Title: A resolution designating June 12, 2022, as "Women Veterans Appreciation Day".
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
This resolution designates June 12, 2022, as Women Veterans Appreciation Day to recognize the service and sacrifices of women veterans.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 668 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 668

   Designating June 12, 2022, as ``Women Veterans Appreciation Day''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              June 9, 2022

  Mr. Booker (for himself, Mrs. Blackburn, Ms. Rosen, and Mr. Braun) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                            on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Designating June 12, 2022, 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 over 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) as, during World War II--

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

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

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

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

    G    (E) 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 in 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 2020, women constitute approximately 17 percent of Armed Forces 
        personnel on active duty, including--

    (1) 21 percent of active duty personnel in the Air Force and Space 
Force;

    (2) 20 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; and

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

Whereas, as of September 2020, women constitute more than 21 percent of 
        personnel in the National Guard and Reserves;
Whereas women have been 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 over 120,000 people were evacuated in 
        the largest civilian airlift in the history of the United States;
Whereas, in 2020--

    (1) the population of women veterans reached nearly 2,000,000, which 
represents a significant increase from 713,000 women veterans in 1980; and

    (2) women veterans constitute approximately 10 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 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, 2022, 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, 2022, as ``Women 
Veterans Appreciation Day'' to recognize the service and sacrifices of 
women veterans who have served valiantly on behalf of the United 
States.
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