I 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6863 

To designate the medical center of the Department of Veterans Affairs in 

Memphis, Tennessee, as the ‘‘Lt. Col. Luke Weathers, Jr. VA Medical 

Center’’. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 28, 2022 

Mr. COHEN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Veterans’ Affairs 

A BILL 

To designate the medical center of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Memphis, Tennessee, as the ‘‘Lt. Col. 

Luke Weathers, Jr. VA Medical Center’’. 

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 the following: 

5 (1) Luke Joseph Weathers, Jr., was born De6 cember 16, 1922, in Grenada, Mississippi, then 

7 moved to Memphis, Tennessee, at age five. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 6863 IH

1 (2) Luke Joseph Weathers, Jr., graduated from 

2 Booker T. Washington High School and is an alum3 nus of Xavier University in New Orleans. 

4 (3) Upon his graduation, Luke Joseph Weath5 ers, Jr., enlisted in one of the first training pro6 grams for Black pilots, beginning his journey as a 

7 Tuskegee Airman. 

8 (4) Within his first few years active in the war, 

9 Luke Joseph Weathers, Jr., named his plane ‘‘Spirit 

10 of Beale Street’’, in honor of his hometown, Mem11 phis, Tennessee. He flew this plane with the ‘‘Red 

12 Tails’’. 

13 (5) He was credited with shooting down Ger14 man planes while protecting United States Army Air 

15 Corps bombers and shooting down two Messer16 schmitt 109s in Italy while escorting a damaged B– 

17 24 Liberator bomber. 

18 (6) During his military service, he rose to the 

19 rank of Lieutenant Colonel. 

20 (7) Luke Joseph Weathers, Jr., received numer21 ous honors and awards throughout his long and dis22 tinguished career. 

23 (8) Among them, he was presented with an Air 

24 Medal with 7 clusters and an American Theater Rib25 bon Victory Medal during his military service. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 6863 IH

1 (9) Following the war, Luke Joseph Weathers, 

2 Jr., returned to Memphis, receiving a hero’s welcome 

3 and a key to the city. 

4 (10) On July 13, 1947, he married LaVerne 

5 Nailling at St. Therese-Little Flowers Catholic 

6 Church in Memphis. 

7 (11) In 1960, he accepted a job with the Fed8 eral Aviation Administration (hereinafter, the 

9 ‘‘FAA’’) as an air traffic control specialist in An10 chorage, Alaska. 

11 (12) In 1965, Luke Joseph Weathers, Jr., 

12 moved back to Memphis, becoming the first Black 

13 air traffic controller in Memphis. 

14 (13) Weathers later held positions with the 

15 FAA in Atlanta, Georgia, and the District of Colum16 bia, where he eventually retired in 1985, after serv17 ing as a reservist in the military for 23 years. 

18 (14) During retirement, Luke Joseph Weathers, 

19 Jr., remained active with the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. 

20 and continued to support African Americans in the 

21 military. 

22 (15) In 1995, Luke Joseph Weathers, Jr., 

23 moved to Tucson, Arizona, shortly after marrying 

24 Jacqueline Moore Weathers. 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 6863 IH

1 (16) In 2007, Luke Joseph Weathers, Jr., and 

2 the Tuskegee Airmen were honored with a Congres3 sional Gold Medal. 

4 (17) On October 15, 2011, Luke Joseph 

5 Weather, Jr., died in Tucson, Arizona, at the age of 

6 90, leaving behind his wife, two sons and daughters, 

7 12 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren as 

8 well as a legacy of countless lives he touched. 

9 (18) On January 20, 2012, Lieutenant Colonel 

10 Luke Joseph Weathers, Jr., was interred at Arling11 ton National Cemetery. 

12 SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF THE LT. COL. LUKE WEATHERS, 

13 JR. VA MEDICAL CENTER. 

14 The medical center of the Department of Veterans 

15 Affairs located in Memphis, Tennessee, shall, after the 

16 date of the enactment of this Act, be known and des17 ignated as the ‘‘Lt. Col. Luke Weathers, Jr. VA Medical 

18 Center’’. Any reference in any law, regulation, map, docu19 ment, paper, or other record of the United States to such 

20 medical center shall be considered to be a reference to the 

21 Lt. Col. Luke Weathers, Jr. VA Medical Center. 

Æ 


kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS