[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 7 (Tuesday, January 11, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E24]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            CELEBRATING ELEANOR HENLEY ON HER 100TH BIRTHDAY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. CHERI BUSTOS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 11, 2022

  Mrs. BUSTOS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 100th 
Birthday of World War II veteran and Peoria, Illinois resident Eleanor 
Henley.
  Born on January 2, 1922 in Kunkletown, Pennsylvania, Eleanor devoted 
her life to fighting for our country and helping others reach their 
potential. She enlisted in the Women's Army Corps in 1944, completing 
her basic training in Oglethorpe, Georgia. After stopping at different 
bases across the country for supplementary job and overseas trainings, 
she earned an assignment to the Army Air Force. Climbing aboard the 
troop transport ship, the Aquitania, she sailed across the Atlantic 
Ocean to join her fellow American soldiers at a base near Cambridge, 
England. She was a member of the 8th Air Force, better known as The 
Mighty Eighth. While stationed there, she typed and decoded messages as 
she helped provide intelligence to boost the Allies' efforts on the 
ground until Germany's surrender. She was then transferred to France 
and was eventually discharged as Sergeant Eleanor Henley, traveling 
back stateside on the Queen Mary. She married her husband, whom she met 
while serving, Conrad Stewart, soon after returning home. They were 
together for 63 years until his death, raising three children, 11 
grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Looking for new ways to 
continue serving her community, she graduated from Peabody College with 
a degree in education. She relocated to Illinois shortly thereafter and 
became a teacher in Peoria Public Schools District 150, where she 
mentored and uplifted students for 28 years.
  It is because of heroic, selfless, and trailblazing leaders such as 
Eleanor Henley that I am especially proud to serve Illinois' 17th 
Congressional District. Madam Speaker, I would like to, again, formally 
celebrate Eleanor Henley on her 100th Birthday and thank her for her 
service to the United States of America.

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