To designate the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic located in Canton, Michigan, as the "Major General Oliver W. Dillard VA Clinic".

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7903) to designate the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Canton, Michigan, as the ``Major General Oliver W. Dillard VA Outpatient 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 insert extraneous material on H.R. 7903, as amended.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the memory of Major General Oliver William Dillard, Sr., a decorated soldier, an exemplary Army intelligence officer, and a pioneer for other Black and minority military leaders.

I thank my colleague, Representative Haley Stevens, for introducing this bill, H.R. 7903, as amended, which will designate the VA outpatient clinic in Canton, Michigan, as the Major General Oliver W. Dillard VA Outpatient Clinic.

Originally from Margaret, Alabama, deep in the Jim Crow South, Major General Dillard enrolled at the Tuskegee Institute at age 15 shortly after the famed Tuskegee Airmen program was established. He was a proud ROTC cadet and student instructor at Tuskegee and an exceptional student as well.

Major General Dillard postponed his academic studies, however, after being drafted into the U.S. military in 1945. He completed basic training at Fort McClellan, Alabama, and was sent to Bavaria, Germany, where he served as an administrative specialist in the Army's 349th Field Artillery Group during World War II.

Following the war, Major General Dillard chose to remain in the Army. He completed Officer Candidate School and was assigned to the all-Black 356th Infantry Regiment at Fort Dix, New Jersey.

He served admirably throughout five campaigns in the Korean war and graduated from the Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth in 1958 as one of only three Black officers in his class.

Major General Dillard later assisted a U.N. peacekeeping mission in Monrovia, Liberia, before returning to the United States and working as a senior intelligence officer in Washington, D.C.

In 1964, he became the first Black officer to attend the Army's prestigious National War College and was selected to command a battalion of the 5th Combat Support Training Brigade at Fort Dix.

He served honorably with the U.S. Military Assistance Command during the Vietnam war, and upon his return he was promoted to brigadier general, making him just the fifth Black flag officer in U.S. Army history.

Major General Dillard went on to serve posts at Fort McPherson, Georgia; Fort Hood, Texas; and Heidelberg, Germany, before retiring from the Army after a 34-year career in 1980.

He remained committed to advancement opportunities for Black and minority officers in his retirement and was a steadfast advocate for equality within all branches of the Armed Forces, supporting the overturning of the military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy for LGBTQ servicemembers before it was officially repealed in 2011.

For his dutiful service to this Nation, Major General Dillard received nine military awards and two civilian medals, including the Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, the Purple Heart, and the Combat Infantryman's Badge with a star.

Veterans who receive care at the VA clinic in Canton, Michigan, should feel honored to enter a facility bearing Major General Dillard's name. I know we, as Members of Congress, are profoundly honored and grateful for his service to our country as well.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record letters of support for H.R. 7903, as amended, from The American Legion, VFW, and DAV, as well as the Michigan delegation.

Congress of the United States,

Washington, DC, May 27, 2022.

Hon. Mark Takano,

Chairman, House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Washington,

Mr. Speaker, I again thank the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Stevens) and all Members of the Michigan delegation for their initiative on this bill.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Dingell), who serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee and the Natural Resources Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Stevens), another very good friend, who is the author of this legislation. She serves on the Education and Labor Committee, on which I also serve, and as the chairwoman of the Research and Technology Subcommittee on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee.

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

I share the sentiment of my colleague from Texas. You cannot be indifferent to the stories as we read the accounts of these great American heroes. I am personally affected by the part of Major General Dillard's history in terms of his opposition to Don't Ask, Don't Tell way before it was overturned. The fact that he himself knew the sting of discrimination and could not brook that this discrimination would apply to any other group of Americans is especially poignant to me.

I thank the gentlewoman from Michigan for bringing Major General Dillard to our attention to memorialize him in the way that she has done.

I urge all of my colleagues to join me in passing H.R. 7903, as amended. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to stand before you today to pay tribute to the heroes who have gone before us and the heroes who walk among us, our veterans. It is also an honor to be here with my legislation under the great leadership of the chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, who leads us so well here in the Congress.

I rise in support of my bill to designate the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Canton, Michigan, as the Major General Oliver W. Dillard VA Outpatient Clinic.

Major General Dillard was a trailblazer who exemplified what it means to be an exceptional serviceman. He began his 34-year military career in 1945 when he was assigned to the 349th Field Artillery Group in Germany as part of the World War II army of occupation.

Following his time in Europe, he attended the infantry Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, where he received a commission as second lieutenant of infantry. In following years, he continued to climb the ladder.

