Louis A. Conter Va Clinic

Floor Speech

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Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 9124) to name the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Auburn, California, as the ``Louis A. Conter VA Clinic''.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 9124

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:

(1) Louis ``Lou'' Anthony Conter was born on September 13, 1921, in Ojibwa, Wisconsin.

(2) Lt. Commander Lou Conter, the last remaining survivor of the attack on the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor, was an American hero.

(3) On that fearful day, Petty Officer Conter helped evacuate shipmates who were blinded, wounded, or burned, even restraining some of his fellow shipmates from jumping overboard into the burning sea.

(4) In the days after the attack, he helped with recovering bodies and putting out fires. Lou Conter's heroic actions saved the lives of many of his shipmates on December 7, 1941.

(5) Following Pearl Harbor, Conter continued serving during WWII in New Guinea and in Europe as an enlisted naval aviation pilot assigned to VP-11, a ``Black Cat'' Squadron.

(6) Lou Conter would be awarded with the Distinguished Flying Cross for actively taking part in the rescue of 219 Australians trapped by Japanese troops in New Guinea.

(7) Later, in the Korean War, he served on the USS Bon Homme Richard as both an intelligence officer and a navy aviation pilot. Following his service in the Korean War, he served as a military intelligence advisor to three Presidents: Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon B. Johnson.

(8) During the 1950s, Lou Conter played a prominent role in the establishment and development of the Navy Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) training program.

(9) In addition to the Distinguished Flying Cross, he was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal and became the first recipient of the USS Arizona Medal of Freedom.

(10) Louis Conter retired from the Navy in 1967 after serving 28 years as a Lieutenant Commander.

(11) Following his retirement, he generously gave his time to share his personal experiences at veterans' ceremonies and by giving lectures to students.

(12) Lieutenant Commander Conter's lectures were popular with generations of local students who were equally fascinated and enthralled by his first-person accounts.

(13) He is eminently deserving of recognition for his decades of service to a grateful nation.

(14) Lieutenant Commander Conter passed away in Grass Valley, California on April 1, 2024. SEC. 2. NAME OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS COMMUNITY- BASED OUTPATIENT CLINIC, AUBURN, CALIFORNIA.

The Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Auburn, California, shall after the date of the enactment of this Act be known and designated as the ``Louis A. Conter VA Clinic''. Any reference to such clinic in any law, regulation, map, document, record, or other paper of the United States shall be considered to be a reference to the Louis A. Conter VA Clinic.

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Mr. BOST. 9124.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 9124, a bill to name the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Auburn, California, the Louis A. Conter VA Clinic.

Louis Conter was born in Wisconsin in 1921. He enlisted in the Navy in 1939 and was assigned to the infamous USS Arizona.

On the morning of December 7, 1941, Louis was standing watch on the deck of the Arizona when it came under attack by Japanese bombers.

As the infamous explosion that ignited the ship's magazine happened, Louis was thrown to the ground. As the ship began to sink, he aided the wounded. In the following days, Louis helped put the fires out and recover the bodies from the wreckage.

Following the attack, as the war kicked into high gear, Louis was selected for pilot training. He deployed to the Pacific theater and was shot down twice. Again, defying all odds, he survived and reached the rank of lieutenant, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Louis was reactivated during the Korean war in the 1950s, eventually retiring from the Navy in 1967 at the rank of lieutenant commander. After his service, he lived out the rest of his life as a real estate developer and author.

Louis Conter was the last known survivor of the USS Arizona before passing away on April 1, 2024.

I am proud to name the VA clinic after him to memorialize his historic story of service. I thank the sponsor of this bill, Representative Kiley, as well as the entire California delegation.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 9124, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. BOST. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I encourage all Members to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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