WASHINGTON – Today Representative Kevin Kiley (R-CA) introduced a bill to rename the Auburn VA Facility after World War II veteran and Navy Lieutenant Commander Lou Conter, the last survivor of the attack on the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor and a Grass Valley native.

“Lt. Commander Lou Conter was the final survivor of the attack on the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor. On that fateful day, he heroically evacuated shipmates who were blinded, wounded, or burned, even restraining some of his fellow shipmates from jumping overboard into the burning sea,” said Rep. Kiley. “He continued to serve our country for decades following Pearl Harbor; winning the Distinguished Flying Cross and serving in the Eisenhower, Kennedy and Johnson White Houses. Following his passing in April, there could be no better way to honor Lt. Commander Conter’s enduring legacy than naming a veterans’ health care facility in his memory. I am grateful to my colleagues for the bipartisan support we’re receiving for this bill.”

Click here to read the text of the bill.

Background: Lou Conter acted heroically, saving the lives of many of his shipmates on December 7, 1941. He served in the Pacific during WWII, and later in the Korean War on the USS Bon Homme Richard. He retired from the navy in 1967 after serving 23 years, as a Lieutenant Commander. He resided in Grass Valley, California, until his death earlier this year.

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