2023 -- H 6501
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LC003174
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S TATE OF RHODE IS LAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023
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H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N
PROCLAIMING JUNE 12, 2023, TO BE "WOMEN VETERANS APPRECIATION DAY" IN
THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
Introduced By: Representatives Vella-Wilkinson, Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Shanley,
Lima, Kazarian, Morales, Chippendale, Batista, and Kennedy
Date Introduced: June 08, 2023
Referred To: House read and passed
WHEREAS, Since the formation of the United States Army Nurse Corps in 1901, women 1
have served our nation in the military in an official capacity, and informally, they have served 2
since the inception of our nation’s military during the American Revolution; and 3
WHEREAS, Women Veterans Appreciation Day is the anniversary of the day the 4
Women’s Armed Services Integration Act was signed into law by President Harry S. Truman on 5
June 12, 1948. Prior to then, only women nurses could serve in the regular and reserve forces 6
during peacetime; and 7
WHEREAS, Historically, women have made wide-ranging contributions to our country's 8
military and to securing and preserving freedom and liberty for the people of the United States 9
and our allies; and 10
WHEREAS, During the American Revolution and the Civil War, women disguised 11
themselves as men in order to fight, and in World War I, approximately 35,000 women served as 12
nurses and support staff. During World War II, 140,000 women served in the Women’s Army 13
Corps (WACs) performing critical jobs, such as military intelligence, cryptography and parachute 14
rigging, and in Afghanistan, women were combat helicopter pilots, hunted the Taliban, and held a 15
variety of combat and supervisory roles; and 16
WHEREAS, Currently, there are more than two million women Veterans in the United 17
States, Puerto Rico, and Territories/Foreign who are pushing boundaries and taking on 18
groundbreaking roles; and 19
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WHEREAS, We Rhode Islanders, as well as all Americans, believe it to be essential that 1
all the women who wear the uniform of the United States Armed Services know that they are 2
appreciated and never far from our thoughts and prayers; now, therefore be it 3
RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby 4
proclaims June 12, 2023, to be "Women Veterans Appreciation Day" in gratitude and recognition 5
for the critical role and dauntless service of women in the United States Armed Forces, and to 6
honor their sacrifices while valiantly serving our nation; and be it further 7
RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 8
transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the State of Rhode Island Office of Veterans 9
Services, and the Rhode Island Veterans Home. 10
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LC003174
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