A distinguished veteran from Marshall County will soon be honored for his heroic services to the country.  Colonel Ola Lee Mize received the Medal of Honor while serving in the U.S. Army, in the Korean War. After the conflict in Korea, Mize joined the Special Forces and completed three tours of duty in Vietnam.

On Wednesday, legislation cosponsored by Senators Katie Britt and Tommy Tuberville designating the VA outpatient clinic in Guntersville as the Colonel Ola Lee Mize Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic unanimously passed the Senate.

“I’m thrilled to see this legislation honoring an outstanding Alabamian and one our nation’s true heroes pass the Senate. Alongside every member of the Alabama delegation, I look forward to seeing this quickly signed into law,” said Britt. “The Colonel Ola Lee Mize Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic in Guntersville will continue to have a tremendous impact on our state by strengthening our VA health care system and providing critical medical services to veterans and their families.”

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Tuberville also spoke highly of Mize, emphasizing his service to America.

“Colonel Ola Lee Mize was a true patriot who embodied the American ideals of courage, selflessness, and honor,” Tuberville said. “He devoted his entire life to putting country ahead of self, and showed true bravery in the face of danger time and again. Alabama is proud to call him one of our own, and it is an honor to pay tribute to his legacy by naming the Guntersville VA clinic in his honor.”

U.S. Representative Robert Aderholt (R-AL-04) introduced the companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives, which passed the House without objection in September.

”It is truly an honor to be able to recognize Colonel Ola Lee Mize, an American hero, by renaming a VA clinic that will help so many other American heroes,” Aderholt said at the time.”Colonel Mize’s life and military career exhibited what it means to live a life of service to something greater than yourself.

“I hope that naming the VA clinic in Guntersville, Alabama, after Colonel Mize will serve his memory well and inspire future generations of Alabamians to lead lives of service.

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @ShipleyAusten