Rep. Corrine Brown
Statement at Jacksonville VA Clinic Groundbreaking
August 11, 2011
Hello and thank you having me
here today. I am Congresswoman Corrine
Brown, the representative of Florida’s third congressional district, and have
been a proud member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee from the time I
began to serve in Washington back in 1993!
I
would like to begin by welcoming Secretary Shinseki to Jacksonville…let’s give
him a big hand for all that the Secretary has done for the veterans of our
great nation! As George Washington once said, ‘the willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any
war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional as to how they
perceive the veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their
country.''
Certainly,
this ideal is one that Secretary Shinseki adheres to in his daily work to
provide everything possible for our nation’s valiant men and women who have
served in our armed forces.
Beyond a doubt, this clinic has been a long time
coming. And now, three administrations, five department secretaries and
over a dozen years later, we will have a clinic right here in Jacksonville that
is worthy of the VA, and the veterans from this area who risk their lives to protect
our freedom.
I lost count of the number of
meetings I hosted between Shands, the VA and the city of Jacksonville. I
was pleased to host then UnderSecretary of Health, Dr. Jonathan Perlin, in my office and
he committed the VA to build this fine facility. But it was Secretary
Shinseki and his office that finally made this clinic a reality. Together with Secretary Shinseki, Shands
Hospital and the City of Jacksonville, we came to an agreement where the
veterans will benefit from this modern facility.
One thousand
veterans go to the current clinic each day, and when the new clinic opens, our brave Jacksonville and Northeast Florida veterans will not have to
make the long trip to Lake City or Gainesville for timely care. Along with so many of you in attendance today,
I am very excited for this new facility to open its door when construction if
completed next year.
News coverage and photos: http://jacksonville.com/news/florida/2011-08-11/story/federal-local-officials-hail-construction-new-va-clinic-jacksonville