[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 31 (Saturday, February 17, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E387-E388]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   THE PURPLE HEART FAMILY EQUITY ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SUSAN A. DAVIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 16, 2007

  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce 
H.R. 1119, the Purple Heart Family Equity Act.
  I am pleased to introduce this legislation along with my 
distinguished colleagues Congressman Roy Blunt and Congresswoman 
Virginia Foxx. We seek to fully honor the women of the Armed Forces who 
have won the Purple Heart defending our great freedoms and their 
families.
  The Purple Heart, Madam Speaker, is a military decoration awarded to 
service members who have been wounded or killed while serving with the 
U.S. military. Modeled after the Badge of Military Merit given by 
George Washington to members of the Continental Army during the 
Revolutionary War, the Purple Heart is the oldest military decoration 
currently in use and was the first to be made available to every 
service member.
  It is time we built upon the great traditions of the Purple Heart and 
fully recognize the women who have received this high honor. Surely, 
their wounds and sacrifices are just as meaningful.
  Male members of the Order are allowed to invite their wives to join 
with limited membership benefits, according to the current Federal 
Charter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart. But female members 
are not allowed to invite their husbands. Surely, we here in this 
Chamber are not in the business of extending rights to our brave men 
who receive this award but not our brave women.
  I stand here today to urge my colleagues to support the Purple Heart 
Family Equity Act. This bill will update the Federal Charter of the 
Military Order of the Purple Heart to allow husbands of female members 
of the Order to become Associate Members.
  The first women to be awarded the Purple Heart was 1LT Annie G. Fox. 
She was awarded this distinction in 1941 after the attack on

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Pearl Harbor where she made the ultimate sacrifice for her country. It 
has been 66 years and it is time we acted to fully honor the courageous 
women who are bestowed with the Purple Heart. Let us honor the memory 
of First Lieutenant Fox and the countless other women who have made 
unimaginable sacrifices for all of us by voting yes on H.R. 1119.

                          ____________________