H. R. 1808 

One Hundred Tenth Congress 

of the 

United States of America 

AT THE FIRST SESSION 

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Thursday, 

the fourth day of January, two thousand and seven 

An Act 

To designate the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia, as the ‘‘Charlie Norwood Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center’’. 

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) Charlie Norwood volunteered for service in the United 

States Army Dental Corps in a time of war, providing dental 

and medical services in the Republic of Vietnam in 1968, 

earning the Combat Medical Badge and two awards of the 

Bronze Star. 

(2) Captain Norwood, under combat conditions, helped 

develop the Dental Corps operating procedures, that are now 

standard, of delivering dentists to forward-fire bases, and providing dental treatment for military service dogs. 

(3) Captain Norwood provided dental, emergency medical, 

and surgical care for United States personnel, Vietnamese 

civilians, and prisoners-of-war. 

(4) Dr. Norwood provided military dental care at Fort 

Gordon, Georgia, following his service in Vietnam, then provided private-practice dental care for the next 25 years for 

patients in the greater Augusta, Georgia, area, including care 

for military personnel, retirees, and dependents under Department of Defense programs and for low-income patients under 

Georgia Medicaid. 

(5) Congressman Norwood, upon being sworn into the 

United States House of Representatives in 1995, pursued the 

advancement of health and dental care for active duty and 

retired military personnel and dependents, and for veterans, 

through his public advocacy for strengthened Federal support 

for military and veterans’ health care programs and facilities. 

(6) Congressman Norwood co-authored and helped pass 

into law the Keep our Promises to America’s Military Retirees 

Act, which restored lifetime healthcare benefits to veterans 

who are military retirees through the creation of the Department of Defense TRICARE for Life Program. 

(7) Congressman Norwood supported and helped pass into 

law the Retired Pay Restoration Act providing relief from the 

concurrent receipt rule penalizing disabled veterans who were 

also military retirees. 

(8) Throughout his congressional service from 1995 to 2007, 

Congressman Norwood repeatedly defeated attempts to reduce 

Federal support for the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical 
H. R. 1808—2 

Center in Augusta, Georgia, and succeeded in maintaining and 

increasing Federal funding for the center. 

(9) Congressman Norwood maintained a life membership 

in the American Legion, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and 

the Military Order of the World Wars. 

(10) Congressman Norwood’s role in protecting and 

improving military and veteran’s health care was recognized 

by the Association of the United States Army through the 

presentation of the Cocklin Award in 1998, and through his 

induction into the Association’s Audie Murphy Society in 1999. 

SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF CHARLIE NORWOOD DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER. 

(a) DESIGNATION.—The Department of Veterans Affairs Medical 

Center located at 1 Freedom Way in Augusta, Georgia, shall after 

the date of the enactment of this Act be known and designated 

as the ‘‘Charlie Norwood Department of Veterans Affairs Medical 

Center’’. 

(b) REFERENCES.—Any reference in any law, regulation, map, 

document, record, or other paper of the United States to the medical 

center referred to in subsection (a) shall be considered to be a 

reference to the Charlie Norwood Department of Veterans Affairs 

Medical Center. 

Speaker of the House of Representatives. 

Vice President of the United States and

President of the Senate.