[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 143 (Wednesday, October 22, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2045-E2046]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 A TRIBUTE TO WOMEN IN MILITARY SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. RICHARD E. NEAL

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 22, 1997

  Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute 
to a courageous group of women who have played an important role in 
shaping the future of women in the military. On October 18, 1997, the 
Women in Military Service Memorial was dedicated to the millions of 
courageous women who have served and continue to serve our country in 
the armed services. The dedication of this memorial is another page in 
American history that will give women in the military the recognition 
they have so longed deserved. This memorial is a reminder and 
representation of the invaluable service, sacrifice, and dedication 
women have given our country.
  Mount Holyoke College, the oldest continuing institution of higher 
education for women in the country, resides in my district and is very 
proud and grateful for the Women in Military Service Memorial. Joanne 
Creighton, president of Mount Holyoke College, wrote a letter to Brig. 
Gen. Wilma L. Vaught, who was responsible for the organization taking 
the lead to build the memorial, paying tribute to the Women in Military 
Service Memorial. Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I submit the 
letter written to Brigadier General Vaught from Joanne Creighton, 
president of Mount Holyoke College.

       As a women's college, we support activities that recognize 
     women and women's varied contributions to the world. It is 
     vital that the experiences of women be known and included as 
     a visible part of history. The women's memorial, which honors 
     and remembers the service, sacrifice, and achievement of the 
     nearly 2 million American servicewomen who have defended 
     America through our Nation's history, accomplishes all of 
     these important tasks and is, therefore, a welcomed and much-
     needed addition to our Nation's heritage.
       Fittingly, it was 55 years ago this November 9, during 
     World War II, that Mount Holyoke was part of the history 
     which is about to be honored by the new memorial. From across 
     the country, women came to Mount Holyoke's campus to receive 
     the training they needed to serve the country. Along with our 
     nearby sister institution Smith College, Mount Holyoke served 
     as one of the very few training centers for women officers. 
     It was a privilege to function during that historic

[[Page E2046]]

     time as a training site for the Women's Reserve of the Marine 
     Corps and the Navy's WAVES [Women Accepted for Volunteer 
     Emergency Service] program.
       WAVES, the young women in uniform living and learning at 
     Mount Holyoke, studied such subjects as naval organization, 
     personnel, and administration along with the Navy's 
     etiquette, customs, and traditions. While in training for 5 
     weeks, WAVES lived in Rockefeller Hall--a campus residential 
     hall that was renamed the U.S.S. Rockefeller--sleeping in 
     double decker beds, eating the same meals as Mount Holyoke 
     students here at the same time. Classes for WAVES were held 
     on campus, drills were held on the athletic fields, and the 
     women marched to meals and to classes wearing their dark blue 
     uniforms. Reveille was at 6:15 a.m. for these women and the 
     day included five recitations, two study periods, drill, 
     athletic recreation, and an evening lecture. It was a 
     rigorous indoctrination, as it was then called, for these 
     women and we salute them today, just as we did many years 
     ago.
       After completing their WAVES training, the women were 
     commissioned and offered to active duty. During the 18 months 
     the Navy occupied the U.S.S. Rockefeller approximately 2,500 
     officers were graduated and went out to duty throughout the 
     United States. They played an important role in our American 
     story and it is with deep gratitude for their efforts that we 
     pay tribute to them and all the others who, in a range of 
     roles, served the country.
       We join wholeheartedly in this first major memorial to U.S. 
     military women and this celebration of a very important page 
     in history. We also commend you for the success of the 
     foundation, which you established in 1987, and which has 
     overseen the design, development, and construction of this 
     new structure, and the creation of the week-long 
     commemoration of American servicewomen that will launch the 
     women's memorial.
           Sincerely,
                                                 Joanne Creighton.

  Mr. Speaker, the people of the 2d Congressional District in 
Massachusetts will be forever grateful for the invaluable service and 
dedication women in the military have provided in defense of the United 
States. This memorial is very welcome in our Nation's Capital and I, 
along with Mount Holyoke College, rise to congratulate all the women in 
the military for this milestone in American history.

                          ____________________