's Armed Forces.

This bill, H.R. 5481, as amended, will name the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Forest City, North Carolina, the Master Sergeant Jerry K. Crump VA Clinic.

I thank my colleague, Representative Virginia Foxx, for introducing this bill.

In early September 1951, Master Sergeant Crump, then an 18-year-old Army rifleman, and fellow members of Company L of the 3rd Infantry Division were attacked by invading Chinese forces near Chorwon, Korea. In the firefight that ensued, Master Sergeant Crump left cover twice: first, to retrieve a wounded comrade, and then again to recapture a machine gun from advancing Chinese soldiers.

After returning to his position, an enemy grenade was flung into the foxhole that Master Sergeant Crump shared with four wounded infantrymen. With no regard for his own well-being, Master Sergeant Crump covered the explosives with his own body. The grenade detonated, but miraculously, Master Sergeant Crump survived.

The heroism that Master Sergeant Crump displayed that day more than 70 years ago undoubtedly saved the lives of fellow soldiers and rightfully earned him the Medal of Honor, our highest military decoration for valor, which President Truman awarded him in 1952.

Master Sergeant Crump went on to serve another 26 years in the U.S. Army before retiring in 1976. He died a year later and was interred at the Mount Zion Community Cemetery in Cornelius, North Carolina.

Master Sergeant Crump's actions in combat were emblematic of the selfless sacrifice and devotion to duty that so many who don the uniform of our great Nation display. He, and the generation of those who served alongside him, truly represented the best ideals of our country.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record letters of support for H.R. 5481, as amended, from The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Disabled American Veterans.

The American Legion,

Department of North Carolina,

Raleigh, NC, March 16, 2022.

Dear Congresswoman Foxx, It is with a great deal of pride

that I endorse the naming of the Veterans Affairs (VA)

outpatient clinic in Forest City, North Carolina, after the

Medal of Honor recipient and North Carolina native, Jerry

Crump.

I am personally familiar with the facility in Forest City.

I receive my medical attention at that clinic. The Forest

City VA clinic is a wonderful facility, and the staff is

outstanding.

I have met with the American Legion members in Forest City

and in Henrietta, NC who have advocated for the renaming to

the Jerry Crump VA Medical Clinic. There are a few older

American Legion members that remember attending school with

Jerry. The communities of Forest City and Henrietta are proud

of the native son and have often advocated for this honor.

The American Legion Department of North Carolina does whole

heartily support the renaming of the Forest City VA clinic

after Medal of Honor Recipient Jerry Crump.

The honor of naming a Forest City VA Clinic after this

courageous American would be a fitting tribute to Corporal

Crump.

Respectfully,

Jim Quinlan,

The American Legion,

Department of North Carolina.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5481, as

amended. By doing so, we will bestow a befitting name on this facility in Rutherford County, North Carolina, where so many military veterans receive top-notch medical care.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am very sorry that our good friend, Virginia Foxx, is not here, but I thank Ranking Member Foxx for bringing to our attention the amazing story of this American hero.

I know the gentleman from Texas shares the growing emotion that I feel as we recognize these American heroes. It is truly remarkable.

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

Mr. Speaker, I likewise urge all of my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 5481, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5481, as amended, a bill to name the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Forest City, North Carolina, as the Master Sergeant Jerry K. Crump VA Clinic.

Master Sergeant Crump was a soldier in the U.S. Army during the Korean war, where he received the Medal of Honor and a Purple Heart for his heroic actions in September 1951.

Master Sergeant Crump rose above and beyond the call of duty in combat. One night, a numerically superior enemy force launched an assault against his unit's position on Hill 284. In danger of being overrun, he repeatedly put himself in danger, effectively firing on enemy combatants, killing several of them.

He then noticed two enemy soldiers on the verge of capturing an American machine gun. He charged at them with his bayonet, killing both and regaining control of the weapon.

Upon returning to his firing position, an enemy grenade landed in his bunker. He proceeded to jump on it and absorbed the blast, saving his fellow soldiers. His actions inspired his men so much that they rallied and conducted a successful counterattack.

It is for those heroic actions that Master Sergeant Crump was presented with both the Purple Heart and the Medal of Honor.

He miraculously survived the war and lived another 26 years. Tragically, he died in a car accident in 1977, at age 43, in Lincoln County, North Carolina. It is only fitting that this clinic be named after its hometown hero. It will serve as an inspiration, just like Master Sergeant Crump, for many generations to come.

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

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Veterans' Affairs be discharged and the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of the following bills en bloc: H.R. 5481, H.R. 6722, H.R. 6863, H.R. 7903, H.R. 7925, and S. 5016.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the bills be considered read a third time and passed and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table, all en bloc.