November 29, 2016 - Issue: Vol. 162, No. 170 — Daily Edition114th Congress (2015 - 2016) - 2nd Session
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TIBOR RUBIN VA MEDICAL CENTER; Congressional Record Vol. 162, No. 170
(House of Representatives - November 29, 2016)
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[Pages H6344-H6345] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] TIBOR RUBIN VA MEDICAL CENTER Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6323) to name the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system in Long Beach, California, the ``Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center''. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 6323 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. NAME OF THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS HEALTH CARE SYSTEM, LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA. The Department of Veterans Affairs health care system located at 5901 East 7th Street, Long Beach, California, shall after the date of the enactment of this Act be known and designated as the ``Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center''. Any reference to such health care system in any law, regulation, map, document, record, or other paper of the United States shall be considered to be a reference to the Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida. General Leave Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and add extraneous material on H.R. 6323. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Florida? There was no objection. Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I do rise today in support of H.R. 6323, a bill to name the Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare system in Long Beach, California, the Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center. Mr. Speaker, as a young man, Corporal Tibor Rubin survived 14 months in a German concentration camp in Austria during World War II before it was liberated by the United States Army. Corporal Rubin was so inspired by the American soldiers who rescued him that he eventually moved to the United States, enlisted in the Army, and became a United States citizen. He was deployed as a member of the 1st Cavalry Division during the Korean war, and was eventually captured by the North Korean military. During his captivity, he provided crucial moral support and improvised medical support to his fellow prisoners of war. For his service, Corporal Rubin was awarded two Purple Hearts and the Congressional Medal of Honor. Sadly, he passed away just last year. After such an outstanding life of service and survival, it is only appropriate that we honor Corporal Rubin by naming the Long Beach VA Medical Center after him. H.R. 6323 satisfies the Committee's naming criteria and is supported by the entire California congressional delegation, as well as many local veterans service organizations. {time} 1730 I am grateful to Congressman Lowenthal for sponsoring this legislation, and I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting it. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6323, to name the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system in Long Beach, California, the Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center. What a remarkable story about Tibor Rubin. Tibor Rubin survived the Mauthausen concentration camp for 14 months before being liberated by American soldiers in May of 1945. After immigrating to the United States in 1948, he enlisted in the United States Army and volunteered to serve in [[Page H6345]] Korea despite not being required to serve overseas as a non-U.S. citizen. While in Korea, Corporal Rubin was ordered to defend a road while his division was in retreat. He held that position for 24 hours until the 8th Cavalry could safely withdraw. Corporal Rubin spent 30 months as a prisoner of war in North Korea, where testimony from his fellow prisoners detailed his willingness to sacrifice for the others. He helped his fellow POWs by sneaking out of the camp at night and foraging for food, stealing from enemy supplies, and bringing back what he could to help the soldiers imprisoned with him. He declined the offer of his Communist captors to return him to Soviet Hungary, his country of origin, to help protect those from his adopted country. ``He shared the food evenly among the GIs,'' a fellow prisoner wrote. ``He also took care of us, nursed us, carried us to the latrine.'' This GI also added, ``Helping his fellow men was the most important thing to him.'' For these actions and more, Mr. Rubin was awarded the Medal of Honor in 2005. For all that this brave immigrant did to protect the freedoms of our great country, we are honored to be able to name this VA Medical Center after him. Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield 8 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Lowenthal). Mr. LOWENTHAL. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from California, who has been such a great leader on veterans' issues. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Holocaust survivor and Medal of Honor recipient and a person that I knew personally before he passed away, Mr. Tibor ``Ted'' Rubin. With the support of all 53 members of the California delegation, both California Senators, and many of my State's leading veterans' groups, I recently introduced H.R. 6323, legislation to name the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Long Beach as the Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center. As was already noted, Tibor Rubin was born in Hungary on June 18, 1929. During World War II, he survived 14 months in a Nazi concentration camp in Austria, where both his parents and both of his sisters would eventually die. Liberated by the United States Army, he was inspired by the American soldiers who rescued him, immigrating to the United States and enlisting in the United States Army. He was deployed to Korea as a member of the United States Army's 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division during the Korean war. Despite facing religious discrimination from his sergeant who sent him on the most dangerous patrols and missions and withheld his Medal of Honor commendation, Tibor fought valiantly in several notable engagements. In one such engagement, Tibor enabled the complete withdrawal of his compatriots to the Pusan Perimeter by solely defending a hill under an overwhelming assault by North Korean troops. During this engagement, he inflicted a staggering number of casualties on the attacking force during his personal 24-hour battle, single- handedly slowing the enemy's advance and allowing the 8th Cavalry to withdraw successfully. Following the successful U.S. Army breakout from the Pusan Perimeter and advance into North Korea, Tibor was personally responsible for the capture of several hundred North Korean soldiers. In an additional engagement near Usan, Chinese forces attacked his unit during a massive nighttime assault. For nearly 24 hours, he remained at his post with a .30-caliber machine gun at the south end of the unit's line until his ammunition was exhausted. His determined stand slowed the pace of the enemy advance into his sector, permitting the remnants of his unit to retreat southward. However, as the battle raged, Tibor was severely wounded and captured by the Chinese. While in Chinese custody, he refused to be repatriated to Hungary, instead choosing to remain in the prison camp. He would refuse the offer on numerous occasions. Tibor disregarded his own personal safety and immediately began sneaking out of the camp at night in search of food for his fellow prisoners. Breaking into enemy food storehouses and gardens, he risked certain torture or death if caught. Tibor provided not only food for the starving soldiers, but also desperately needed medical care and moral support for the sick and wounded of the POW camp. As one of his fellow prisoners recounted about the camp: ``Tibor did many good deeds, which he told us were mitzvahs in the Jewish tradition. He was a very religious Jew, and helping his fellow men was the most important thing to him.'' Tibor's brave, selfless efforts were directly attributed to saving the lives of as many as 40 of his fellow prisoners. As his Medal of Honor citation reads: ``Corporal Rubin's gallant actions in close contact with the enemy and unyielding courage and bravery while a prisoner of war are in the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army.'' It is worth noting that Tibor was nominated in the field on four occasions for the Medal of Honor. When he was finally presented his Medal of Honor in 2005, it was not presented by President George W. Bush for a single act of heroism. It was instead presented for nearly his entire 3 years of service in the Korean war. Tibor was fiercely proud of the country he adopted. When he was later asked about his decision to immigrate to the United States, he said: ``I always wanted to become a citizen of the United States, and when I became a citizen, it was one of the happiest days in my life. ``I think about the United States, and I am a lucky person to live here. ``When I came to America, it was the first time I was free. It was one of the reasons I joined the U.S. Army, because I wanted to show my appreciation. ``It is the best country in the world, and I am part of it now. I do not have to worry about the Gestapo knocking on my doors.'' I am proud to say that after his service, Tibor became a longtime resident of Garden Grove, California, in my district. It was still his home when he passed away on December 5, 2015, and it was the Long Beach VA Hospital where he received his medical services for over 50 years. It was my great honor to meet Tibor and to represent him in Congress. He was a survivor, a soldier, a nurse, a compatriot, and a wonderful citizen. Mr. TAKANO. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. What an amazing and inspiring story behind Corporal Rubin. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation, H.R. 6323. I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. MILLER of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I, too, encourage all of our colleagues to support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 6323. The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. ____________________
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