119-hres60

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 60 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
H. RES. 60

 Expressing the support of the House of Representatives for the naming 
of new or undedicated facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
 after women veterans and minority veterans in order to reflect the 
 diversity of all who have served in the Armed Forces of the United 
 States.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 January 23, 2025

 Ms. Brownley (for herself and Ms. Norton) submitted the following 
 resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

 RESOLUTION

 Expressing the support of the House of Representatives for the naming 
of new or undedicated facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
 after women veterans and minority veterans in order to reflect the 
 diversity of all who have served in the Armed Forces of the United 
 States.

Whereas, as of December 2024, out of over 1,700 health care facilities of the 
 Department of Veterans of Affairs, 16 are named for members of minority 
 groups and four are named for women veterans;
Whereas millions of women and members of minority groups have served in the 
 Armed Forces of the United States since the founding of the Nation;
Whereas, during the Revolutionary War, Margaret Corbin and Deborah Sampson were 
 among the first women to serve in combat, and women served in other 
 roles, including a woman who served as Agent 355 in George Washington's 
 spy ring;
Whereas, during the Civil War, hundreds of women disguised themselves as men to 
 serve in the military, and others served as nurses, spies, and 
 administrators;
Whereas Harriet Tubman became the first American woman known to lead troops in 
 combat;
Whereas for her service during the Civil War, Dr. Mary Edwards Walker became the 
 first and only woman to receive the Medal of Honor;
Whereas women have been formally part of the Armed Forces since the founding of 
 the Army Nurse Corps in 1901 and the Navy Nurse Corps in 1908;
Whereas many of the Nation's heroes have been denied awards and recognition for 
 their service due to systematic racial discrimination and anti-Semitism;
Whereas Crispus Attucks was the first American to be killed in the Boston 
 Massacre, which laid the foundation of American independence and 
 freedom;
Whereas Black servicemembers volunteered to participate and fight in every major 
 war that America has engaged in, since the Revolutionary War, despite a 
 legacy of slavery, segregated units, the Jim Crow era, discriminatory 
 voting statutes, job restrictions, and the denial of benefits related to 
 their service;
Whereas the first African-American pilots in the United States Air Force, often 
 referred to as the Tuskegee Airmen, destroyed over 250 German aircraft 
 and destroyed over 950 supply vehicles in World War II;
Whereas, during World War II, Tuskegee Airmen were awarded 8 Purple Hearts, 15 
 Bronze Stars, 150 Distinguished Flying Crosses, and nearly 750 other Air 
 Medals;
Whereas members of the LGBTQ community and their allies fought a campaign for 
 the ability to serve their country openly and ultimately succeeded in 
 lifting those restrictions;
Whereas the success of the movement for equal service for the LGBTQ community 
 has suffered a setback by way of administrative action which currently 
 restricts the ability of transgender people to serve openly;
Whereas Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United 
 States, previously served in the United States Navy as a diving officer;
Whereas American Indians and Alaska Natives serve in the highest per-capita 
 proportion of any population to serve in the Armed Forces, including the 
 Cherokee, Choctaw, and Assiniboine code talkers of World War I and 
 Comanche, Mohawk, Muscogee, and Navajo code talkers of World War II;
Whereas 60 Latino servicemembers have received the Medal of Honor, including 
 eight from Puerto Rico and seven who were born outside of the United 
 States, among them Rodolfo P. Hernandez, a son of a farmworker family 
 who earned the Medal of Honor for his actions and near-death injuries in 
 Korea;
Whereas Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders have served in the 
 United States Armed Forces since the War of 1812, including Telesforo 
 Trinidad, the only member of the Armed Forces to receive a Medal of 
 Honor for actions in peacetime;
Whereas women and members of minority groups have served in every military role, 
 from infantry soldier to cyber warfare engineer;
Whereas the United States is proud of and appreciates the service of all women 
 veterans and minority veterans who have demonstrated great courage and 
 commitment to defending the principles upon which the United States was 
 founded and which the United States continues to uphold; and
Whereas, by naming new or undedicated facilities of the Department of Veterans 
 Affairs for women veterans and minority veterans, the House of 
 Representatives could--

    (1) highlight the historic and enduring presence of women and members 
of minority groups in the Armed Forces and the National Guard; and

    (2) pay respect to women veterans and minority veterans for their 
valiant service and sacrifice on behalf of the United States: Now, 
therefore, be it

 Resolved, That the House of Representatives supports the naming of 
new or undedicated facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs 
after women veterans and minority veterans in order to reflect the 
diversity of all who have served in the Armed Forces of the United 
States.
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