[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 136 (Tuesday, August 16, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E858]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING THE LIFE OF DR. JOHN SHIRLEY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JERRY McNERNEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 16, 2022

  Mr. McNERNEY. Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in 
honoring the life of Dr. John Shirley, who dedicated his life to 
serving his country and his community. John passed away on December 22, 
2021, leaving a legacy of service to and love of country and community.
  Dr. John Shirley was born in Santa Ana, California on December 8, 
1924. At 19 years old, after being drafted and rising quickly to the 
rank of Staff Sergeant, John was part of the Anzio breakout with the 
3rd Infantry Division. After taking part in the invasion of Southern 
France, he was wounded by fragments of a shell from a German tank and 
taken prisoner. As he and other prisoners were being marched to the 
rear, a young German soldier bringing up the rear of the column got too 
close, and John turned around and slugged him, rendering him 
unconscious and allowing John to escape to Allied lines. John was 
awarded a battlefield commission to Second Lieutenant when he rejoined 
his unit after three months in the hospital recovering from his wounds.
  Aside from his commission, John was awarded a Purple Heart, Silver 
Star, and two Bronze Stars with Oak Leaf Cluster and V for Valor 
devise. He earned the European Theater of Operation Medal with six 
campaign stars and a bronze arrowhead for the invasion of Southern 
France, as well as the French Fouragere de Guerre.
  After the war, John attended the University of California at Davis 
Veterinary College, graduating in its first class. He set up the first 
veterinary clinic in Livermore, California and was knowns as ``Doc 
Shirley'' to the ranchers in the area. John was considered one of the 
best veterinarians in the region, with the toughest cases referred to 
him by his peers.
  John became active in the Livermore community, winning a seat on the 
Livermore City Council, where he served from 1958 until 1966. He served 
as Livermore's Mayor from 1963 until 1966.
  He was a member of the Rotary Club and Veterans of Foreign Wars 
(VFW). He led and was instrumental in many projects to improve the 
quality of life for Livermore residents and served on the VFW Honor 
Guard, firing gun salutes into his late seventies. John served as 
president of the Livermore Valley Opera, and as a member of the 
Livermore Symphony Association.
  As a member of the 3rd Infantry Division Veterans organization, he 
raised money for high school Junior ROTC programs in San Francisco and 
Oakland. He was also instrumental in creating the Veterans First 
program at Las Positas Community College to provide services to 
veterans returning to school.
  John loved sports, and was an avid skier, hiker, tennis player, and 
golfer. He was also a skilled instrument-rated pilot, which led him to 
further public service on the Livermore Airport Commission. John said, 
``You can be a bad golfer, skier, or tennis player, but you have to be 
a good pilot.''
  On July 13, 2019, Livermore City Council honored John by naming the 
new council chamber after him: The John Shirley City Council Chamber. 
John's list of contributions and accomplishments are too long to list. 
He was the very embodiment of service to his community and to our great 
Nation. I invite my colleagues to join me in honoring the memory of 
this great American.

                          ____________________