[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 737 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 737

  Recognizing the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the United 
States Cadet Nurse Corps and expressing the appreciation of the Senate 
 for the contribution of the members of the United States Cadet Nurse 
                       Corps during World War II.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           December 19, 2018

   Mr. King (for himself, Ms. Collins, and Ms. Warren) submitted the 
        following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Recognizing the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the United 
States Cadet Nurse Corps and expressing the appreciation of the Senate 
 for the contribution of the members of the United States Cadet Nurse 
                       Corps during World War II.

Whereas the personnel requirements of World War II created a shortage of nurses 
        and, by 1942, it was evident that the pace of training for new nurses 
        could not keep up with the demands of the military and civilian 
        populations of the United States;
Whereas, as nurses vacated positions in hospitals, schools, and welfare agencies 
        to meet the needs of the Armed Forces, an influx of millions of new 
        workers to industrial areas created unprecedented public health 
        challenges, and such challenges were exacerbated by a nursing capacity 
        that was not sufficient to meet the demands of both the Armed Forces and 
        essential civilian services;
Whereas the Act of June 15, 1943 (57 Stat. 153, chapter 126; commonly known as 
        the ``Bolton Act''), unanimously passed both houses of Congress;
Whereas the Bolton Act resulted in the establishment of the United States Cadet 
        Nurse Corps, which was a uniformed service under the direction of the 
        United States Public Health Service and operated from 1943 to 1948;
Whereas the United States Cadet Nurse Corps was open to minorities, including 
        African Americans and Native Americans, because the Bolton Act included 
        a provision restricting discrimination in the administration of the Act 
        on account of race, creed, or color;
Whereas enrollment in the United States Cadet Nurse Corps required a commitment 
        to serve for the duration of World War II, with each cadet taking the 
        following pledge: ``I will dedicate myself now and forever to the 
        triumph of life over death; As a Cadet nurse, I pledge to my country my 
        service in essential nursing for the duration of the war.'';
Whereas an April 1944 memorandum from the Federal Security Agency identified 
        ``national recognition for rendering a vital war service'' as a 
        privilege of service in the United States Cadet Nurse Corps;
Whereas with more than 120,000 women enrolled in the United States Cadet Nurse 
        Corps by the termination of the program, the United States Cadet Nurse 
        Corps played an important role in overcoming the nursing shortage at 
        military, Federal, and non-Federal hospitals across the United States; 
        and
Whereas Surgeon General Thomas Parran, appearing before the Committee on 
        Military Affairs of the House of Representatives in January 1945, 
        highlighted the positive contribution of the United States Cadet Nurse 
        Corps to the war effort by stating, ``We cannot measure what the loss to 
        the country would have been if [the] civilian nursing service had 
        collapsed, any more than we could measure the cost of failure on the 
        Normandy beachheads.'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes the 75th anniversary of the formation of the 
        United States Cadet Nurse Corps; and
            (2) expresses appreciation for the vital contribution that 
        the members of the United States Cadet Nurse Corps made to the 
        war effort by filling critical military and essential civilian 
        nursing positions during the nursing shortage caused by World 
        War II.
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