[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 705 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 705

   Commending the ``Donut Dollies'' for their patriotic service and 
    steadfast support of United States servicemembers in combat and 
honoring their extraordinary contributions to the morale and well-being 
            of United States servicemembers during wartime.


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                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 29, 2026

 Mr. Tillis (for himself, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Boozman, and Mr. Coons) 
 submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

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                               RESOLUTION


 
   Commending the ``Donut Dollies'' for their patriotic service and 
    steadfast support of United States servicemembers in combat and 
honoring their extraordinary contributions to the morale and well-being 
            of United States servicemembers during wartime.

Whereas, in 1917, during World War I, young women of the Salvation Army known as 
        the ``Doughnut Lassies'' served near the front lines, providing hot 
        coffee, doughnuts, and comfort to United States servicemembers, 
        inspiring the later creation of National Doughnut Day in their honor;
Whereas, during World War II, the American Red Cross organized the Clubmobile 
        program, staffed by courageous women affectionately called ``Donut 
        Dollies'', who traveled across war zones in Europe, North Africa, and 
        the Pacific serving coffee and doughnuts, offering conversation, and 
        boosting the morale of servicemembers;
Whereas, during the Korean War, the American Red Cross continued to deploy Donut 
        Dollies to recreation centers, service clubs, and forward operating 
        bases, organizing activities and providing personal support to 
        servicemembers enduring the harsh conditions of war;
Whereas, from 1965 to 1972, the American Red Cross operated the Supplemental 
        Recreation Activities Overseas (referred to in this preamble as 
        ``SRAO'') program in the Republic of Vietnam, deploying more than 600 
        young women, most recent college graduates, to remote bases, fire 
        support locations, and hospitals to provide refreshments, morale, and 
        recreation activities to United States servicemembers;
Whereas the Donut Dollies often traveled by helicopter or convoy into active 
        combat zones, facing mortar fire, sniper threats, and the dangers of war 
        in order to deliver games, conversation, and a sense of home;
Whereas, based on Red Cross estimates--

    (1) at the height of the war, over 300,000 servicemembers per month 
benefitted from SRAO services; and

    (2) the Donut Dollies traveled 27,000 miles by jeep, truck, airplane, 
and helicopter every month;

Whereas, at the height of the war, over 100 Red Cross workers were operating 17 
        SRAO units throughout Vietnam;
Whereas military commanders expressed high praise for the Red Cross volunteers, 
        calling the services of the organization ``indispensable'' and ``prime 
        factors'' in their efforts to maintain the high morale of their men and 
        to look after their welfare;
Whereas, writing to Red Cross national headquarters in 1968, General William 
        Westmoreland, then commander of the United States forces in Southeast 
        Asia, stated, ``Serving our men on the battlefields here in Vietnam, the 
        American Red Cross is a hotline to the folks back home, an oasis in the 
        heat of battle, and a comfort during hospitalization.'';
Whereas the Donut Dollies not only uplifted the spirits of tens of thousands of 
        soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines, but also bore emotional burdens 
        from hearing the fears and losses of those they served, many of whom did 
        not return;
Whereas the Red Cross volunteers shared with military personnel the hardship and 
        privation of life in a war zone and were subject to the dangers of war;
Whereas many staff were injured, and 5 American Red Cross workers died in-
        country, including 3 women, Hannah E. Crews, Virginia E. Kirsch, and 
        Lucinda J. Richter, all of whom were members of the SRAO program;
Whereas the Donut Dollies, who volunteered to be sent to the frontlines to 
        support servicemembers, were themselves exposed to enemy attack, thereby 
        displaying courage and resilience; and
Whereas the legacy of the Donut Dollies continues to be honored by veterans who 
        remember their visits as a light in the darkest days of war, and the 
        extraordinary efforts of these volunteers throughout the extent of 
        involvement of the United States in the Vietnam conflict is deserving of 
        official recognition: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) commends the Donut Dollies for their patriotic service 
        to the United States and steadfast dedication to the morale and 
        welfare of United States servicemembers in combat;
            (2) recognizes the service of the Salvation Army Doughnut 
        Lassies in World War I, who inspired future generations of 
        Donut Dollies;
            (3) honors the Donut Dollies of World War II, the Korean 
        War, and especially those of the Supplemental Recreation 
        Activities Overseas program in the Vietnam War for their 
        courage, resilience, and lasting impact on the lives of those 
        they served; and
            (4) urges that the story of the Donut Dollies be preserved 
        and shared as an enduring testament to the spirit of the United 
        States during wartime service.
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