To designate the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in French Camp, California, as the "Richard A. Pittman VA Clinic".

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6722) to designate the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in French Camp, California, as the ``Richard A. Pittman VA Clinic''.

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. 6722.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the life of a remarkable Californian, Master Sergeant Richard Allan Pittman, by naming VA's brand-new, state-of-the-art outpatient clinic in French Camp, California, the Richard A. Pittman VA Clinic.

I thank my friend and colleague, Representative Jerry McNerney of California, for leading this legislation, which will appropriately pay tribute to Master Sergeant Pittman, a marine who served his Nation with honor and distinction during and after the Vietnam war.

A native of the San Joaquin Valley, Master Sergeant Pittman was born in French Camp, California, in 1945 and graduated from Franklin High School in nearby Stockton in 1964.

Declared legally blind in one eye, Master Sergeant Pittman was considered medically unfit for combat by the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines, but he did not let that deter him. Set on serving in the military, Master Sergeant Pittman somehow bluffed a vision test and enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve in 1965. He was soon deployed to Vietnam.

On July 24, 1966, as his unit moved along a narrow jungle path near the demilitarized zone, marines ahead of him came under heavy fire. Master Sergeant Pittman immediately leaped into action, grabbing a machine gun and several belts of ammunition as he rushed to his comrades' defense.

Facing a frontal assault by dozens of North Vietnamese troops, Master Sergeant Pittman boldly repelled the enemy attack by using a combination of weapons he had at his disposal.

His actions that day no doubt saved the lives of several wounded marines. For this ``conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life,'' Master Sergeant Pittman was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Johnson in 1968.

He was discharged from the service that year, but Master Sergeant Pittman chose to reenlist. He went on to serve another 18 years in the Marines before retiring in 1988. He died in 2016 at the age of 71.

In addition to the Medal of Honor, the U.S. Armed Forces' highest declaration for valor, Master Sergeant Pittman also received the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal with two bronze stars, and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.

These distinctions, like the naming of this VA clinic, are just symbols, however. The true measure of Master Sergeant Pittman's character was revealed to the world on that July day in 1966 and is evident in the lives of the marines that he saved.

I am humbled to be able to honor Master Sergeant Pittman's service, and I am proud to count him among the brave and dutiful servicemen and -women who have fought for centuries in defense of the American ideals we hold so dear.

Mr. Speaker I include in the Record letters of support for H.R. 6722 from the California delegation, as well as The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Disabled American Veterans.

Congress of the United States,

Washington, DC, August 1, 2022.

Chairman Jon Tester,

Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs,

Washington, DC.

Chairman Mark Takano,

House Committee on Veterans' Affairs,

Washington, DC.

Hon. Jerry Moran,

Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs,

Washington, DC.

Hon. Mike Bost,

House Committee on Veterans' Affairs,

Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Tester, Chairman Takano, Ranking Member

Moran, and Ranking Member Bost: We write in support of H.R.

6722, legislation that would designate the Department of

Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in French

Camp, California, as the Richard A. Pittman VA Clinic.

In July of 2021, Congressman McNerney appointed a committee

of five veterans to collect and review potential names for

the clinic. He called upon local veterans to submit name

suggestions to be considered for the process. The committee

ultimately recommended naming the facility after the late

Richard A. Pittman, a highly decorated veteran who was the

embodiment of bravery and service.

Richard Pittman was born in French Camp and enlisted in the

Marines in 1965. On July 24th, 1966, his unit was moving

along a trail near the Demilitarized Zone in the Republic of

Vietnam when the Marines ahead of them came under attack.

Upon hearing this, Pittman took a machine gun and several

belts of ammunition and rushed to aid his comrades. As he

moved towards the attacked Marines, Pittman came under heavy

fire from two automatic weapons, which he was able to

destroy. When he learned there were additional wounded

Marines further along the trail, he endured enemy mortar and

gun fire to get to them. As he reached his fellow service

members, he faced an attack by 30 to 40 enemy fighters, and

used a combination of machine-gun fire, an enemy submachine

gun, a pistol from a fallen comrade, and a grenade to cause

the enemy forces to withdraw. His actions that day saved many

wounded comrades, and he was awarded the Medal of Honor by

President Lyndon B. Johnson on May 14, 1968.

