A bill submitted last year has been signed into law, designating the VA outpatient clinic in Kansas City, Kan., as the “Captain Elwin Shopteese Department of Veteran Affairs Clinic.”
Elwin I. Shopteese (Eh Mit Nek Weh) was a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. He served in World War II in Europe and received a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. He also received a battlefield commission for his leadership while in combat at Omaha Beach. He continued his military service in the Korean War.
After returning from the war, Shopteese served as a PBPN Tribal Council member and helped create the Indian Community Alcoholism Resources Expeditors (I.C.A.R.E.) Recovery Home, where he served as executive director until his passing on June 25, 1992.
Capt. Shopteese’s niece Mary Shopteese, also a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, said the announcement of the clinic’s naming made her “a very proud niece” and was “a great recognition for our tribe!”
The bill declaring the clinic’s new name was signed into law on July 30 by President Joseph Biden. It was sponsored by Kansas Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.).
“Captain Shopteese’s legacy of service to our country and the Native American community will be forever honored and preserved for all who come through the doors of the Captain Elwin Shopteese VA Clinic,” Sen. Moran said in a press release. “I am pleased the President has signed this legislation to honor a Kansas veteran who dedicated his life to his country and his community.”
Read the press release: https://www.veterans.senate.gov/2024/7/signed-into-law-sens-moran-marshall-bill-to-name-kansas-va-clinic-after-captain-elwin-al-shopteese