This bill officially renames the Department of Veterans Affairs multispecialty clinic in Marietta, Georgia, to honor the late Colonel Michael H. Boyce for his military service and community contributions.
Barry Loudermilk
Representative
GA-11
This bill officially renames the Department of Veterans Affairs multispecialty clinic in Marietta, Georgia, to honor the late Colonel Michael H. Boyce. The renaming recognizes Colonel Boyce's distinguished military service and his significant contributions to the Marietta community, particularly his efforts to improve veteran services. Moving forward, the facility will be known as the "Colonel Michael H. Boyce Department of Veterans Affairs Multispecialty Clinic."
Marietta VA Clinic to Be Renamed for Colonel Michael H. Boyce, Honoring Local Veteran Advocate
This bill is short, sweet, and entirely focused on local recognition: it officially renames the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) multispecialty clinic in Marietta, Georgia, to the “Colonel Michael H. Boyce Department of Veterans Affairs Multispecialty Clinic.” The change applies to the specific facility located at 1263 Cobb Parkway NW. For veterans and staff, this means the address stays the same, but the official name is getting an update, requiring all government documents and signage to reflect the new designation.
The Name Behind the Clinic
Before getting to the name change itself, the bill dedicates a full section to explaining why this name was chosen. It details the life and service of Colonel Michael H. Boyce, a Marine Corps veteran who served for 30 years, including tours in Operation Desert Storm and Operation Restore Hope. More importantly for the Marietta community, after retiring, he became a major local advocate for veterans, serving on the Cobb County Board of Commissioners from 2016 to 2020. During his tenure, he was instrumental in establishing the county’s first Veterans Service Office and getting that VA clinic built in the first place, pushing to make care more accessible for local vets. This renaming is essentially Congress giving a formal nod to his dedication, particularly his work connecting veterans with local services right up until his passing in 2022.
What Does a Name Change Mean for Vets?
If you’re a veteran in the Marietta area, your care isn't changing, but the paperwork is. This is a purely administrative move. The bill mandates that the Marietta VA clinic shall be known by the new name, meaning every official record, map, and sign must be updated (Sec. 2). While this doesn't change your appointment time or the quality of service, it’s a ceremonial win for the community, recognizing a local figure who fought hard to bring those services closer to home. The only real-world impact is the minor, unavoidable cost of changing signs and updating databases—a small administrative effort to honor a big community legacy.