In 1958, Major General Dillard graduated from the Army Command and

General Staff College, where he was one of only three Black officers in his class.

In 1965, Major General Dillard made history by becoming the first Black officer to graduate from the National War College. He later served in command and intelligence positions in Korea, Germany, and Vietnam, a most remarkable career.

This includes as the first Black general officer in the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff of Intelligence, as deputy chief of staff to the U.S. Army Forces Command, and as deputy chief of staff of intelligence for the U.S. Armed Forces in Europe.

During his extraordinary 34 years of service, Major General Dillard received nine military awards and two civilian medals, including the Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, the Purple Heart, and the Combat Infantryman's Badge with star.

He retired from military service in 1980 and later passed away in 2015 in Canton, Michigan, where this VA outpatient clinic will reside and where his son, Oliver, still resides.

Earlier this year, I had the privilege of touring this facility alongside the Dillard family, with my incredible colleague and champion for this legislation, Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, who will be representing Canton in this upcoming Congress.

The naming of the Canton VA clinic is just a small token of our appreciation and recognition to Major General Dillard for his exemplary service, leadership, and sacrifice to our Nation.

I know that this VA clinic will serve as a proud commemoration of the man who dedicated his life to serving others and as an inspiration to those who will continue to hear his name.

I thank both the Dillard family--in specific, his son, Oliver--and Congresswoman Dingell for their work and input on this legislation.

I also thank Canton Township Supervisor Anne Marie Graham-Hudak for her leadership in getting the VA outpatient clinic to its current place.

I also thank our entire Michigan delegation, as well as the Michigan American Legion, the Michigan Disabled American Veterans, and the Michigan Veterans of Foreign Wars, for their support on this bill.

I thank my colleagues for their consideration of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve 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. 7903, as amended, a bill to designate the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Canton, Michigan, as the Major General Oliver W. Dillard VA Outpatient Clinic.

Major General Dillard began his 34-year career in 1945 when he was assigned to the 349th Field Artillery Group in Germany as part of the post-World War II army of occupation.

In 1947, he attended the infantry Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, where he received a commission as a second lieutenant. He then went on to serve in command and intelligence positions in Korea, Germany, and Vietnam.

In 1965, Major General Dillard became the first Black officer to graduate from the National War College.

Major General Dillard served in many distinguished capacities until his retirement in 1980. Not only did he break down numerous barriers over his career, but he held various esteemed positions, earned military medals, to include the Silver and Bronze Stars, and multiple civilian awards.

By naming the VA clinic in Canton after this officer who served with such distinction and sacrifice, the many veterans who will see his name will no doubt be inspired by his legacy.

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

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

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

I am going to go off script for a moment here and just say that the more I hear about these veterans that we are honoring here today, they are just incredible. I want to know more about Major General Dillard and his Bronze Star, Silver Star, and Purple Heart.

As we are on the heels of Veterans Day this last weekend, the remarkable bravery that General Dillard must have shown to receive those awards is staggering, and I would like to come up and see the clinic in Michigan at some point just to honor the man and meet his family.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the very distinguished chair of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, who understands so many of these issues.

I rise in strong support of H.R. 7903, legislation to designate the VA clinic in Canton, Michigan, as the Major General Oliver Dillard VA Outpatient Clinic.

I thank my colleague, Haley Stevens, for her leadership and for listening to all the veterans and getting this piece of legislation to the floor today. She has listened to them. We will shortly share this facility. It will be in my district, but the veterans will live in both of our districts.

The recent opening of a new community-based outpatient clinic in Canton reaffirms our commitment to Michigan veterans so that they can access the care and support that they need closer to home. It will serve many veterans in southeast Michigan.

This legislation would rename the Canton CBOC in honor of Major General Oliver W. Dillard, a veteran and a trailblazer who served the Nation for 34 years.

After being drafted to Germany to serve in World War II, Major General Dillard went on to be the first Black officer to graduate from the National War College. Throughout his esteemed career, he earned nine military awards and two civilian medals.

Major General Dillard retired from military service in 1980 and resided in Canton, Michigan, until he passed. The veterans themselves from this community and beyond wanted this center to be named after him.

I am so proud to have worked on this important bipartisan legislation with my colleague, Representative Stevens. I urge all of my colleagues to support it.

My colleague and I were there when it had the soft opening. If you could have seen his family and his colleagues, the veterans he served with, with tears in their eyes, you would know why this has meaning.

I thank the Michigan delegation for supporting this effort, and I thank leadership for advancing this to the floor.

Naming the Canton clinic after Major General Dillard means his story and life will continue to inspire generations to come.

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.