[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 30 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 30

 Expressing the sense of the Congress that the President should award 
           the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Martha Raye.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 27, 1993

 Mr. McNulty submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
       referred to the Committee on Post Office and Civil Service

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the Congress that the President should award 
           the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Martha Raye.

Whereas Martha Raye, born Margaret Yvonne Theresa Reed of Butte, Montana, and 
        known affectionately by our Vietnam veterans as ``Colonel Maggie'', has 
        been a source of comfort, inspiration, and joy for 3 generations of 
        American service men and women at war;
Whereas during World War II Martha Raye entertained our troops as a USO trouper 
        at many disparate fronts, including Pearl Harbor, North Africa, Europe, 
        the South Pacific, and continued such service even after being stricken 
        with yellow fever;
Whereas during the Korean war Martha Raye was with our troops, entertaining them 
        and administering to our wounded, even though she had her own weekly 
        television show for much of that time;
Whereas during the Vietnam War Martha Raye devoted 3 to 6 months of each year to 
        be with our young men and women in Vietnam, providing them with respite 
        and relief from the terrible stress and isolation of war, and preferring 
        to visit, without entourage, the most remote camps and outposts, often 
        at great personal risk;
Whereas Martha Raye was twice wounded while visiting troops in Vietnam and 
        received 2 Purple Hearts;
Whereas during her many stays with our troops in Vietnam Martha Raye continually 
        found herself under enemy fire, and she showed herself to be possessed 
        of considerable nursing skills by administering to the wounded, be they 
        American or Vietnamese, soldier or civilian;
Whereas Martha Raye delivered countless letters from both our troops in Vietnam 
        to their families back home, and letters from families to their sons and 
        daughters in the field, including hand-delivering almost 300 letters in 
        1969;
Whereas Martha Raye offered the hospitality of her own home in California as a 
        temporary home to scores of GI's on their return from Vietnam;
Whereas during the Vietnam War Martha Raye was ``adopted'' by the elite United 
        States Special Forces and ``commissioned'' as an honorary lieutenant 
        colonel, the first and possibly only woman authorized to wear the prized 
        Green Beret, and the Green Beret she was given is presently on display 
        at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Museum, at Fort Bragg, North 
        Carolina;
Whereas during the Vietnam War Martha Raye was also adopted by the elite United 
        States Marines and ``commissioned'' as honorary colonel;
Whereas Martha Raye, despite her show business persona, is a jealously private 
        person who scrupulously avoided media coverage in Vietnam, causing the 
        public to be unaware of the full extent of her commitment to our service 
        men and women and her sacrifice of her career and personal life on their 
        behalf; and
Whereas Martha Raye is truly both an unsung hero and a national treasure: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of the Congress that--
            (1) the President should award the Presidential Medal of 
        Freedom to Martha Raye in honor of her meritorious service to 
        the United States; and
            (2) the Clerk of the House of Representatives shall 
        transmit a copy of this resolution to Martha Raye.

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