City, County Back Benavidez VA Clinic Renaming

City, county back Benavidez VA clinic renaming

Victoria Advocate

Lindsey Plotkin | July 23rd, 2026

Renaming the Victoria Veterans Affairs clinic in honor of Medal of Honor recipient Master Sgt. Roy Benavidez has earned unanimous support from local elected officials, but the change ultimately requires an act of Congress.

On Tuesday, the Victoria City Council unanimously approved a resolution supporting the effort, joining the Victoria County Commissioners Court, which adopted a similar resolution in June.

The proposal would rename the Victoria VA clinic after Benavidez, a DeWitt County native with deep ties to Victoria who received the Medal of Honor for extraordinary heroism during the Vietnam War.

Mayor Duane Crocker read the resolution during Tuesday’s meeting, calling the recognition a fitting tribute to one of the region’s most distinguished veterans.

“Many of you may know that the county had actually passed a resolution a while back supporting renaming our local VA clinic, which opened about a year or year and a half ago, after Roy Benavidez,” Crocker said. “Master Sgt. Benavidez is a local hero known by many of us for his heroism. Considering the injuries he sustained and the service he gave to our country, I think this honor would be very appropriate.”

Although the clinic has local support, federal law requires congressional approval before a Department of Veterans Affairs facility can be renamed after an individual.

According to the U.S. Congress, new VA facilities are initially named for their geographic location. Any subsequent name change honoring an individual must be authorized through an act of Congress.

U.S. Rep. Michael Cloud, whose district includes Victoria, said he supports the effort and plans to pursue the necessary legislation.

“Master Sgt. Roy Benavidez embodied the courage and selflessness that define our nation’s heroes,” Cloud said. “Renaming this clinic in his honor will be a fitting tribute to his legacy of service as well as that of the veterans who pass through its doors every day.”

Before Congress can consider the legislation, the proposal must satisfy guidelines established by the House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs committees. Among the requirements is that the individual be deceased and meet one of several eligibility criteria, including being a recipient of the Medal of Honor.

Benavidez earned the nation’s highest military decoration for his actions during a May 1968 rescue mission in Vietnam, an engagement often referred to as “Six Hours in Hell.” Although the heroism occurred in 1968, President Ronald Reagan formally presented Benavidez with the Medal of Honor in 1981 after additional evidence led to the award being upgraded.

With resolutions now approved by both the Victoria City Council and the Victoria County Commissioners Court, and support from local veterans organizations, the proposal’s next step is introduction and consideration in Congress. If approved by both chambers and signed into law, the Victoria VA clinic would officially bear Benavidez’s name.