[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 86 (Thursday, May 19, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E543]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    REMEMBERING DR. JOHN B. SHIRLEY

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. ERIC SWALWELL

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 19, 2022

  Mr. SWALWELL. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the life of Dr. John 
B. Shirley, a distinguished WWII veteran, and beloved veterinarian, who 
passed away at the age of 97 on Wednesday, December 22, 2021.
  On December 8, 1924, John was born in Southern California on a large 
family farm. He graduated from Newport Harbor High School in 1942 and 
was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1943.
  John served as part of the 15th Infantry Regiment of the Third 
Infantry Division as a squad leader, platoon sergeant, and acting 
platoon leader. In 1944 John and his platoon participated in Southern 
Landing, better known now as ``D-Day.'' While liberating the village of 
Bennwihr in the Alsace region of France in December, he was wounded and 
taken hostage but quickly escaped and was treated in Paris arid London.
  He returned to his platoon in March 1945 and continued to fight in 
Germany at the rank of sergeant first class. John was a highly 
distinguished veteran receiving the Silver Star, Two Bronze Stars, a 
Purple Heart, the European Theater Operation Medal, and the French 
Legion of Honor.
  John returned home in 1945 as a second lieutenant and began college 
at UC Davis. While there, he put his two younger sisters through 
college and met his wife, Helen. John graduated as a member of the 
inaugural class of veterinarians in 1952.
  John and Helen moved to Livermore, California in 1954 to start his 
veterinary practice and opened the first animal hospital there in 1957. 
He was an extremely skilled surgeon and loved by the ranching 
community. John served his community as the mayor of Livermore from 
1963 to 1965 and served on the city council from 1958 to 1966. John was 
also an active member of The Rotary Club of Livermore and served as 
president from 1967 to 1968. He remained connected to his military 
roots by joining the Veterans of Foreign Wars in 1954 with whom he 
participated in the firing squad who performed the 21-gun salute at 
various events and ceremonies.
  John and his family have been central figures in the Livermore 
community since 1954. We are grateful for his service and his 
dedication to our community and our veterans. John is survived by his 
sister Annette, four children, Steven, James, Barbara, and Patricia, 
six grandchildren, Christopher, Scott, Danielle, Jesse, Lisa, and Jeff, 
and eight great-grandchildren.

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