[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 12 (Tuesday, January 30, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Page S786]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 5--COMMEMORATING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF 
                   THE UNITED STATES ARMY NURSE CORPS

  Mr. INOUYE submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                             S. Con. Res. 5

       Whereas since the War of American Independence, nurses have 
     served the Armed Forces of the United States in peace and in 
     war;
       Whereas on February 2, 1901, Congress authorized the 
     establishment of a permanent nurse corps;
       Whereas for the past 100 years the United States Army Nurse 
     Corps has served with distinction at home and on distant 
     battlefields;
       Whereas over 21,000 Army nurses served in World War I, and 
     many of them were noted in British Army dispatches for their 
     meritorious service;
       Whereas in World War II, over 57,000 Army nurses again 
     served with distinction, including 67 who were captured in 
     the Philippines and held as prisoners of war for 3 years 
     before their liberation in February 1945;
       Whereas Army nurses served in hostilities in Korea, 
     Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Kuwait, and Somalia;
       Whereas Army nurses were there to care for United States 
     soldiers, wherever those soldiers were fighting, thereby 
     winning extraordinary distinction and respect for the Nation 
     and the United States Army;
       Whereas on this 100th Anniversary of the United States Army 
     Nurse Corps, nurses in the Army Reserve, the Army National 
     Guard, and the Regular Army are deployed to over 15 
     countries, including to Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo;
       Whereas the motto of Army nurses, ``Ready, Caring, Proud'' 
     is more than mere words, it is the creed by which the Army 
     nurse lives and serves;
       Whereas it is certain that Army nurses, selflessly serving 
     the Nation, will continue to be the credentials of our Army, 
     even though no one can predict the cause, location, or 
     magnitude of future battles; and
       Whereas the United States Army Nurse Corps is committed to 
     providing quality care in peace and war, at anytime and in 
     any place: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) recognizes the valor, commitment, and sacrifice that 
     United States Army nurses have made throughout the history of 
     the Nation;
       (2) commends the United States Army Nurse Corps for 100 
     years of selfless service;
       (3) requests that the President issue a proclamation 
     recognizing the 100th anniversary of the United States Army 
     Nurse Corps on February 2, 2001; and
       (4) calls upon the people of the United States to observe 
     that anniversary with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

  Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a resolution to 
commemorate the 100th anniversary of the United States Army Nurse 
Corps.
  As a proud supporter of the Army Nurse Corps, both the officers and 
the many enlisted and civilian personnel who work with them, I am 
pleased that we are taking time today to recognize their contributions 
to our army and our nation.
  Since the War of Independence, nurses have served our military in 
peace and in war, but it was not until 1901 that a bill came before the 
Congress to establish a permanent Nurse Corps. The Nurse Corps became a 
permanent corps of the medical department under the Army Reorganization 
Act passed by the Congress on February 2, 1901. At that time, the Nurse 
corps was composed of only women.
  The Army Nurse Corps has a proud history. More than 21,000 nurses 
served during World War I, many of them named in British Army 
dispatches for their meritorious service. In World War II, more than 
57,000 Army nurses again served with distinction. Sixty-six of those 
nurses were captured in the Philippines and held as prisoners of war 
for three years before their liberation in February 1945. There is not 
enough time to describe all of the heroic actions of the nurses who 
waded ashore on the Anzio beachhead and many other locations throughout 
the war. One nurse, Lieutenant Frances Y. Slinger from Roxbury, 
Massachusetts, wrote a letter to Stars and Stripes from her tent in 
Belgium:

       Sure we rough it. But compared to the way you men are 
     taking it, we can't complain, nor do we feel that bouquets 
     are due us. . . . It is to you we doff our helmets. To every 
     G.I. wearing the American uniform-for you we have the 
     greatest admiration and respect.

  Seventeen days later, on October 21, 1944, Lieutenant Slanger died of 
wounds caused by the shelling of her tented hospital area. Hundreds of 
soldiers replied:

       To all Army nurses overseas: We men were not given the 
     choice of working in the battlefield or the home front. We 
     cannot take any credit for being here. We are here because we 
     have to be. You are here because you felt you were needed. 
     So, when an injured man opens his eyes to see one of you . . 
     . . Concerned with his welfare, he can't but be overcome by 
     the very thought that you are doing it because you want to . 
     . . you endure whatever hardships you must be where you can 
     do us the most good.

  Eventually, on August 9, 1955, Public Law 294 authorized commissions 
for male nurses in the U.S. Army Reserve. Army Nurses went to serve our 
nation in Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Operation Desert Shield/
Desert Storm, Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo and other far away destinations. 
Army Nurses are currently deployed to more than 15 countries, and there 
are nurses in the Army Reserves, Army National Guard and the Active 
Force. Today, we recognize the men and women of the Army Nurse Corps 
for their selfless service and dedication to our nation and our 
military. I commend the Army Nurse Corps for its commitment to 
excellence and for a century of leadership and caring for America's 
Army from 1901 to 2001.

                          ____________________