[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 257 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 257

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Pasqualine J. 
  Lawson of Denver, Colorado, an African American woman who valiantly 
   served her country in the Army Air Corps during World War II and 
serving as a hospital neuropsychiatric team member, was unfairly passed 
    over for promotion and should have held the grade of technical 
sergeant, rather than private first class, upon her discharge from the 
                      service on January 2, 1946.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 4, 2005

Ms. DeGette (for herself, Mr. Udall of Colorado, Mr. Cummings, and Mr. 
  Watt) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Pasqualine J. 
  Lawson of Denver, Colorado, an African American woman who valiantly 
   served her country in the Army Air Corps during World War II and 
serving as a hospital neuropsychiatric team member, was unfairly passed 
    over for promotion and should have held the grade of technical 
sergeant, rather than private first class, upon her discharge from the 
                      service on January 2, 1946.

Whereas Pasqualine J. Lawson, of Denver, Colorado, honorably served in the Army 
        Air Corps from July 29, 1944, to January 2, 1946;
Whereas Ms. Lawson, while in the Army Air Corps, served as a psychiatric social 
        worker following basic training;
Whereas despite the efforts of and directives from the military to incorporate 
        African Americans into the Army Air Corps during World War II, many 
        commanders nevertheless demonstrated an unwillingness to treat African 
        Americans with full equality;
Whereas the policy of ``separate but equal'' in the Army Air Corps during World 
        War II oftentimes led to second-class citizenship for African Americans, 
        resulting in fewer opportunities for advancement for African Americans 
        and an unwillingness to promote African Americans to a higher military 
        rank when such a promotion was due;
Whereas Ms. Lawson was passed over and denied promotion several times, 
        notwithstanding her receipt of a total of eight letters of commendation 
        by the time of her discharge from military service;
Whereas in a letter of commendation, dated December 7, 1945, Captain Ian N. J. 
        Fogeling, stated that Ms. Lawson performed her work in a superior manner 
        and that she had been ``repeatedly recommended for well-deserved 
        promotions . . . and despite our having repeatedly recommended her, 
        these were not forthcoming due to administrative difficulties and 
        technicalities entirely outside of our control.'';
Whereas Ms. Lawson was discharged from military service in the grade of private 
        first class, rather than in a higher grade that she would have held but 
        for having been passed over and denied promotion;
Whereas Ms. Lawson has not been able to sufficiently reconstruct her military 
        record due to the destruction of military records in the fire at the 
        National Personnel Records Center in 1973;
Whereas Ms. Lawson has requested a correction of her military records from the 
        Air Force Board for Correction of Military Records 1997, but was denied 
        on the grounds that her military record was incomplete and Ms. Lawson's 
        appeal of this ruling to the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for 
        Manpower, Reserve Affairs, Installations and Environment was denied on 
        similar grounds; and
Whereas Ms. Lawson is a 97-year old veteran who deserves to receive the 
        recognition for her service during World War II due to her: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that 
Pasqualine J. Lawson of Denver, Colorado, while in the Army Air Corps 
during World War II and serving as a hospital neuropsychiatric team 
member, was unfairly passed over for promotion and should have held the 
grade of technical sergeant, rather than private first class, upon her 
discharge from the service on January 2, 1946.
                                 <all>