Captain Paul W. 'Bud' Bucha VA Medical Center Act of 2025
Officially: “Captain Paul W. 'Bud' Bucha VA Medical Center Act of 2025” Read the full text
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1Short title
This section says the Act may be called the 'Captain Paul W. ‘Bud’ Bucha VA Medical Center Act of 2025.'
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1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Captain Paul W. 'Bud' Bucha VA Medical Center Act of 2025 .
2Findings
Congress states a series of findings about Paul W. 'Bud' Bucha. He was born on August 1, 1943, in Washington, DC. Congress states he was a recipient of the Medal of Honor, an advocate for veterans, and an American hero. He was the son of an Army colonel and spent his childhood in California, Germany, Indiana, Japan, and St. Louis, Missouri. He turned down academic and athletic scholarships and instead enrolled at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, where he was a two-time All-American and captain of the swim team; in 1965 he graduated in the top 5 percent of his class and second in Military Order of Merit. He earned a Master of Business Administration from Stanford University in 1967 while also completing Airborne and Ranger training between academic years. In November 1967 he reported for duty with the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to prepare for deployment to Vietnam as part of Operation Eagle Thrust. He was appointed commander of Company D, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, the last rifle company formed during an Army expansion, made up of recruits including men who had failed basic infantry tasks, former prisoners, and men with advanced degrees; the unit, which he called the 'clerks and jerks,' became one of the most decorated units of the war. From March 16 through 18, 1968, during the Tet Offensive, he led 89 men on a reconnaissance mission near Phuoc Vinh, Vietnam. On the evening of March 18, 1968, his unit, which had been dropped by helicopter, advanced into dense jungle and was outgunned by about 1,500 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops. Under attack, he crawled 40 yards through gunfire and singlehandedly destroyed a machine-gun bunker with grenades while suffering a shrapnel wound, then orchestrated an overnight offensive, directing his men to spread out, throw grenades, and unleash heavy fire to make the enemy believe they faced a much larger force; the fighting defeated the enemy stronghold and left 156 enemy dead, and the next morning he guided the medical evacuation of three air-ambulance loads of seriously wounded personnel. In 1970, President Richard Nixon presented him the Medal of Honor at a ceremony at the White House. He initially wanted to decline the medal because he did not feel he deserved it; in Vietnam he had asked his men to trust him and promised to bring them home safe, and 10 of his men were killed on the night of March 18, 1968, but he ultimately accepted the medal in their memory, saying it belonged to his men. He resigned his Army commission in 1972. He was an active member of veterans service organizations, including the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, and the Vietnam Veterans of America; he served on the board of directors of Homes for Our Troops, an organization that builds specially adapted homes for severely injured veterans, and he served as Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Veterans Employment and Training Services at the Department of Labor. He spoke publicly for veterans struggling with mental health, believing that all veterans, regardless of rank or gender, could be touched by post-traumatic stress; he used the term 'post-traumatic stress' without the word 'disorder' to help destigmatize the condition. He dealt with post-traumatic stress on his own for 42 years before seeking help at the medical center of the Department of Veterans Affairs in West Haven, Connecticut, where in his final years he also received neurological care; his family expressed gratitude for the care he received there, naming Dr. Huned Patwa, Chief of Staff, and Dr. Becky Rhoads, Executive Director, and also praised the neurologists, psychiatrists, and oncologists who supported him as his health declined. He spent the last two weeks of his life at that medical center and died from complications of Alzheimer's disease on July 31, 2024, and in his final act of service he donated his brain to the Center for Human Brain Discovery at Yale University.
