GUNTERSVILLE – U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt today joined veterans, local leaders, and members of the community to commemorate the official renaming of the Guntersville VA Clinic in honor of Col. Ola Lee Mize, a Medal of Honor recipient and Marshall County native.
“This dedication is about more than changing a sign — it is about honoring a hero and reaffirming our commitment to all who have served,” Aderholt (R-Haleyville) said.
Aderholt, who introduced the legislation in Congress to rename the clinic, emphasized that Colonel Mize’s legacy of service belongs in a place where veterans come for care.
“There is already a bridge in Marshall County that honors Colonel Mize, and hundreds of people see his name each day,” he said. “But I believed it was important for his name to stand on a building where veterans come for care, so that his legacy is tied not only to remembrance, but to service.”
Mize, who displayed extraordinary courage during the Korean War and went on to serve his country for decades, represents “the very best of Alabama and the very best of America,” Aderholt said.
Mize’s widow, Betty Mize, was presented with a framed copy of the bill officially naming the clinic in her late husband’s honor.
“It was important to me that Mrs. Mize and her family know that this community and this nation will never forget the sacrifice and service of Colonel Ola Lee Mize,” Aderholt said.
Aderholt said the renaming carries a message for every veteran who enters the clinic.
“It is a promise— that they will be cared for with the respect and dignity they deserve. That they are never forgotten,” he said. “And that our community will always honor their service”.
“This clinic, now bearing Colonel Mize’s name, will stand as a constant reminder that freedom has a cost, and that those who pay it deserve not only our gratitude but our action. By placing his name here, we commit ourselves to serving veterans with the same devotion that Colonel Mize showed to his fellow soldiers and to this nation”.
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