[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 14] [House] [Pages 18720-18722] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]COLONEL OLA LEE MIZE VETERANS CLINIC Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5736) to designate the Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic in Gadsden, Alabama, as the Colonel Ola Lee Mize Veterans Clinic. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: [[Page 18721]] H.R. 5736 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. FINDING. Congress finds that Colonel Ola Lee Mize, a Medal of Honor recipient, is a highly decorated veteran from the State of Alabama. SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS OUTPATIENT CLINIC IN GADSDEN, ALABAMA. The Department of Veterans Affairs community based outpatient clinic in Gadsden, Alabama, shall be known and designated as the ``Colonel Ola Lee Mize Veterans Clinic''. Any reference to such community based outpatient clinic in any law, regulation, map, document, record, or other paper of the United States shall be considered to be a reference to the Colonel Ola Lee Mize Veterans Clinic. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from California (Mr. Filner) and the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Stearns) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California. Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise to offer my support for H.R. 5736, a bill to name the veterans clinic in Gadsden, Alabama, after Col. Ola Lee Mize. It is a great honor for me to stand here before you to talk about Col. Ola Lee Mize. He received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions during the Korean War, and he deserves our further recognition. The Medal of Honor is awarded in the name of Congress to a person who distinguished himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States. As a member of Company K, then Sergeant Mize courageously defended ``Outpost Harry'' near Surang-ni, Korea, on June 11 and June 12 in 1953. His deed was one of personal bravery. He clearly distinguished himself by exhibiting tremendous courage. He served our Nation by going beyond the call of duty while facing the enemy and was willing to risk his own life to protect the lives of others. Colonel Mize and his company faithfully defended a strategically valuable position when the enemy launched a heavy attack. Upon learning that a comrade on a friendly listening post had been wounded, he moved through the intense barrage accompanied by a medical aid man and rescued the wounded soldier. On returning to his main position, he established an effective defense system and inflicted heavy casualties against attacks from determined enemy assault forces which had penetrated into trenches within the outpost area. During his fearless actions, he was blown down by artillery and grenade blasts three times, but each time he dauntlessly returned to his position, tenaciously fighting and successfully repelling hostile attacks. When the enemy onslaughts ceased, he took his few men and moved from bunker to bunker, firing through apertures and throwing grenades at the foe, neutralizing their positions. When an enemy soldier stepped out behind a comrade, prepared to fire, Col. Mize killed him, saving the life of his fellow soldier. After rejoining the platoon, moving from man to man, distributing ammunition and shouting words of encouragement, he observed a friendly machine gun position overrun. He immediately fought his way to the position, killing ten enemies and dispersing the remainder. Fighting back to the command post and finding several friendly wounded there, he took a position to protect them. Later, securing a radio, he directed friendly artillery fire upon the attacking enemy's routes of approach. At dawn he helped regroup for a counterattack which successfully drove the enemy from that outpost. Col. Mize's valorous conduct and unflinching courage reflect lasting glory upon himself and upon the noble traditions of the military service. Besides having been awarded the Medal of Honor, Col. Mize has been awarded the Bronze Star, Good Conduct with Two Loops, National Defense Service, Korean Service with two Bronze Stars, and the United Nations Service. Today, by passing H.R. 5736, which would designate the outpatient clinic in Gadsden, Alabama as the Colonel Ola Lee Mize Veterans Clinic, we honor his bravery and courage and of course that of all soldiers. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Alabama, Robert Aderholt, for introducing this bill. And I urge the support of my colleagues. I would reserve the balance of my time. Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, I rise also in support of H.R. 5736, a bill to designate the Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic in Gadsden, Alabama, as the Colonel Ola Lee Mize Veterans Clinic. I will shortly, as has been pointed out by the chairman, recognize the bill's primary sponsor, Mr. Robert Aderholt of Alabama, for him to more fully discuss Col. Mize's contributions to our Nation. They are indeed very impressive. While serving as a master sergeant during the Korean War, his company was defending an outpost when the enemy launched a heavy attack. Sergeant Mize rescued a wounded comrade at a listening post and returned to the main position where he established a defensive position and in turn inflicted many, many enemy casualties. Taking the offensive, Sergeant Mize held off the enemy attacks. He organized an effective counterattack and directed artillery fire. