Press Releases

Today, Congress passed S. 475, which is the Senate version of legislation that Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández introduced in the House. This legislation will rename the Gallup Veterans Affairs clinic for the late Corporal Hiroshi “Hershey” Miyamura, who died on November 29, 2022. Senators Martin Heinrich and Ben Ray Lujan led the companion bill in the Senate.  S. 475 previously passed the Senate and now goes to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.

“The call of service is one that a select few among us choose to answer,” said Rep. Leger Fernández. “Hershey Miyamura chose to answer it twice. He volunteered to serve not only in World War II, but also in the Korean War, where he was imprisoned for 27 months after staying behind to protect his squad and allow them to escape from attack. I am grateful to my colleagues for passing this bill and honoring this hero. We will honor Corporal Miyamura’s memory every day by providing care for our veterans in Gallup under his name.” 

Background: 

Corporal Miyamura was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his valiant service and sacrifice, and was one of only two remaining recipients from the Korean War. You can watch Congresswoman Leger Fernández’s December 2022 House Floor speech memorializing Miyamura here and her floor speech today here. 

The Gallup clinic opened in 2015 following an effort led by Miyamura, Senator Heinrich, and then-Congressman Luján, as well as local veterans in the community. Today, the clinic serves nearly 1,800 veterans.

Congresswoman Leger Fernández and the New Mexico delegation successfully prevented the VA from closing the Gallup clinic, along with clinics in Española, Las Vegas, and Raton, in June 2022.

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