III 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 293 

Designating June 12, 2023, as ‘‘Women Veterans Appreciation Day’’. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 12, 2023 

Mr. BOOKER (for himself, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Ms. ROSEN, Mr. BRAUN, and 

Mr. BOOZMAN) submitted the following resolution; which was considered 

and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Designating June 12, 2023, as ‘‘Women Veterans 

Appreciation Day’’. 

Whereas, throughout every period of the history of the 

United States, women have proudly served the United 

States to secure and preserve freedom and liberty for— 

(1) the people of the United States; and 

(2) the allies of the United States; 

Whereas women have formally been a part of the Armed 

Forces since the establishment of the Army Nurse Corps 

in 1901 but have informally served since the inception of 

the United States military; 

Whereas 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of the signing of 

the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act of 1948 (62 

Stat. 356, chapter 449), legally allowing women to serve 

in all 4 branches of the military; 


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•SRES 293 ATS 

Whereas more than 3,000,000 women have served the United 

States honorably and with valor on land, on sea, in the 

air, and in space, including— 

(1) as ‘‘Molly Pitchers’’ during the American Revolution, providing support to the Continental Army and 

taking their place on the artillery gun lines as soldiers 

fell; 

(2) by passing as men to serve as soldiers during the 

Revolutionary War, the Early Republic, and the Civil 

War; 

(3) as doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers, and Signal Corps telephone operator ‘‘Hello Girls’’ during World 

War I; 

(4) during World War II— 

(A) as members of the Women’s Army Corps 

(commonly known as ‘‘WACs’’); 

(B) as Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (commonly known as ‘‘WAVES’’); 

(C) as members of the Coast Guard Women’s 

Reserve (commonly known as ‘‘SPARS’’); 

(D) as Women Airforce Service Pilots (commonly known as ‘‘WASPs’’); and 

(E) as nurses; 

(5) as permanent members of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force, serving as nurses, physicians, 

physical therapists, air traffic controllers, intelligence 

specialists, communications specialists, logisticians, and 

clerks during the Korean War and Vietnam War; and 

(6) as fixed and rotary wing combat pilots, surface 

warfare sailors, submariners, artillerists, air defenders, 

engineers, military police, intelligence specialists, civil affairs specialists, logisticians, and, most recently, in all 

combat roles in the Persian Gulf, Iraq, and Afghanistan; 


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•SRES 293 ATS 

Whereas, as of 2021, women constituted approximately 17 

percent of Armed Forces personnel on active duty, including— 

(1) 21 percent of active duty personnel in the Air 

Force; 

(2) 21 percent of active duty personnel in the Navy; 

(3) 16 percent of active duty personnel in the Army; 

(4) 9 percent of active duty personnel in the Marine 

Corps; 

(5) 15 percent of active duty personnel in the Coast 

Guard; and 

(6) 20 percent of active duty personnel in the Space 

Force; 

Whereas, as of 2021, women constituted more than 21 percent of personnel in the National Guard and Reserves; 

Whereas women were critical to COVID–19 relief, including 

as part of the personnel in the National Guard and Reserves activated to support COVID–19 response efforts; 

Whereas women have been critical to responding to the unjustified invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, 

including as members of the National Guard and as active duty personnel in the Armed Forces who have been 

deployed to contribute to foreign assistance efforts; 

Whereas 13 members of the Armed Forces, including 2 

women, were killed during Operation Allies Refuge, in 

which more than 120,000 people were evacuated in the 

largest civilian airlift in the history of the United States; 

Whereas, in 2023— 

(1) the population of women veterans is more than 

2,066,000, which represents a significant increase from 

713,000 women veterans in 1980; and 


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•SRES 293 ATS 

(2) women veterans constitute approximately 11 percent of the total veteran population; 

Whereas women are the fastest growing group in the veteran 

population; 

Whereas an estimated 1 in 3 women veterans who are enrolled in the healthcare system of the Department of Veterans Affairs report having experienced military sexual 

trauma (MST) during their military service; 

Whereas the United States is proud of, and appreciates, the 

service of all women veterans, who have demonstrated 

great skill, sacrifice, and commitment to defending the 

principles upon which the United States was founded and 

which the United States continues to uphold; 

Whereas women veterans have unique stories and should be 

encouraged to share their recollections through the Veterans History Project, a part of the American Folklife 

Center at the Library of Congress, which has worked 

since 2000 to collect and share the personal accounts of 

wartime veterans in the United States; and 

Whereas, by designating June 12, 2023, as ‘‘Women Veterans Appreciation Day’’, the Senate can— 

(1) highlight the growing presence of women in the 

Armed Forces and the National Guard; and 

(2) pay respect to women veterans for their patriotic 

military service: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate designates June 12, 2023, 

2 as ‘‘Women Veterans Appreciation Day’’ to recognize the 

3 service and sacrifices of women veterans who have served 

4 valiantly on behalf of the United States. 

Æ 


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