The Liberty Four as they are being called may get their names on a VA clinic in a matter of months.
The four — Marine PFC John Gibson, Army Spec. William Sapp, Army PFC Dan James and Marine Lance Cpl. Frankie Smiley — were honored and recognized with the reading of citations for the Purple Heart on Wednesday morning. National Purple Heart Day is held August 7 every year.
“Today we recognized the Liberty Four, who gave their all,” said Vietnam veteran Bruce McCartney.
Family members, with help from Hinesville Mayor Karl Riles, unfurled the banner emblazoned with the Liberty Four’s names Wednesday morning.
What was supposed to be a celebration for the Hinesville VA clinic’s name instead became another chapter in local veterans’ struggle to get the name of the clinic to bear the names of the four Liberty County natives killed in action in Vietnam.
The Hinesville VA Outpatient Clinic carries the name of the Ralph Johnson Health Care System, which is based in Charleston, S.C. A law signed in May made the new name of the Hinesville clinic the John Gibson, Dan James, William Sapp and Frankie Smiley VA Clinic.
The VA website reflects the new name — but the new sign isn’t up and may not be erected for at least a few months, McCartney said.
“It should have happened years ago,” Vietnam veteran Donald Singleton said. “It might take a while but it’s going to happen. We’re not going to stop until it happens.”
McCartney said the VA has been obstructing the effort from the beginning.
“There are over 800 VA clinics in the United States. This is going to be the only one with three names,” he said. “That was not the intent of Congress. That was not the intent of the VA.”
McCartney said he also admonished the VA for having a picture of Ralph Johnson inside the Hinesville clinic that was next to and larger than that of the president’s, which is against VA guidelines.
McCartney said he is carrying the fight to Congress and the Biden administration, having sent a letter to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis Mc-Donough outlining what has happened and what he says is a new monument, costing $87,399.55, in front of the clinic. He intends to send the same letter to the 98 veterans who are members of Congress. “If these four guys were living here, they’d be fighting like hell for their families,” McCartney said.