This upcoming Sunday, the people of Venezuela will hold an election that, if legitimate, would put an end to years of the oppressive Maduro narco-regime. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) issued a statement in support of the Venezuelan people: “The...
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Rubio, Scott Applaud Senate Passage of Bill to Name St. Augustine VA Facility After Vietnam War Hero
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rick Scott (R-FL) applauded the Senate passage of legislation to name a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) clinic in St. Johns County Florida after Private First Class Leo C. Chase, Jr., the first man from St. Johns County to be killed in the Vietnam War. This new VA outpatient clinic is located at 207 Stratton Road, St. Augustine, Florida, and, if signed by the President, would be designated as the “Leo C. Chase, Jr. Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic.’’ Rubio introduced this legislation in May 2019 alongside Representatives John Rutherford (R-FL) and Michael Waltz (R-FL), who introduced companion legislation in the House of Representatives. The bill now heads to the U.S. House of Representatives for consideration.
“At 23 years old Private Chase was killed while serving with an Airmobile unit in Vietnam just five days before he would have gone home. Private Chase’s life served as an inspiration to others before and after his death,” Rubio said. “While we can never repay his sacrifice to our nation, I am proud that the Senate has passed legislation that will name the new VA clinic in St. Augustine after an American hero who made the ultimate sacrifice.”
“We can never truly express our gratitude for the men and women who serve our nation, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedoms,” Scott said. “I’m proud to honor the life and service of Private First Class Leo C. Chase, Jr. with this legislation, and I applaud its passage in the Senate.”
Army Private First Class Leo C. Chase, Jr. was killed on November 15, 1965 in the Ia Drang battle dramatized in the book and film, We Were Soldiers. Chase was a rifleman in Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry. He flew into landing zone X-Ray in the Ia Drang Valley of South Vietnam, near the Cambodian border. The helicopter troops were immediately attacked by thousands of soldiers of the 320th, 33rd, and 66th regiments of the North Vietnamese Army in a battle that lasted four days. Outnumbered nearly ten to one, Chase and the other members of his platoon bravely repulsed many massive ground assaults from the Viet Cong, all the while taking fire from enemy snipers.
In the end, Chase and many other members of his platoon lost their lives, but not without accomplishing their objective. The American lines held because of the courage and sheer determination of the Seventh Cavalry.