[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 851 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 851
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
November 8, 2023
Ms. Brownley 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 November 2023, out of over 1,300 health care facilities of the
Department of Veterans of Affairs, 14 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.
<all>