and the only Vietnam veteran, where he served until 
1975. 
(8) As a Georgia State Senator, Joseph Max-
well Cleland authored and advanced legislation to 
ensure access to public facilities in Georgia for elder-
ly and handicapped individuals. 
(9) In 1976, Joseph Maxwell Cleland began 
serving as a staffer on the Committee on Veterans’ 
Affairs of the United States Senate. 
(10) In 1977, Joseph Maxwell Cleland was ap-
pointed by President Jimmy Carter to lead the Vet-
erans Administration. 
(11) He was the youngest Administrator of the 
Veterans Administration ever and the first Vietnam 
veteran to head the agency. 
(12) He served as a champion for veterans and 
led the Veterans Administration to recognize, and 
begin to treat, post-traumatic stress disorder in vet-
erans suffering the invisible wounds of war. 
(13) Joseph Maxwell Cleland was elected in 
1982 as Secretary of State of Georgia, the youngest 
individual to hold the office, and served in that posi-
tion for 14 years. 
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(14) In 1996, Joseph Maxwell Cleland was 
elected to the United States Senate representing 
Georgia. 
(15) As a member of the Committee on Armed 
Services, Joseph Maxwell Cleland advocated for 
Georgia’s military bases, members of the Armed 
Forces, and veterans, including by championing key 
personnel issues, playing a critical role in the effort 
to allow members of the Armed Forces to pass their 
GI Bill education benefits to their children, and es-
tablishing a new veterans cemetery in Canton, Geor-
gia. 
(16) In 2002, Joseph Maxwell Cleland was ap-
pointed to the 9/11 Commission. 
(17) In 2003, Joseph Maxwell Cleland was ap-
pointed by President George W. Bush to the Board 
of Directors for the Export-Import Bank of the 
United States, where he served until 2007. 
(18) In 2009, Joseph Maxwell Cleland was ap-
pointed by President Barack Obama as Secretary of 
the American Battle Monuments Commission over-
seeing United States military cemeteries and monu-
ments overseas, where he served until 2017. 
(19) In 2010, Joseph Maxwell Cleland was ap-
pointed Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Ar-
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lington National Cemetery, where he served until 
2017. 
(20) Joseph Maxwell Cleland authored three 
books: Strong at the Broken Places, Going for the 
Max: 12 Principles for Living Life to the Fullest, 
and Heart of a Patriot. 
(21) Joseph Maxwell Cleland received numerous 
honors and awards over the course of his long and 
distinguished career. 
(22) Joseph Maxwell Cleland was a patriot, vet-
eran, and lifelong civil servant who proudly served 
Georgia, the United States, and all veterans and 
members of the Armed Forces of the United States. 
(23) On November 9, 2021, at the age of 79, 
Joseph Maxwell Cleland died, leaving behind a leg-
acy of service, sacrifice, and joy. 
SEC. 3. JOSEPH MAXWELL CLELAND ATLANTA DEPART-
MENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS MEDICAL CEN-
TER. 
(a) DESIGNATION.—The medical center of the De-
partment of Veterans Affairs located in metropolitan At-
lanta, Georgia, shall after the date of the enactment of 
this Act be known and designated as the ‘‘Joseph Maxwell 
Cleland Atlanta Department of Veterans Affairs Medical 
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Center’’, or the ‘‘Joseph Maxwell Cleland Atlanta VA 
Medical Center’’. 
(b) REFERENCE.—Any reference in a law, regulation, 
map, document, paper, or other record of the United 
States to the medical center referred to in subsection (a) 
shall be considered to be a reference to the Joseph Max-
well Cleland Atlanta Department of Veterans Affairs Med-
ical Center. 
Æ 
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