To designate the medical center of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Memphis, Tennessee, as the "Lt. Col. Luke Weathers, Jr. VA Medical Center".

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill

(H.R. 6863) to designate the medical center of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Memphis, Tennessee, as the ``Lt. Col. Luke Weathers, Jr. VA Medical Center''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous material on H.R. 6863.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the memory of Lieutenant Colonel Luke Joseph Weathers, Jr., a combat fighter pilot with the legendary Tuskegee Airmen, the first ever African-American air traffic controller in Memphis, and a trailblazing advocate for African Americans' military service.

The bill before us, H.R. 6863, would appropriately name the VA's medical center in Memphis, Tennessee, the Lieutenant Colonel Luke Weathers, Jr. VA Medical Center.

Lieutenant Colonel Weathers embodied service to country in a way that we all can admire. Born in 1922 in Mississippi, Lieutenant Colonel Weathers moved to Memphis, Tennessee, at age 5, the place he would call home for decades after.

After graduating from Xavier University in 1942, Lt. Col. Weathers returned to Memphis where he read a newspaper article about the newly created aviation cadet program in Tuskegee, Alabama, one of the first such programs in the country meant for aspiring African-American pilots.

Despite the racial discrimination he endured, Lieutenant Colonel Weathers secured a one-on-one meeting with Memphis political boss E.H. Crump, who personally recommended Weathers' nomination to the Tuskegee program to President Roosevelt. From there, Lieutenant Colonel Weathers began his distinguished military service, fighting as a combat pilot among the legendary Red Tails during World War II.

His noble accomplishments during the war included shooting down two German planes while protecting U.S. Army Air Corps bombers and shooting down two additional enemy aircraft in Italy while escorting a damaged B-24 Liberator bomber.

Even after the war, Lieutenant Colonel Weathers' service to his country continued. In 1960, he became an air traffic control specialist with the Federal Aviation Administration, and soon after he became the first Black air traffic controller in Memphis.

Lieutenant Colonel Weathers retired in 1985, all the while serving as a reservist in the military for 23 years. In retirement, he advocated tirelessly on behalf of African Americans in the military, paving the way for generations of citizens to serve this country honorably, just as he did.

Lieutenant Colonel Weathers' lifetime of service earned him multiple honors and awards, including the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007, alongside 300 surviving Tuskegee Airmen.

Lieutenant Colonel Weathers passed away in October 2011. Today, he and the Tuskegee Airmen continue to be a symbol of justice, determination, and solidarity, ideals which embody the very best of this country.

The naming of the Memphis VA Medical Center in Lieutenant Colonel Weather's honor is a fitting tribute to his lifetime of service.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record letters of support for H.R. 6863 from The American Legion, the VFW, and Disabled American Veterans, as well as the Tennessee delegations of the House and Senate.

The American Legion,

Department of Tennessee,

Nashville, TN, February 22, 2022.

Hon. Steve Cohen,

Washington, DC.

Dear Congressman Cohen: Please accept this letter as a

demonstration of the total support of the American Legion

Department of Tennessee, in recognition of renaming the

Memphis Veterans Administration Medical Center in Memphis,

Tennessee as ``Lieutenant Colonel ``Luke'' Weathers Veterans

Medical Center.''

Lieutenant Colonel Weathers was a Grenada Mississippi

native and was the first-ever black Air Traffic Controller in

Memphis. Lieutenant Colonel Weathers was a member of the

famed Tuskegee Airman from 1942 to 1945.

The Tuskegee Airmen flew 15,000 missions over North Africa

and Europe during the Second World War. Luke downed two

German fighter planes that attacked Army Air Force Bombers

that he had been charged with escorting.

Lt Colonel Weathers, like other Tuskegee Airmen during

World War II, conducted missions throughout Northern Africa

and Europe for allied Forces and when Lt Colonel Weathers

returned to Memphis from the war in 1945, he was presented

with a parade down Beale Street and with the job

opportunities for a star black pilot were scarce and Luke

Weathers was fortunate to obtain a job as the first black air

traffic controller at the FAA in Memphis.

The American Legion Department of Tennessee would like to

honor his amazing legacy of service to God, Country, his

fellow veterans, and his community of Memphis, TN with our

full support and we wholeheartedly support and encourage the

committee to sponsor and support legislation naming the new

Aurora Veterans Clinic after this distinguished WWII Veteran.

On behalf of the 20,000 members of The American Legion in

Tennessee I am proud to fully, endorse this effort.