We urge you to swiftly advance H.R. 6722 to recognize this

heroic veteran and his immense contribution to our nation. We

believe the Richard A. Pittman VA Clinic will serve countless

veterans throughout the region and uphold our promise to

those who gave our country their all.

Sincerely,

Jerry McNerney, Dianne Feinstein, U.S. Senator, Nancy

Pelosi, Member of Congress, Mark Takano, Josh Harder, Alex

Padilla, Kevin McCarthy, Jared Huffman, Scott H. Peters,

Karen Bass, Jackie Speier, Ami Bera, M.D., Judy Chu, Katie

Porter, Grace F. Napolitano, Lucille Roybal-Allard, Jim

Costa, Jimmy Panetta, Members of Congress.

Ken Calvert, Jay Obernolte, Anna G. Eshoo, Zoe Lofgren, J.

Luis Correa, Sara Jacobs, Tony Cardenas, Young Kim, John

Garamendi, Raul Ruiz, M.D., Ted Lieu, Juan Vargas, Nanette

Diaz Barragan, Mark DeSaulnier, Linda T. Sanchez, Julia

Brownley, Alan Lowenthal, Brad Sherman, Barbara Lee, Mike

Levin, Members of Congress.

Eric Swalwell, Michelle Steel, Adam B. Schiff, Mike

Thompson, Tom McClintock, Norma J. Torres, Pete Aguilar,

Doris Matsui, Mike Garcia, Doug LaMalfa, Ro Khanna, Darrell

Issa, Maxine Waters, Connie Conway, Salud Carbajal, David G.

Valadao, Jimmy Gomez, Members of Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. McNerney), my friend, the author of this legislation, who serves on the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

Mr. Speaker, I again ask all my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 6722, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, when I first came to Congress, one of my earliest observations was the burden of veterans in my district to get to the nearest full-service veterans' health facility. In fact, I even took the drive from Stockton, California, to Palo Alto. It took all day. It became a top priority of mine to bring veterans a facility in my district to reduce the burden of the lengthy travel for local veterans.

My son Michael, who convinced me to run for Congress in 2004, himself a veteran, once told me of all of my accomplishments in Congress, I would be the proudest of what I had done for veterans. He was absolutely right.

The VA clinic currently under construction in French Camp is one of my proudest accomplishments. As we move forward to opening its doors, it is only fitting that this facility honor a local hero.

Master Sergeant Richard A. Pittman was born in French Camp and served with heroism during the Vietnam war. As his unit was moving along a trail near the demilitarized zone, a group of marines ahead of him came under attack.

Upon hearing this, Lance Corporal Pittman rushed to the aid of his fellow comrades, successfully destroying the enemy's weapons while under heavy enemy fire. He went on to aid additional wounded marines further along the trail, fighting back an attack by 30 to 40 enemy fighters and forcing the enemy to withdraw.

His actions that day saved many wounded comrades and led to him being awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

I knew Richard Pittman personally, and he was a true patriot. He was unassuming and did not seek out attention or publicity.

My congressional district and beyond mourned his passing. It is only fitting to name this new community-based outreach clinic, or CBOC, after Master Sergeant Richard A. Pittman.

I ask my colleagues to please join me in voting ``yes'' on H.R. 6722 and officially designating this new facility as the Richard A. Pittman VA Clinic.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6722, a bill to designate the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in French Camp, California, as the Richard A. Pittman VA Clinic.

Richard Pittman was born on May 26, 1945, in French Camp, California. At age 20, he joined the Marines. A year later, in July of 1966, Lance Corporal Pittman's unit was moving on a trail in the jungles of Vietnam when the unit ahead of his came under heavy enemy fire.

Upon hearing this, Lance Corporal Pittman took his machine gun, along with several belts of ammo, and ran toward the sound of gunfire in true Marine Corps fashion. He came under intense enemy fire but managed to continue advancing toward the Marine unit that was under attack.

Faced by dozens of enemy combatants, he forced them to retreat by using a combination of machine-gun fire, captured enemy weapons, weapons from his fellow fallen marines, and hand grenades.

Due to his courageous actions in battle, Lance Corporal Pittman, now a sergeant, was presented the Medal of Honor by President Johnson in May of 1968.

He retired as a master sergeant, after serving more than two decades in the corps. Master Sergeant Pittman's selfless devotion of duty and fighting spirit to save the lives of his wounded comrades will be truly honored by having his name on this VA clinic.

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.