PRINTER'S NO. 1598
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
300
Session of
2018
INTRODUCED BY SCHWANK, BROOKS, WARD, FARNESE, DINNIMAN,
McGARRIGLE, BARTOLOTTA, BREWSTER, BROWNE, ARGALL, GREENLEAF,
FOLMER, BOSCOLA, LEACH, RAFFERTY, AUMENT, HUTCHINSON, COSTA,
SABATINA, STREET, KILLION, MENSCH AND VULAKOVICH,
MARCH 27, 2018
INTRODUCED AND ADOPTED, MARCH 27, 2018
A RESOLUTION
Designating March 28, 2018, as "Female Veterans Recognition Day"
in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, 2018 marks the 70th anniversary of the official
acceptance of women into the United States Armed Forces; and
WHEREAS, Women have a long, largely unrecognized history of
courageous service dating back to the founding days of our
nation; and
WHEREAS, Women like Margaret Corbin and Mary "Molly Pitcher"
McCauley filled their fallen husbands' places in battle, and
others like Ann Simpson Davis risked their lives to relay
messages and supplies through enemy lines during the
Revolutionary War; and
WHEREAS, Clara Barton and other women cared for wounded and
dying troops during the Civil War; and
WHEREAS, Cathay Williams and other women freed from slavery
during the Civil War disguised their gender to serve in the
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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
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male veterans and one in four female veterans seeking Veteran
Affairs medical care having been a victim of sexual assault; and
WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Commission for Women has asked the
legislature to recognize the service and sacrifices of women in
the service of this Commonwealth and the United States; and
WHEREAS, The courageous and dutiful efforts of women in the
service of this Commonwealth and the United States should be
called to the attention of all residents of this Commonwealth;
therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate designate March 28, 2018, as
"Female Veterans Recognition Day" in Pennsylvania; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That the Senate encourage all residents of this
Commonwealth to join in recognizing, appreciating and saluting
the service and sacrifices of more than 71,000 female veterans
who reside in Pennsylvania.
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