Recognizing Johnnie Ruth Huber Boyd

Floor Speech

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Mr. CORREA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mrs. Johnnie Ruth Huber Boyd. My constituent, Mrs. Boyd recently visited Washington, DC, as an Honor Flight Network participant to visit the memorials dedicated to honor the service and sacrifices of other American veterans like her.

Johnnie, as she is known to her family and friends, was born September 28, 1924, in Brownfield, Texas, where cotton farming is still the backbone of the region. From an early age, Johnnie worked on her family's farm and attended school when she wasn't needed in the fields.

At 14 years old, Johnnie moved hundreds of miles from home to serve as a caretaker for a family in Lueders, Texas. There, she attended and graduated high school. Thanks to her tenacity and determination, Ms. Boyd earned a scholarship to Texas State College for Women but was unable to submit her application in person because she could not afford bus fare.

At 17 years old, while America was embroiled in World War II, Johnnie answered the nation's call to service by lying about her age to enlist in the U.S. Navy WAVES or ``Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service.'' These women held the same status as naval reservists. Johnnie was among 350,000 women who joined the Armed Services during WWII, serving at home and abroad.

Upon enlisting in the U.S. Navy, she was stationed at Hunter's College in New York where she received her initial Navy training. After training, she was transferred to a base in San Francisco and lived in Berkeley. She took the ferry into San Francisco each day to board the ship, on which she served as Store Keeper 1st class alongside the paymaster and other soldiers. During this time, she also continued her education.

She served from 1941 to 1945, and later married Raymond Huber, a Master Sargent in the United States Marine Corps. She went on to attend Santa Ana College and received her Associate's Degree in Business Finance in 1978.

Johnnie, now 94 years old, currently resides in the City of Orange, where she continues her service to our great country as an active community member. She is the proud mother of 8, grandmother of 17, and great grandmother of 10.

Please join me in saluting this WWII veteran who continues to contribute her wisdom, tenacity, and life-long American work ethic toward making America the greatest country in the world.

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