119-sres276

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 276 Agreed to Senate

    (ATS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
S. RES. 276

 Designating June 12, 2025, as ``Women Veterans Appreciation Day''.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 June 12, 2025

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

 July 21, 2025

 Committee discharged; considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

 RESOLUTION

 Designating June 12, 2025, 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 marked 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 2023, women constitute approximately 18 percent of Armed Forces 
 personnel on active duty, including--

    (1) 22 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) 10 percent of active duty personnel in the Marine Corps;

    (5) 16 percent of active duty personnel in the Coast Guard; and

    (6) 19 percent of active duty personnel in the Space Force;

Whereas, as of 2023, women constitute 22 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 2024--

    (1) the population of women veterans was approximately 2,100,000, which 
represents a significant increase from 1,100,000 women veterans in 1980; 
and

    (2) women veterans constituted approximately 12 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 during their military service;
Whereas the people of the United States are proud of and appreciate 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, 2025, 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, 2025, 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>