IIB 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6863 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 15, 2022 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

AN ACT 

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, 


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1 SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) Luke Joseph Weathers, Jr., was born De4 cember 16, 1922, in Grenada, Mississippi, then 

5 moved to Memphis, Tennessee, at age five. 

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

7 Booker T. Washington High School and is an alum8 nus of Xavier University in New Orleans. 

9 (3) Upon his graduation, Luke Joseph Weath10 ers, Jr., enlisted in one of the first training pro11 grams for Black pilots, beginning his journey as a 

12 Tuskegee Airman. 

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

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

15 of Beale Street’’, in honor of his hometown, Mem16 phis, Tennessee. He flew this plane with the ‘‘Red 

17 Tails’’. 

18 (5) He was credited with shooting down Ger19 man planes while protecting United States Army Air 

20 Corps bombers and shooting down two Messer21 schmitt 109s in Italy while escorting a damaged B– 

22 24 Liberator bomber. 

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

24 rank of Lieutenant Colonel. 


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1 (7) Luke Joseph Weathers, Jr., received numer2 ous honors and awards throughout his long and dis3 tinguished career. 

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

5 Medal with 7 clusters and an American Theater Rib6 bon Victory Medal during his military service. 

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

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

9 and a key to the city. 

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

11 Nailling at St. Therese-Little Flowers Catholic 

12 Church in Memphis. 

13 (11) In 1960, he accepted a job with the Fed14 eral Aviation Administration (hereinafter, the 

15 ‘‘FAA’’) as an air traffic control specialist in An16 chorage, Alaska. 

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

18 moved back to Memphis, becoming the first Black 

19 air traffic controller in Memphis. 

20 (13) Weathers later held positions with the 

21 FAA in Atlanta, Georgia, and the District of Colum22 bia, where he eventually retired in 1985, after serv23 ing as a reservist in the military for 23 years. 

24 (14) During retirement, Luke Joseph Weathers, 

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


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1 and continued to support African Americans in the 

2 military. 

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

4 moved to Tucson, Arizona, shortly after marrying 

5 Jacqueline Moore Weathers. 

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

7 the Tuskegee Airmen were honored with a Congres8 sional Gold Medal. 

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

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

11 90, leaving behind his wife, two sons and daughters, 

12 12 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren as 

13 well as a legacy of countless lives he touched. 

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

15 Luke Joseph Weathers, Jr., was interred at Arling16 ton National Cemetery. 

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

18 JR. VA MEDICAL CENTER. 

19 The medical center of the Department of Veterans 

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

21 date of the enactment of this Act, be known and des22 ignated as the ‘‘Lt. Col. Luke Weathers, Jr. VA Medical 

23 Center’’. Any reference in any law, regulation, map, docu24 ment, paper, or other record of the United States to such 


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

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

Passed the House of Representatives November 14, 

2022. 

Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, 

Clerk. 


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