By: Nelson, et al. S.C.R. No. 16
(Scott)
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Each year, Americans pause during the month of March
to pay special tribute to the contributions that women have made to
our national life, and outstanding among the myriad roles that
women have assumed over the course of this country's history have
been those undertaken as part of the nation's armed forces; and
WHEREAS, Long before they gained regular admission to the
military, thousands of women assisted the uniformed branches in a
variety of ways; they worked as nurses, water bearers, laundresses,
and cooks, sometimes served as spies and saboteurs, and on occasion
even took up arms; and
WHEREAS, In 1901, the United States Army broke new ground by
creating an actual nurses corps, and the navy followed in 1908; the
ranks of these units swelled during World War I, when nearly 23,000
women served as nurses with the American military; the United
States Navy and Marine Corps enlisted nearly 13,000 additional
women as yeomen and reservists and assigned them to duty stateside,
to free their male counterparts for combat at sea and abroad; and
WHEREAS, The participation of women in the military surged
during World War II, with more than 400,000 filling posts at home
and overseas; to more fully utilize their abilities, the army
established the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, later known as the
Women's Army Corps and commanded with consummate ability by the
Texan Oveta Culp Hobby; the army also created the WASP (Women
Airforce Service Pilots), while the navy organized the WAVES (Women
Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), the Marine Corps
established the Marine Corps Women's Reserve, and the Coast Guard
created a reserve unit known as the SPARs; in spite of widespread
misgivings about their suitability for the work, women proved
themselves in a wide array of assignments, and in 1948 an Act of
Congress granted them permanent status in the regular and reserve
forces; and
WHEREAS, Barriers to the participation of women in the
military continued to fall; legal provisions placing a two percent
cap on the number of women serving and a ceiling on the highest
grade a woman could achieve were repealed in 1967; by 1972, the
various Reserve Officers' Training Corps programs were opened to
women, and in 1976 women were admitted to the service academies;
they are now eligible to enter more than 90 percent of all career
fields in the armed forces; and
WHEREAS, Women have continued to deploy in times of conflict:
some 1,000 served in theater during the Korean War and 7,500 during
the Vietnam War; hundreds saw duty in operations in Central America
in the 1980s, and in 1991, 41,000 women served in theater in
Operation Desert Storm; and
WHEREAS, Today, approximately 344,500 women are serving in
the United States military; they constitute about 14 percent of
active duty personnel and about 10 percent of the American forces in
Iraq and Afghanistan; and
WHEREAS, The operations focused on those two countries have
placed enormous demands on all who have taken part; like their male
compatriots, many women have served multiple tours, and large
numbers have been injured, many grievously; as of mid-January 2011,
136 women had given their lives in those two wars; and
WHEREAS, The increased involvement of women in the military
is reflected by the number of women veterans, which now totals 1.8
million; Texas is home to more than 150,000 women veterans, the
second highest number of any state in the nation; and
WHEREAS, Texans have always honored the selflessness and
sacrifice of those who perform military service, and these women
are indeed worthy of that recognition; it is also fitting that needs
they have incurred in connection with that service be acknowledged
and alleviated, whether they concern physical or psychological
wounds or the challenges of caring for their families or
reintegrating into civilian life; and
WHEREAS, The women who have served in the United States armed
forces have demonstrated tenacity, courage, and professionalism,
and they are deserving of their fellow citizens' deepest gratitude
and unfailing support; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby designate the month of March each year from 2011 through 2020
as Women Veterans Month in tribute to the immeasurable
contributions that women in the military have made to this nation.