III 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 471 

Commending the efforts of the women of the American Red Cross Clubmobiles 

for exemplary service during the Second World War. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 23, 2012 

Ms. COLLINS (for herself, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mr. LIEBERMAN, Mr. NELSON of 

Florida, Ms. SNOWE, Mr. INHOFE, Mr. COCHRAN, Mr. PRYOR, Mrs. 

HUTCHISON, Ms. LANDRIEU, Ms. MIKULSKI, Mrs. BOXER, and Mrs. 

FEINSTEIN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Commending the efforts of the women of the American Red 

Cross Clubmobiles for exemplary service during the Second World War. 

Whereas, during the Second World War, the American Red 

Cross was charged by the United States Armed Forces 

with providing recreational services to the soldiers serving 

in the war; 

Whereas Harvey Gibson, the Red Cross Commissioner to 

Great Britain during the war, conceived of the 

Clubmobiles in 1942 as a means of providing hot coffee, 

fresh doughnuts, and a vital connection to home to thousands of servicemen at dozens of airfields, bases, and 


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•SRES 471 IS 

camps throughout Great Britain during the buildup to DDay; 

Whereas thousands of young women, from every State in the 

United States, volunteered to serve in the Clubmobiles, 

and were chosen after a rigorous interview process in 

which less than 20 percent of applicants were selected; 

Whereas, less than 1 month after the invasion of Normandy, 

France in June 1944, 80 Clubmobiles and 320 American 

Red Cross volunteers crossed the English Channel and 

began providing coffee, doughnuts, and a friendly smile 

to servicemen fighting on the front lines; 

Whereas the Clubmobile volunteers saw service across Europe 

in France, Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, and Germany, 

and later in the Far East, touching the lives of hundreds 

of thousands of United States servicemen until victory 

was achieved; 

Whereas, during the war, the American Red Cross purchased 

enough flour to produce more than 1,500,000,000 doughnuts, many served from the windows of a Clubmobile; 

Whereas a visit from a Clubmobile, which could serve gallons 

of coffee and hundreds of doughnuts every minute, was 

often the most significant morale boost available to servicemen at war; 

Whereas 52 women of the American Red Cross, some of 

whom served on the Clubmobiles, perished during the war 

as a result of their service; and 

Whereas 70 years have passed since the Clubmobiles were 

founded, and only a few women who served in the 

Clubmobiles remain to share their stories: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 


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•SRES 471 IS 

1 (1) commends the exemplary and courageous 

2 service and sacrifice of each of the patriotic women 

3 of the United States who served in the American 

4 Red Cross Clubmobiles during the Second World 

5 War; 

6 (2) honors the Clubmobile women who lost their 

7 lives during the Second World War; 

8 (3) calls upon historians of the Second World 

9 War to recognize and describe the service of the 

10 Clubmobiles, and to not let this important piece of 

11 United States history be lost; and 

12 (4) urges the American Red Cross to publicly 

13 commemorate the stories of the Clubmobiles and the 

14 amazing women who served in them. 

Æ 


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