Plano’s VA clinic is now officially the U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson Memorial VA Clinic. Bob Wieland/The Wylie News
The Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Plano has been officially dedicated as the ‘‘U.S. Congressman Sam Johnson Memorial VA Clinic.”
Texas 3rd District Rep. Keith Self sponsored the measure in the House and said the name would carry over to a new 100,000-square-foot facility planned for North Texas in the future.
Self told a Monday, June 2, dedication ceremony that Johnson, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel and highly decorated fighter pilot, “demonstrated extraordinary courage and resilience throughout his military and public service career.”
Other participants in the ceremony included Plano Mayor John Muns and Jason Cave, executive director of the VA medical center.
During a combat mission in North Vietnam in 1966, Johnson survived an attack that shot down his plane and left him with
a broken right arm, broken back and dislocated shoulder.
He was imprisoned and tortured for nearly seven years, including 42 months in solitary confinement. He was released in 1973.
Johnson’s service was recognized with awards including two Silver Stars, two Legions of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star Medal, and two Purple Hearts.
After ending his 29-year military career, Johnson served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1985 to 1991, when he was elected to the U.S. House to represent Texas’ 3rd District. He retired from Congress in 2019 and died in 2020 at the age of 89.
“Congressman Johnson truly embodied what it means to be an American hero,” Self said. “I hope that every veteran who walks into this facility will be reminded of Sam’s enduring legacy and that his memory will inspire those serving in the facility to exemplify the values of honor and excellence that Sam demonstrated throughout his life and service to America.”
Sen. John Cornyn sponsored the renaming bill in the Senate.
“Sam Johnson was an American hero, a statesman, a loving husband and father, and a good friend,” Cornyn said.
The clinic, at 3804 W. 15th St. in Plano, offers a range of services including primary care, a behavioral interdisciplinary program, telehealth, radiology and laboratory services for veterans and their families. An expansion to 7,000 square feet is planned “to serve even more veterans with the same dedication and excellence our community has come to expect,” the VA said.
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By Bob Wieland | [email protected]
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