U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood has introduced legislation to rename the Department of Veterans Affairs clinic in Bloomington. If successful, the community-based outpatient facility will be known as the Andrew Jackson Smith Medal of Honor Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic.
Andrew Jackson Smith was the last African American Civil War soldier to receive the Medal of Honor, the highest award of recognition to soldiers of the United States Armed Forces.
LaHood said the renaming of the clinic will help to honor Smith's legacy.
“Corporal Andrew Jackson Smith served our nation with pride alongside fellow Union soldiers during the Civil War,” said LaHood. “Renaming the facility will serve as a humble reminder of the sacrifice made by those who defend our country.”
LaHood said the legislation has support from the entire Illinois congressional delegation, in a bipartisan effort to recognize Smith.
LaHood said the clinic on the city's south side "provides important primary care and specialty health services to our veterans. Together, the Illinois delegation is honored to recognize his immense dedication and service to our nation.”
In 2020, retired Illinois State University history professor Sharon MacDonald spoke to WGLT after she co-authored a biography of Smith called, “Carrying the Colors: The Life and Legacy of Medal of Honor Recipient Andrew Jackson Smith.” MacDonald said the book documented the rise of Smith as a member of the Black middle class after the war.
Smith was born into slavery and later escaped to an encampment of the union army. He was a member of the 41st Illinois Volunteer Regiment and enlisted with the 55th Massachusetts Colored Infantry Regiment after President Abraham Lincoln allowed African American men to enlist.
In South Carolina, Smith saved his regiment after the color bearer was killed at the Battle of Honey Hill. President Bill Clinton, 137 years after the battle, presented Smith’s descendants with a posthumous Medal of Honor in 2001.
