[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 44 (Friday, March 14, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E430-E431]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




RESOLUTION HONORING THE SERVICE AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF WOMEN IN THE ARMED 
                       FORCES AND FEMALE VETERANS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SUSAN A. DAVIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 14, 2008

  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce a 
resolution honoring the service and achievements of women in the Armed 
Forces and female veterans. Every time I visit military installations, 
both at home and abroad, I am constantly impressed by the tremendous 
job our service members are doing.
  I am particularly impressed by our brave servicewomen, whom I seek 
out at every chance. Almost 350,000 American women are currently 
serving in our Armed Forces, following in the footsteps of women who 
have voluntarily served in every military conflict in United States 
history since the Revolutionary War.
  During the Revolution, women served on the frontlines as nurses, 
waterbearers, and even saboteurs. For years, women had to disguise 
themselves as men in order to enlist in our military.

[[Page E431]]

  Although the Army and Navy Nurse Corps were established in the early 
1900s, it was not until the Women's Armed Services Integration Act of 
1948 that women were granted permanent status in the regular and 
Reserve Armed Forces.
  Today, our servicewomen play an increasingly important role in 
America's military forces. Women are flying helicopters and fighter 
aircraft; they are saving lives as nurses and doctors; they are driving 
support vehicles and policing perimeters. We should never fail to 
remember the sacrifices our servicewomen and their families make to 
keep our families safe.
  As Chair of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military 
Personnel and Co-Chair of the Women's Caucus Task Force on Women in the 
Military and Veterans, I am privileged to honor the legacy of 
servicewomen in the past, the courage with which women serve today, and 
the enthusiasm inherent in the young women who dream of serving this 
great nation in the future.
  Madam Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to introduce this 
resolution today.

                          ____________________