09.11.12

WA Congressional Delegation Calls for Spokane Veterans Hospital to be Renamed after 2 Local Veterans

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-05) led a letter yesterday with members of Washington state’s Congressional delegation calling for a Spokane veterans hospital to be renamed after two Spokane veterans who received the Medal of Honor for their service. The Washington state delegation wrote in support of legislation to name the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Spokane after Private First Class Joe E. Mann and Platoon Sergeant Bruce A. Grandstaff.

The letter was sent yesterday to the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Patty Murray (D-WA) and Ranking Member Richard Burr (R-NC). Senators Murray and Cantwell originally introduced the legislation (S. 1705) in the Senate; the companion bill in the House, introduced by Rep. McMorris Rodgers, is H.R. 3197. The effort to rename the hospital will be considered by the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, which Senator Murray chairs, on Wednesday, September 12th at 10 A.M. Eastern Standard Time.  

Representatives Rick Larsen (WA-02), Jaime Herrera Beutler (WA-03), Doc Hastings (WA-04), Norm Dicks (WA-06), Jim McDermott (WA-07), Dave Reichert (WA-08), and Adam Smith (WA-09) signed the letter.

“As members of the Washington delegation, we write in support of legislation to designate the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Spokane, Washington, as the Mann-Grandstaff Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center,” the members wrote in the letter. “Both PFC Joe E. Mann and P/Sgt. Bruce A. Grandstaff are heroes from the Spokane community who were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for their gallantry in World War II and the Vietnam War, respectively.” 

Private First Class Joe Mann served during World War II with the 101st Airborne Division and Platoon Sergeant Bruce Grandstaff served with the 4th Infantry Division during the Vietnam War. Both were awarded the Medal of Honor following their deaths for courageous actions during combat. The legislation in the House and Senate has the full support of the Washington state delegation.

The text of the letter follows.

September 10, 2012

The Honorable Patty Murray                                      The Honorable Richard Burr

Chairman                                                                    Ranking Member

Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee                             Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee

412 Russell Senate Office Building                              412 Russell Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510                                               Washington, DC 20510

 

Dear Senator Murray and Senator Burr:

As members of the Washington delegation, we write in support of legislation to designate the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Spokane, Washington, as the Mann-Grandstaff Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Both PFC Joe E. Mann and P/Sgt. Bruce A. Grandstaff are heroes from the Spokane community who were posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for their gallantry in World War II and the Vietnam War, respectively.

Legislation to accomplish this renaming has been introduced in both the Senate and House of Representatives (S. 1705 and H.R. 3197, respectively) and has gained the cosponsorship of the entire Washington delegation.

Thank you for your consideration of this legislation.      

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