An Act to authorize female Reserve officers of the Army or Air Force appointed as nurses or women medical specialists to be members of the Army National Guard of the United States or Air National Guard of the United States, as appropriate
PL 84-845 (H.R.7290), enacted 07/30/1956

70 S T A T . ] 
PUBLIC LiAW 846-JULY 30, 1956 
729 
Public Law 845 
CHAPTER 789 
AN ACT 
To authorize female Reserve officers of the Army or Air Force appointed as 
nurses or women medical specialists to be members of the Army National 
Guard of the United States or Air National Guard of the United States, as 
appropriate. 
July 30,1956 
[H. R. 7290] 
Be it enacted hy the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled^ Tliat section 57 of 
the Act of June 3,1916, as amended (32 U. S. C. 1), is further amended 
by inserting after the words "forty-five years of age," the words "and 
of female citizens of the United States who are appointed as com-
missioned officers of the National Guard under section 58 of this Act,". 
SEC. 2. Section 58 of the Act of June 3, 1916, as amended (32 
U. S. C. 4), is further amended as follows : 
(a) Insert the word "male" immediately before the word "citizens" 
where it appears in that section; and 
(b) Delete the colon preceding the proviso at the end of the section, 
substitute a comma in lieu thereof and insert the words "and female 
commissioned officers appointed to serve as nurses and medical special-
ists who are citizens of the United States, at least twenty-one years of 
age, are graduates of hospitals or university training schools and 
registered nurses if appointed to serve as nurses, and have the physical 
and other qualifications prescribed by the Secretary of the Army:". 
SEC. 3. The amendments made by section 1 and section 2 of this 
Act apply to the Air National Guard of the several States, Territories, 
and the District of Columbia, and the authority granted therein -to 
the Secretary of the Army with respect to the National Guard is 
granted to the Secretary of the Air Force with respect to the Air 
National Guard. 
SEC. 4. The Armed Forces Reserve Act of 1952 is amended as 
follows: 
(a) The first sentence of subsection 217 (b) (66 Stat. 486; 50 U. S. C. 
941 (b)) is amended to read as follows: "Subject to section 222 (a) of 
this Act and if otherwise qualified, women may be appointed as Reserve 
officers of the Army or Air Force for service as nurses or medical 
specialists in the National Guard of the United States or Air National 
Guard of the United States, as appropriate. 
Women may be 
appointed or enlisted as Reserves in the Armed Forces of the United 
States for service in the Army Reserve, the Naval Reserve, the Marine 
Corps Reserve, and the Air Force Reserve. Women are appointed or 
enlisted in the grades, ranks, and rating authorized for women in the 
Regular component of the appropriate Armed Force of the United 
States." 
(b) A new section 715 is added as follows: 
"SEC. 715. Except as otherwise specifically provided, laws applicable 
to male officers and former officers of the National Guard of the United 
States or the Air National Guard of the United States, and to their 
dependents and beneficiaries apply in like cases to female Reserve 
officers and female former Reserve officers of the National Guard of 
the United States or the Air National Guard of the United States, 
respectively, and to their dependents and beneficiaries. 
The husband 
of a female member of the National Guard of the United States or 
the Air National Guard of the United States may not be considered a 
dependent unless he is in fact dependent on his wife for over half of 
his support, and the child of such a member may not be considered a 
dependent unless he is in fact dependent on his mother for over half 
of his support." 
Approved July 30, 1956. 
Army a n d A i r 
Force nurses, etc« 
National Guard 
meinbership< 
39 Stat. 197. 
Intta. 
48 Stat. 155. 
A i r 
N a t i o n a l 
Guard. 
66 Stat. 487. 
50 u s e 946. 
Applicability to 
female officers. 
Dependents.