armed forces of the United States without official commendation
or recognition; and
WHEREAS, Women were first recruited to serve in organized
auxiliary units as the United States prepared for entry into
World War I; and
WHEREAS, Although barred from combat roles, thousands of
women served as auxiliaries in clerical and technical duties and
21,000 others served as military nurses at camps and hospitals
in the United States and abroad; and
WHEREAS, Despite auxiliary and ancillary service, women were
still trivialized to such a degree that hundreds of women
veterans of the United States Army Signal Corps were forced to
purchase their own uniforms and were denied military discharges
until long after most women veterans had died; and
WHEREAS, In 1943, women were first granted official military
status as the Women's Army Corps (WACs), Women Accepted for
Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES), the United States Navy and
the Marine Corps Women's Reserve; and
WHEREAS, Women were fully accepted into the armed forces of
the United States and granted veteran benefits and privileges
for service with the enactment of the Women's Armed Services
Integration Act of 1948; and
WHEREAS, Today, more than 200,000 women, approximately 10% of
all military personnel, including many who serve as generals or
admirals, serve in the armed forces; and
WHEREAS, One in ten living veterans today is a female veteran
and more than 71,000 female veterans live in Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, Many female veterans continue to face largely
unrecognized challenges following service in the armed forces,
with female veterans facing a greater risk of homelessness than
20180SR0300PN1598 - 2 -
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30