[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 172 (Friday, October 17, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E968]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING TECHNICAL SERGEANT MARTHA SOCORRO YBARRA, USAF, RETIRED, 
               WITH A CONGRESSIONAL VETERAN COMMENDATION

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. PETE SESSIONS

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 17, 2025

  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to present retired USAF 
Technical Sergeant Martha Socorro Ybarra of Waco, Texas, with a 
Congressional Veteran Commendation. Her 20-year service to our country 
followed by her heavily involved community service is a template for 
American Exceptionalism.
  TSgt. Ybarra enlisted in the Air Force in May 1986, through the 
delayed enlistment program and began active duty on September 15, 1986, 
from the Syracuse, NY Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS). She 
completed basic training at Lackland Air Force Base (AFB), followed by 
medical technician training at Sheppard AFB, and on-the-job training at 
Wilford Hall Medical Center. Her performance earned her early promotion 
and selection as a laboratory journeyman, leadership school graduate, 
and eventually, instructor at the School of Health Care Sciences. In 
1989, she transferred to Sheppard AFB as a lab instructor and married 
fellow Airman, TSgt. Robert Rene Ybarra, in 1990.
  In 1990, both were reassigned to Myrtle Beach AFB, South Carolina, 
where she continued lab work and had her first child. After the base 
closed in 1992, she transferred to Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, 
Arizona. There, she served in leadership roles, completed a Community 
College Air Force (CCAF) degree, and enhanced pathology specimen 
operations. Following the birth of her second and third child, she 
moved to Cannon AFB, New Mexico in January 1996, where she managed the 
Drug Urinalysis Program for six to seven years. Her leadership ensured 
a zero percent untestable rate, and she trained numerous program 
managers. She earned another promotion to TSgt. during this time.
  In 2004, she had a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) to Goodfellow 
AFB in San Angelo, Texas, where she worked as a Laboratory Craftsman 
until her retirement in 2006. Throughout her service, she earned a 
second CCAF degree, was active in chapel ministries, and volunteered 
extensively in the base and local community, including youth programs 
and church education.
  Following her military retirement, TSgt. Ybarra continued her service 
to veterans as a National Service Officer for the Military Order of the 
Purple Heart. By 2007, she had a solo office at the Waco VA campus, 
where she assisted veterans, spouses, and dependents with their VA 
claims and hearings for 13 years. She also joined the American Legion 
Post 121 and actively supported their events. In late 2007, she became 
involved with the McLennan County Veterans Association and continues to 
serve as secretary, helping organize major community events such as 
Vet's Fest and Veterans Day parades.
  After resigning from the Purple Heart organization in August 2019, 
TSgt. Ybarra began working at the Department of Veterans Affairs in 
Waco as a claims assistant. In January 2020, she joined the Public 
Contact Team, and by November, she was selected as a Military Sexual 
Trauma Outreach Coordinator and alternate Women Veterans Coordinator. A 
year later, she became the primary Outreach Coordinator, continuing her 
mission to educate and support veterans and their families in securing 
the benefits they have earned.
  I proudly commend retired USAF Technical Sergeant Martha Socorro 
Ybarra, of Waco, Texas to her friends, family, and colleagues, and 
salute her service to the Air Force, her country and community of Waco 
by awarding her with a Congressional Veteran Commendation.

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