WHEREAS,
Women Veterans Day is acknowledged as an effort to honor the work of women in the United States Armed Forces and recognizes the unique challenges women have faced; and
WHEREAS,
women have formally been a part of the United States Armed Forces since the inception of the Army Nurse Corps in 1901, but have informally served since the inception of our nation's military; and
WHEREAS, women have proudly served their country throughout all periods of the history of the United States: disguising themselves as male soldiers during the American Revolutionary War and Civil War, serving as nurses in both World Wars, flying combat helicopters in Afghanistan, and serving in countless other ways; and
WHEREAS, it was not until well after World War II that women who served in the military began to be officially recognized as Veterans; and
WHEREAS
,
it was on June 12, 1948, when President Harry S. Truman signed into law the Women’s Armed Services Integration Act of 1948, which allowed women the right to serve as permanent, regular members of the United States Army, United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force. Previously, only women nurses could serve in the regular and reserve forces during peacetime; and
WHEREAS,
today, there are almost two million women Veterans in the United States and of those, over 7,000 reside in Delaware; and
WHEREAS, though not officially recognized for many years, women have served in America’s wars throughout our history, demonstrating their unwavering commitment, resilience, and courage in defending our nation; and
WHEREAS, Delaware
honors the tremendous sacrifices our women in uniform have made in order to defend our country; and
WHEREAS, it is Delaware’s duty to honor the memory of our dedicated servicewomen who never returned home, having made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve our nation and its way of life; and
WHEREAS, the valor and devotion to duty demonstrated by current and past servicewomen have paved the way for future generations.
NOW, THEREFORE:
BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the 152nd General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the House of Representatives concurring therein, that Monday, June 12, 2023, is recognized as “Women Veterans Day” in the State of Delaware.
