IV 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 851 

Expressing the support of the House of Representatives for the naming 

of new or undedicated facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs 

after women veterans and minority veterans in order to reflect the 

diversity of all who have served in the Armed Forces of the United 

States. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 8, 2023 

Ms. BROWNLEY submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Veterans’ Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the support of the House of Representatives for 

the naming of new or undedicated facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs after women veterans and 

minority veterans in order to reflect the diversity of 

all who have served in the Armed Forces of the United 

States. 

Whereas, as of November 2023, out of over 1,300 health care 

facilities of the Department of Veterans of Affairs, 14 

are named for members of minority groups and four are 

named for women veterans; 

Whereas millions of women and members of minority groups 

have served in the Armed Forces of the United States 

since the founding of the Nation; 


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•HRES 851 IH 

Whereas, during the Revolutionary War, Margaret Corbin 

and Deborah Sampson were among the first women to 

serve in combat, and women served in other roles, including a woman who served as Agent 355 in George Washington’s spy ring; 

Whereas, during the Civil War, hundreds of women disguised 

themselves as men to serve in the military, and others 

served as nurses, spies, and administrators; 

Whereas Harriet Tubman became the first American woman 

known to lead troops in combat; 

Whereas for her service during the Civil War, Dr. Mary 

Edwards Walker became the first and only woman to receive the Medal of Honor; 

Whereas women have been formally part of the Armed Forces 

since the founding of the Army Nurse Corps in 1901 and 

the Navy Nurse Corps in 1908; 

Whereas many of the Nation’s heroes have been denied 

awards and recognition for their service due to systematic 

racial discrimination and anti-Semitism; 

Whereas Crispus Attucks was the first American to be killed 

in the Boston Massacre, which laid the foundation of 

American independence and freedom; 

Whereas Black servicemembers volunteered to participate and 

fight in every major war that America has engaged in, 

since the Revolutionary War, despite a legacy of slavery, 

segregated units, the Jim Crow era, discriminatory voting 

statutes, job restrictions, and the denial of benefits related to their service; 

Whereas the first African-American pilots in the United 

States Air Force, often referred to as the Tuskegee AirVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:08 Nov 09, 2023 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR851.IH HR851

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men, destroyed over 250 German aircraft and destroyed 

over 950 supply vehicles in World War II; 

Whereas, during World War II, Tuskegee Airmen were 

awarded 8 Purple Hearts, 15 Bronze Stars, 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses, and nearly 750 other Air Medals; 

Whereas members of the LGBTQ community and their allies 

fought a campaign for the ability to serve their country 

openly and ultimately succeeded in lifting those restrictions; 

Whereas the success of the movement for equal service for 

the LGBTQ community has suffered a setback by way of 

administrative action which currently restricts the ability 

of transgender people to serve openly; 

Whereas Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States, previously served in the 

United States Navy as a diving officer; 

Whereas American Indians and Alaska Natives serve in the 

highest per-capita proportion of any population to serve 

in the Armed Forces, including the Cherokee, Choctaw, 

and Assiniboine code talkers of World War I and Comanche, Mohawk, Muscogee, and Navajo code talkers of 

World War II; 

Whereas 60 Latino servicemembers have received the Medal 

of Honor, including eight from Puerto Rico and seven 

who were born outside of the United States, among them 

Rodolfo P. Herna ́ndez, a son of a farmworker family who 

earned the Medal of Honor for his actions and neardeath injuries in Korea; 

Whereas Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders have served in the United States Armed Forces 

since the War of 1812, including Telesforo Trinidad, the 


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•HRES 851 IH 

only member of the Armed Forces to receive a Medal of 

Honor for actions in peacetime; 

Whereas women and members of minority groups have served 

in every military role, from infantry soldier to cyber warfare engineer; 

Whereas the United States is proud of and appreciates the 

service of all women veterans and minority veterans who 

have demonstrated great courage and commitment to defending the principles upon which the United States was 

founded and which the United States continues to uphold; and 

Whereas, by naming new or undedicated facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs for women veterans and minority veterans, the House of Representatives could— 

(1) highlight the historic and enduring presence of 

women and members of minority groups in the Armed 

Forces and the National Guard; and 

(2) pay respect to women veterans and minority veterans for their valiant service and sacrifice on behalf of 

the United States: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives supports 

2 the naming of new or undedicated facilities of the Depart3 ment of Veterans Affairs after women veterans and minor4 ity veterans in order to reflect the diversity of all who have 

5 served in the Armed Forces of the United States. 

Æ 


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