II 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 269 

To designate the Department of Veterans Affairs medical center in Big 

Spring, Texas, as the George H. O’Brien, Jr., Department of Veterans 

Affairs Medical Center, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 3, 2011 

Mr. CORNYN (for himself and Mrs. HUTCHISON) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To designate the Department of Veterans Affairs medical 

center in Big Spring, Texas, as the George H. O’Brien, 

Jr., Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and 

for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 

4 Congress finds that— 

5 (1)(A) George H. O’Brien, Jr., was born on 

6 September 10, 1926, in Fort Worth, Texas; 


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1 (B) O’Brien served as a seaman in the United 

2 State Merchant Marine during the period beginning 

3 in December 1944 and ending in May 1946; 

4 (C) in July 1949, while attending college at the 

5 Texas Technological College (now known as ‘‘Texas 

6 Tech University’’), O’Brien enlisted in the United 

7 States Marine Corps Reserve; 

8 (D) after graduating from college in 1950, 

9 O’Brien was ordered to active duty and departed for 

10 Korea in September 1952; 

11 (E) following his discharge from the service, 

12 O’Brien settled in Big Spring, Texas, to raise his 

13 family; and 

14 (F) O’Brien often participated in volunteer pro15 grams at the Department of Veterans Affairs med16 ical center in Big Spring; 

17 (2)(A) O’Brien was awarded the Medal of 

18 Honor, the highest honor in the United States 

19 awarded for valor to members of the Armed Forces, 

20 for his actions during the Battle for the Hook, on 

21 October 27, 1952, in Korea for conspicuous gal22 lantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above 

23 and beyond the call of duty as a rifle platoon com24 mander of Company H, 3d Battalion, 7th Marines, 

25 1st Marine Division (Reinforced); 


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1 (B) although wounded several times during in2 tense fighting to regain a vitally important hill posi3 tion on the main line of resistance, then-Second 

4 Lieutenant O’Brien bravely led his platoon into 

5 deadly small arms, artillery, and mortar fire against 

6 a numerically superior force; and 

7 (C) during the battle, O’Brien repeatedly en8 gaged the enemy at close range, killing at least 3 

9 enemy soldiers, eventually securing the position until 

10 relieved; 

11 (3) in addition to being awarded the Medal of 

12 Honor during his service in Korea, O’Brien received 

13 2 Purple Heart Medals for wounds received during 

14 combat, the Korean Service Medal with 2 bronze 

15 stars, the United Nations Service Medal, and several 

16 other military honors; 

17 (4) O’Brien— 

18 (A) was awarded the Medal of Honor per19 sonally by President Dwight D. Eisenhower; 

20 and 

21 (B) is the only Medal of Honor recipient 

22 from Big Spring, Texas; 

23 (5) on his release from the United States Ma24 rine Corps, O’Brien— 


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1 (A) began a career as a petroleum geolo2 gist in Texas; and 

3 (B) served on the Marine Corps Scholar4 ship Foundation and the Medal of Honor Soci5 ety; and 

6 (6) O’Brien died on March 11, 2005, in Mid7 land, Texas. 

8 SEC. 2. GEORGE H. O’BRIEN, JR., DEPARTMENT OF VET9 ERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CENTER. 

10 (a) DESIGNATION.—The Department of Veterans Af11 fairs medical center located in Big Spring, Texas, shall 

12 be known and designated as the ‘‘George H. O’Brien, Jr., 

13 Department Of Veterans Affairs Medical Center’’. 

14 (b) REFERENCES.—Any reference in a law, map, reg15 ulation, document, paper, or other record of the United 

16 States to the Department of Veterans Affairs medical cen17 ter referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be a 

18 reference to the ‘‘George H. O’Brien, Jr., Department Of 

19 Veterans Affairs Medical Center’’. 

Æ 


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