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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 293 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

<DOC>

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;
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--

    G    (A) as members of the Women's Army Corps (commonly known as 
``WACs'');

    G    (B) as Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (commonly 
known as ``WAVES'');

    G    (C) as members of the Coast Guard Women's Reserve (commonly known 
as ``SPARS'');

    G    (D) as Women Airforce Service Pilots (commonly known as 
``WASPs''); and

    G    (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;

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

    (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

    Resolved, That the Senate designates June 12, 2023, as ``Women 
Veterans Appreciation Day'' to recognize the service and sacrifices of 
women veterans who have served valiantly on behalf of the United 
States.
                                 <all>
```