IV
119THCONGRESS
1
STSESSION H. RES. 60
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
JANUARY23, 2025
Ms. B
ROWNLEY(for herself and Ms. NORTON) 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 De-
partment 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 December 2024, out of over 1,700 health care
facilities of the Department of Veterans of Affairs, 16
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;
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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, includ-
ing a woman who served as Agent 355 in George Wash-
ington’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 re-
ceive 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 re-
lated to their service;
Whereas the first African-American pilots in the United
States Air Force, often referred to as the Tuskegee Air-
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men, 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 Distin-
guished 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 restric-
tions;
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 offi-
cials 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 Coman-
che, 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. Herna´ndez, 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 Is-
landers have served in the United States Armed Forces
since the War of 1812, including Telesforo Trinidad, the
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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 war-
fare 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 de-
fending the principles upon which the United States was
founded and which the United States continues to up-
hold; and
Whereas, by naming new or undedicated facilities of the De-
partment of Veterans Affairs for women veterans and mi-
nority 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 vet-
erans for their valiant service and sacrifice on behalf of
the United States: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives supports 1
the naming of new or undedicated facilities of the Depart-2
ment of Veterans Affairs after women veterans and minor-3
ity veterans in order to reflect the diversity of all who have 4
served in the Armed Forces of the United States. 5
Æ
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