[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 158 (Monday, September 14, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H4361-H4362]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               DOROTHY BRADEN BRUCE POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend 
the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4975) to designate the facility of 
the United States Postal Service located at 1201 Sycamore Square Drive 
in Midlothian, Virginia, as the ``Dorothy Braden Bruce Post Office 
Building''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4975

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. DOROTHY BRADEN BRUCE POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 1201 Sycamore Square Drive in Midlothian, 
     Virginia, shall be known and designated as the ``Dorothy 
     Braden Bruce Post Office Building''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be 
     a reference to the ``Dorothy Braden Bruce Post Office 
     Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Cloud) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous 
consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise 
and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this 
measure.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such 
time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in consideration of 
H.R. 4975, to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located 
at 1201 Sycamore Square Drive in Midlothian, Virginia, as the Dorothy 
Braden Bruce Post Office Building.
  Dorothy Bruce served as a cryptanalyst with the U.S. Army Signal 
Corps' Signal Intelligence Service during World War II. Dorothy Bruce 
served with thousands of other women as code breakers who were vital to 
the war effort in the Pacific.
  Dorothy's unit was critical in discovering the locations of Japanese 
ships in the Pacific, identifying and intercepting enemy supply convoys 
and protecting the lives of countless American servicemembers.
  She passed away at the age of 99 last year.
  Naming a post office after Dorothy Bruce will serve as a bright 
example for women and girls pursuing careers in science and math and 
will honor her remarkable service to the country in one of its darkest 
hours.
  I want to thank the honorable Member from Virginia (Ms. Spanberger) 
for this legislation to honor one of our Nation's quiet, unsung heroes.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4975, which would name a 
Virginia post office for Dorothy Braden Bruce.
  Dorothy Bruce served as a cryptanalyst with the U.S. Army Signal 
Corps' Signal Intelligence Service during World War II.
  Sworn to secrecy, Dorothy's unit worked to disclose the locations of 
Japanese ships in the Pacific. Her unit also identified and intercepted 
enemy supply movements.
  The contributions of Bruce and her unit were crucial in defeating the 
Axis Powers in the Pacific.
  Her story is featured in the best-selling book ``Code Girls: The 
Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II.''
  Bruce serves as a shining inspiration for women and girls pursuing 
careers in STEM fields.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much 
time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Virginia (Ms. 
Spanberger), the sponsor of this incredibly important legislation.
  Ms. SPANBERGER. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the remarks of the 
gentlewoman from New York and the comments of the gentleman from Texas.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4975.
  Midlothian resident Dorothy Braden Bruce--or Dot, as she was widely 
known--embodied the true spirit of central Virginia and our 
Commonwealth.
  In World War II, Dorothy's work to break Japanese codes was one of 
the most pivotal Allied code-breaking efforts in the war.
  Having been recruited by the military to serve in a top-secret group 
of code-breaking women, she intercepted enemy movements, supply 
shipments, and potential threats to American servicemembers.
  For 70 years, Dorothy Bruce kept her story a secret. She had sworn an 
oath of secrecy. It wasn't until an author reached out to her a few 
years ago that

[[Page H4362]]

she learned that she could finally talk about her by-then declassified 
work in the service of our country. It was at this time that even her 
grown children first learned of their mother's pivotal work.
  Dorothy Bruce didn't ask for credit, and she didn't seek the 
limelight. She knew that she had protected the lives of American 
servicemembers in the field of combat, and she knew their families were 
prospering and growing in the following decades, thanks to the 
diligence of her top-secret code-breaking unit. For her, that was an 
achievement worth celebrating, though quietly and secretly.
  Meanwhile, Dorothy Bruce became a dedicated member of our central 
Virginia community. She worked as an educator, and she raised a loving 
family. Last year, she passed away at the age of 99.
  This legislation honors Dorothy Braden Bruce's life serving our 
country and her service to others across Virginia.
  Her story continues to inspire, and that is why I am working to make 
sure our community will always remember Dorothy Bruce's story and the 
stories of her fellow women code breakers.
  My legislation would name the Sycamore Square post office in 
Midlothian, Virginia, near where she once lived at the Spring Arbor 
Assisted Living, after her.
  With this bipartisan bill passing today, we are one step closer to 
future generations of trailblazers walking through the doors of the 
Dorothy Braden Bruce Post Office Building.
  I would like to thank every member of the Virginia delegation of the 
House for signing onto this bill at introduction in order to recognize 
Dorothy Bruce's work.
  She was a trailblazer. Her ingenuity and her determination as a code 
breaker did not just blaze a path for a generation of future code 
breakers and women in public service, but it saved thousands of 
American lives.

                              {time}  1615

  For women pursuing careers in science and math and intelligence, 
Dorothy is a reminder of the pioneering contributions of women in these 
fields throughout our Nation's history.
  Today, I would also like to thank Dot's loving family for their work 
to amplify her story and reaffirm the importance of the female code 
breakers of World War II. Their story is worth knowing and worth 
celebrating.
  This bill is just a small act to remember and recognize Dorothy 
Braden Bruce's remarkable life of courage, dedication, selflessness, 
and service to country.
  Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I also urge passage 
of H.R. 4975, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4975.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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