Dorothy Braden Bruce Post Office Building

Floor Speech

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Ms. SPANBERGER. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the remarks of the gentlewoman from New York and the comments of the gentleman from Texas.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4975.

Midlothian resident Dorothy Braden Bruce--or Dot, as she was widely known--embodied the true spirit of central Virginia and our Commonwealth.

In World War II, Dorothy's work to break Japanese codes was one of the most pivotal Allied code-breaking efforts in the war.

Having been recruited by the military to serve in a top-secret group of code-breaking women, she intercepted enemy movements, supply shipments, and potential threats to American servicemembers.

For 70 years, Dorothy Bruce kept her story a secret. She had sworn an oath of secrecy. It wasn't until an author reached out to her a few years ago that she learned that she could finally talk about her by-then declassified work in the service of our country. It was at this time that even her grown children first learned of their mother's pivotal work.

Dorothy Bruce didn't ask for credit, and she didn't seek the limelight. She knew that she had protected the lives of American servicemembers in the field of combat, and she knew their families were prospering and growing in the following decades, thanks to the diligence of her top-secret code-breaking unit. For her, that was an achievement worth celebrating, though quietly and secretly.

Meanwhile, Dorothy Bruce became a dedicated member of our central Virginia community. She worked as an educator, and she raised a loving family. Last year, she passed away at the age of 99.

This legislation honors Dorothy Braden Bruce's life serving our country and her service to others across Virginia.

Her story continues to inspire, and that is why I am working to make sure our community will always remember Dorothy Bruce's story and the stories of her fellow women code breakers.

My legislation would name the Sycamore Square post office in Midlothian, Virginia, near where she once lived at the Spring Arbor Assisted Living, after her.

With this bipartisan bill passing today, we are one step closer to future generations of trailblazers walking through the doors of the Dorothy Braden Bruce Post Office Building.

I would like to thank every member of the Virginia delegation of the House for signing onto this bill at introduction in order to recognize Dorothy Bruce's work.

She was a trailblazer. Her ingenuity and her determination as a code breaker did not just blaze a path for a generation of future code breakers and women in public service, but it saved thousands of American lives.

For women pursuing careers in science and math and intelligence, Dorothy is a reminder of the pioneering contributions of women in these fields throughout our Nation's history.

Today, I would also like to thank Dot's loving family for their work to amplify her story and reaffirm the importance of the female code breakers of World War II. Their story is worth knowing and worth celebrating.

This bill is just a small act to remember and recognize Dorothy Braden Bruce's remarkable life of courage, dedication, selflessness, and service to country.

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