VA clinic one step closer to carrying Max Beilke's name

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U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar said Friday that her bill to name the Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic in Alexandria as the “Max J. Beilke Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic” was included in a Veterans Affairs Committee mark-up on January 28.

The bill will next go to a full committee vote. 

Beilke, a 1950 Alexandria High School graduate, made his mark in history for both a last and a first.

On March 29, 1973, he was the last official U.S. combat soldier to leave Vietnam.

Twenty-eight years later, on September 11, 2001, he was among the first to be killed when hijackers rammed American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon.

The plane crashed into a window in the office where he had just attended a meeting to advocate for military retirees and veterans.

The tragic end to Beilke’s life terminated a decorated and dedicated career of service to the U.S. Army and to his fellow veterans. He served 22 years active duty in the U.S. Army in Germany, Korea and Vietnam.

After his retirement he served as deputy chief of the Army’s Retirement Services, and was an active member of the Army Chief of Staff Retiree Council.

Beilke was awarded the Defense of Freedom medal and the Meritorious Civilian Service Award. He was buried December 11, 2001 at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.

“Max Beilke was a decorated veteran and civil servant who fought for quality retirement services for veterans and dedicated his life to serving his country and the state of Minnesota,” said Klobuchar. “I am proud to announce that this bill has passed a key legislative hurdle and that we are one step closer to naming the Alexandria clinic in honor of Max’s service.”

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