[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 61 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 61

                 Honoring the life of Rosemary Mariner.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            February 7, 2019

Mrs. Blackburn (for herself and Mr. Alexander) submitted the following 
    resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
                 Honoring the life of Rosemary Mariner.

Whereas, on April 2, 1953, Rosemary Ann Bryant was born to Captain Cecil Bryant 
        and Constance Boylan Bryant in Harlingen, Texas;
Whereas, as a teenager, Rosemary washed planes at a local airport to earn money 
        for flying lessons;
Whereas Rosemary was the first woman to enroll in the aeronautics program at 
        Purdue University;
Whereas, following graduation from Purdue University, Rosemary Bryant Mariner 
        joined the United States Navy;
Whereas, on graduation from officer candidate school, Rosemary Mariner was 
        chosen for the first female flight training class in the history of the 
        Navy;
Whereas, in 1974, Captain Mariner was among 6 of the graduates of the first 
        female flight training class to earn wings, and, the next year, Captain 
        Mariner became the first female aviator in the Navy to fly a jet attack 
        aircraft;
Whereas, during her Navy career, Captain Mariner logged 17 landings on aircraft 
        carriers and more than 3,500 flight hours in 15 different aircraft;
Whereas, in 1990, Captain Mariner was named commander of a Navy tactical 
        electronic warfare squadron at Naval Air Station Point Mugu, a unit that 
        was 30 percent female, making Captain Mariner the first woman to command 
        an operational air squadron, even though women were still barred from 
        flying combat missions;
Whereas Captain Mariner later said that, during her time as commander and in 
        other Navy positions, she learned: ``If [women] cannot share the equal 
        risks and hazards in arduous duty, then you are not equal'';
Whereas Captain Mariner fought tirelessly for the equality of women in the 
        military--

    (1) by leading the Women Military Aviators organization; and

    (2) by working with members of Congress and a Defense Department 
advisory board to overturn laws and regulations barring women from combat;

Whereas Captain Mariner stated, ``if we thought something was unfair--they 
        wouldn't let a woman land on a ship, for example--we would write a 
        letter up the chain of command and put it on the record that we wanted 
        that changed'';
Whereas, in April 1993, Defense Secretary Les Aspin lifted the restrictions on 
        female pilots flying combat missions;
Whereas, on retirement from Navy service in 1997, Captain Mariner moved to 
        Norris, Tennessee, with--

    (1) her husband, Commander Tommy Mariner; and

    (2) their daughter, Emmalee;

Whereas, for more than 20 years, Captain Mariner was a resident scholar of 
        military history at the Center for the Study of War and Society at the 
        University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee;
Whereas, as a resident scholar at the Center for the Study of War and Society, 
        Captain Mariner shaped the minds and outlooks of countless undergraduate 
        students, in whom her legacy will live for generations to come;
Whereas Rosemary Mariner passed away on January 24, 2019, in Knoxville, 
        Tennessee, at the age of 65;
Whereas Rosemary Mariner was honored as ``one of the nation's leading advocates 
        for equal opportunity in the military'' by Deborah G. Douglas in 
        ``American Women and Flight since 1940'';
Whereas, in tribute to Captain Mariner, the United States Navy conducted its 
        first all-female flyover at the funeral service for Captain Mariner on 
        Saturday, February 2, 2019, in Maynardville, Tennessee; and
Whereas Rosemary Mariner is an American hero who exemplified strength, 
        sacrifice, and service to the United States: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) extends its heartfelt sympathies to the family of 
        Rosemary Mariner;
            (2) honors the life of Captain Mariner;
            (3) honors and, on behalf of the United States, expresses 
        deep appreciation for the outstanding and important service of 
        Captain Mariner to the United States; and
            (4) respectfully requests that the Secretary of the Senate 
        communicate this resolution to the House of Representatives and 
        transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to the family of 
        Rosemary Mariner.
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