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2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) Paul W. Bud Bucha was born on August 1, 1943, in Washington, DC. (2) Paul W. Bud Bucha, a recipient of the Medal of Honor and an advocate for veterans, is an American hero. (3) Paul W. Bud Bucha, the son of a colonel in the Army, spent his childhood in California, Germany, Indiana, Japan, and St. Louis, Missouri. (4) Paul W. Bud Bucha turned down several scholarships for both academics and athletics and instead enrolled in the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. He went on to be a two-time All-American and captain of the West Point swim team. In 1965, he graduated in the top 5 percent of his class and number two in Military Order of Merit. (5) Paul W. Bud Bucha earned a Masters of Business Administration from Stanford University in 1967, all while completing Airborne and Ranger training between academic years. (6) Paul W. Bud Bucha reported for duty with the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to prepare for deployment to Vietnam as part of Operation Eagle Thrust in November 1967. (7) Paul W. Bud Bucha was appointed commander of Company D, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment. His company was the last rifle company to be formed during an Army expansion. He jokingly recalled that his recruits were men who had flunked basic infantry tasks, former prisoners, and guys with master’s degrees in Elizabethan literature . He took pride in his company, dubbed the clerks and jerks . They went on to become one of the most decorated units by the end of the war. (8) Paul W. Bud Bucha distinguished himself with extraordinary heroism while leading 89 men on a reconnaissance mission near Phuoc Vinh, Vietnam, from March 16th through 18th, 1968. As part of the Tet Offensive, his unit was dropped by helicopter and his men set out to repel attacks by North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces. As the sun set on March 18, 1968, he and his men advanced into a dense jungle and found themselves outgunned by approximately 1,500 enemy troops. Under attack, he crawled 40 yards through the hail of fire and singlehandedly destroyed a machine-gun bunker with grenades, all while sustaining a shrapnel wound. He then orchestrated an overnight offensive, directing his men to spread out, throw grenades, and unleash heavy fire. He made the enemy believe they were a much larger force. His leadership led to the defeat of a superior Vietnamese stronghold, leaving 156 enemy dead. Come morning, he guided the medical evacuation of three air-ambulance loads of seriously wounded personnel. (9) President Richard Nixon presented the Medal of Honor to Paul W. Bud Bucha in a ceremony at the White House in 1970. (10) Paul W. Bud Bucha originally wanted to turn down the Medal of Honor because he did not feel deserving. In Vietnam, he asked his men to trust him and, in turn, promised to bring them home safe. Ten of his men were killed on the night of March 18, 1968. Paul W. Bud Bucha ultimately accepted the Medal of Honor in their memory, saying it belongs to his men. (11) Paul W. Bud Bucha resigned his Army commission in 1972. (12) Paul W. Bud Bucha was an active member of several veterans service organizations (commonly referred to as VSOs ), including the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, and the Vietnam Veterans of America. He generously served on the board of directors of Homes for Our Troops, a VSO that builds specially adapted custom homes for severely injured veterans. He also served as Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Veterans Employment and Training Services at the Department of Labor. (13) Paul W. Bud Bucha used his voice for veterans struggling with mental health. He believed that all veterans, whether they have four stars or no stripes, man or woman , would be touched by post-traumatic stress. He used the term post-traumatic stress to acknowledge the impact of combat experiences on the mental health of veterans and he intentionally left out the word disorder to help destigmatize their struggle. (14) Paul W. Bud Bucha battled post-traumatic stress on his own for 42 years before courageously seeking help at the medical center of the Department of Veterans Affairs in West Haven, Connecticut. In the final years of his life, Paul W. Bud Bucha also received neurological care at that medical center. His family expressed deep gratitude for the compassionate and skilled care he received, especially recognizing the leadership of Dr. Huned Patwa, Chief of Staff, and Dr. Becky Rhoads, Executive Director. His family also commended the dedicated neurologists, psychiatrists, and oncologists who supported him as his health declined. (15) Paul W. Bud Bucha spent the last two weeks of his life at the medical center of the Department in West Haven, Connecticut, and passed away from complications of Alzheimer’s disease on July 31, 2024. In his final act of courage and service, he donated his brain to the Center for Human Brain Discovery at Yale University.
3Designation of Captain Paul W. 'Bud' Bucha VA Medical Center
This section would rename the medical center of the Department of Veterans Affairs in West Haven, Connecticut. Starting on the date this Act becomes law, that medical center, or any location that later succeeds it, would officially be known and designated as the 'Captain Paul W. ‘Bud’ Bucha Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center' or the 'Captain Paul W. ‘Bud’ Bucha VA Medical Center.' Any reference to the West Haven medical center in any law, regulation, map, document, paper, or other record of the United States would be treated as a reference to the Captain Paul W. ‘Bud’ Bucha VA Medical Center.
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3. Designation of Captain Paul W. Bud Bucha VA Medical Center (a) In general The medical center of the Department of Veterans Affairs in West Haven, Connecticut, or any successor location for such medical center, shall after the date of the enactment of this Act be known and designated as the Captain Paul W. Bud Bucha Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center or the Captain Paul W. Bud Bucha VA Medical Center . (b) Reference Any reference in any law, regulation, map, document, paper, or other record of the United States to the medical center referred to in subsection (a) shall be considered to be a reference to the Captain Paul W. Bud Bucha VA Medical Center. Passed the Senate August 2, 2025. Secretary
Where it is
In the Senate.