Sincerely,

Larry V. Kersey,

Commander, The American Legion,

Department of Tennessee.

Mr. Speaker, I wholeheartedly support this bill, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen), my very good friend, who is the author of this legislation. He serves on the Committee on the Judiciary as chairman of the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties Subcommittee. He also serves on

the Committee on Natural Resources and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to be associated with the passage of this bill to honor Lieutenant Colonel Weathers. I have the distinction of representing the University of California, Riverside, where resides the Tuskegee Airmen Archives.

I am reminded by the Speaker's presence on the dais and the presence of the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ellzey) that you are both veterans and that serving our veterans and remembering our veterans is not about two colors. It is not about red or blue, but it is about red, white, and blue, and that all colors of America have fought for the three colors, and they bled one color.

It is important for us to remember the poignancy of our segregated fighting units of World War II, the last war in which we had segregated fighting units, and mark the progress that this country has made and that we must continue to make, so it is fitting that I call on all my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 6863.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Takano and Ranking Member Bost for bringing this bill to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of our bill, H.R. 6863, to name the Memphis VA hospital in honor of a true World War II hero and a hero in American life, Lieutenant Colonel Luke Weathers, Jr.

I didn't know of Lieutenant Colonel Weathers until his passing, and I read about his passing in the Memphis newspaper, the Commercial Appeal, and I went and attended his funeral at St. Theresa Little Flower Church, where he was a member. I think he integrated the church. The church is a large church and it was packed.

In spite of the fact that he had moved to retire to Arizona, possibly in Tucson, maybe 15 or 20 years earlier, the people knew Lieutenant Colonel Weathers, they knew his work, they knew his good deeds in the community, and they knew his actions. I was honored to be at that funeral, and I thought this man is something else.

It has been well documented what he did with his life and with the Tuskegee Airmen and the Red Tails and the several airplanes he shot down.

There is a movie coming out now that is getting a lot of advertisement, and all Members of Congress have been invited to see this week, called ``Devotion,'' about an African-American pilot who was a star in the Korean war.

It was Lieutenant Colonel Weathers and the Tuskegee Airmen who were the predecessors of that gentleman's opportunity to defend his country and to show his skills. That is another reason why his name at the veterans hospital will be so important, to inspire people to go into a military career and pursue aviation, which Lieutenant Colonel Weathers encouraged people to do, particularly African-American young men.

I was also honored to attend his funeral. It was a funeral with a flyover, military caisson, and ``Taps,'' as befitting a gentleman who had served his country as he did.

His family is very strong in Memphis in support of their father's legacy. I met them in St. Theresa Little Flower Church at his funeral in 2011.

Lieutenant Colonel Weathers paved the way for many to become pilots, and his legacy endures in the countless lives that he touched.

I thank our Tennessee delegation who unanimously supported this legislation and this naming of the new Memphis VA Medical Center. It was also endorsed by The American Legion, the Disabled American Veterans, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

I thank Chairman Takano, Ranking Member Bost, and the members of the House Veterans' Affairs Committee for advancing the bill through committee and bringing it to the floor today. I thank Mr. Hoyer for his help with that, too.

We have done a good thing today to honor a true American hero. I think fondly of him. I had commissioned a plaque to be created and installed at the Memphis airport recognizing his service in the Federal Aviation Administration and integrating that facility. I am honored I will be a part of keeping his memory alive forever.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6863, a bill to designate the medical center of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Memphis, Tennessee, the Lieutenant Colonel Luke Weathers, Jr. VA Medical Center''.

Luke Joseph Weathers, Jr., was born on December 16, 1922, in Grenada, Mississippi, but called Memphis his home from an early age.

Upon graduating from college, Luke Weathers joined a newly organized Army Air Corps training program. While there, he earned his pilot wings and commission as a second lieutenant and began his journey as a Tuskegee Airman.

Lieutenant Weathers flew with the Red Tails in North Africa, Italy, France, and Germany. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for escorting and defending a damaged B-24 bomber against eight German fighters in November of 1944. He shot down two of them.

Luke Weathers rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in a distinguished and highly rewarded military career.

He began a second career as an air traffic control specialist, and in 1965, he became the first Black air traffic controller in Memphis.

Throughout his life, he remained active with the Tuskegee Airmen and was a mentor to countless youth who had an interest in the military or aviation fields.

I cannot think of an individual more deserving to represent the VA presence in Memphis.

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.