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his valorous conduct and unflinching courage, upholding the most noble traditions of our military service. Mr. Mize's military career did not end just in Korea. In the early 1960s, Mr. Mize joined the Army Special Forces, better known as the Green Berets. He spent another 20 years in the Green Berets, including time spent commanding the Special Forces School at Fort Bragg. And he served nearly 4 years of duty in Vietnam where he was shot three times. Col. Mize retired from the military after Vietnam, having been awarded a number of decorations in addition to the Medal of Honor. So it's altogether right that we honor one of our Nation's heroes by naming this facility in Gadsden, Alabama after him. At this point I yield as much time as he may consume to the author of the bill, Mr. Aderholt of Alabama. Mr. ADERHOLT. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the chairman and ranking member for their support of this piece of legislation. And of course as it has been said, we're here today to honor Ola Lee Mize by naming the veterans clinic in Gadsden, Alabama after him. Col. Mize was a soldier in the United States Army during the Korean war. And as has already been mentioned, he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on June 10 and 11, 1953. Most people may be surprised to learn that just over 100 recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor are alive today. And only one of them lives in Alabama. And I'm honored that Ola Lee Mize resides in the district I represent, which is the Fourth District of Alabama. Ola Lee Mize was the son of an Alabama sharecropper. He dropped out of school in 1946 after the ninth grade. And he did that so that he could take care of his mother, his brothers and his sisters. A few years later he decided he could do better. So he left a job that was paying $15 a week and then enlisted in the United States Army. However, when he went to apply to the Army, he was rejected because he weighed only 120 pounds. But he was persistent, and recruiters finally let him enlist. Mize's military career would see him courageously rise to the high ranking position of colonel after the humble beginnings of a young high school drop-out who was once rejected by the Army. Col. Mize's story is a great example to all Americans who aspire to great things in the face of challenges. The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States Government. It is bestowed on a member of the United States Armed Forces who risk their life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States. Col. Mize exemplifies [[Page 18722]] this. And I think it is appropriate and fitting that he be honored again by the naming of this clinic in Gadsden, Alabama. Colonel Ola Mize earned his Medal of Honor when he was a sergeant for the U.S. Army with Company K of the 15th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division. During one particular battle in the Korean war, his company was committed to the defense of an outpost in the southern region of what is now South Korea. And at the time, the Chinese were under heavy attack of the area. {time} 1615 With all the company's officers dead or wounded, Mize worked to establish a defensive position while dragging wounded into the shelters made by timbers pulled from American bunkers destroyed by enemy fire. Over the next several hours, he assembled an impromptu patrol that went from bunker to bunker firing out of the open spaces in an effort to make the Chinese believe that they were still opposed by a vigorous force. American counterattack forces reached Mize's position about noon on the 11th day of June, and after helping to resecure the outpost, Mize got permission to take his wounded men back to American lines. Upon reaching friendly territory, Mize, the regimental commander and the division commander, were all standing together. The two commanders did not recognize Mize, whose uniform at the time was in tatters, his flight jacket smoking, and his face badly swollen from burns. ``Who are you,'' demanded the regimental commanders? ``Sergeant Mize,'' he answered. ``You're not Mize,'' the commander responded. ``He's dead.'' His Medal of Honor citation states that Sergeant Mize's valorous conduct and unflinching courage reflect lasting glory upon himself and upon the noble traditions of military service. Several months later, informed that he would receive the Medal of Honor, Mize told the commanding officers that he didn't want it because it really should go to the entire platoon. Reluctantly, he was flown back to the United States so he could attend a ceremony in Denver, Colorado. He was decorated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on September 7, 1954. In the early 1960s, Ola Mize joined the Special Forces and did three tours in Vietnam. He retired as colonel in 1981. Ola Mize is a great soldier that has served our country with bravery and class, and it is my pleasure today to offer this resolution in his honor. Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. General Leave Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 5736. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from California? There was no objection. Mr. FILNER. I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Filner) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5736. The question was taken. The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it. Mr. STEARNS. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn. ____________________