[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 12 (Thursday, January 27, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S345-S346]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    COMMEMORATING THE 110TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE U.S. ARMY NURSE CORPS

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that we proceed to 
S. Res. 31.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 31) commemorating the 110th 
     anniversary of the United States Army Nurse Corps.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  (At the request of Mr. Reid, the following statement was ordered to 
be printed in the Record.)
 Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, today I rise to commemorate the 
110th anniversary of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps. As a proud supporter of 
the officers, enlisted, and civilian personnel of the Army Nurse Corps, 
I am pleased that we are recognizing their contributions to our Army 
and our great Nation.
  Since 1901, Army nurses have demonstrated again and again their total 
commitment to the highest standards of military nursing excellence. 
Both men and women have served as Army nurses since 1775, but the Army 
Nurse Corps did not become a part of the Army Medical Department until 
1901. The distinguished contributions of female contract nurses during 
and following the 1898 Spanish-American War became the justification 
and demonstrated the need for a permanent female nurse corps.
  When the United States entered World War I in 1917, there were only 
4,093 nurses on Active Duty. By November 1918, there were 21,460 Army 
nurses, with 10,000 serving overseas. During the war, nurses served 
primarily in base, evacuation, and mobile surgical hospitals in the 
United States, France, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines. They 
also provided care on hospital trains in France and transport ships 
carrying wounded home across the Atlantic. Approximately 270 nurses 
lost their lives in the conflict.
  When the United States entered World War II, fewer than 7,000 nurses 
were on Active Duty. By 1945, more than 57,000 Army nurses were 
assigned to hospital ships and trains, flying ambulances, field 
hospitals, evacuation stations, and general hospitals at home and 
overseas. In Europe, Army nurses assisted in developing the concept of 
recovery wards for immediate postoperative nursing care. Military 
nursing gained a greater understanding of the process of shock, blood 
replacement, and resuscitation. Air evacuation from the combat zone by 
fixed-wing aircraft brought patients to definitive treatment quickly. 
Army flight nurses helped to establish the incredible record of only 5 
deaths in flight per 100,000 patients.
  Nurses endured hardships caring for their patients. In May 1942, with 
the fall of Corregidor in the Philippines, 67 Army nurses became 
Japanese prisoners of war. During the 37-month captivity, the women 
endured primitive conditions and starvation rations. Yet they continued 
to care for the ill and injured in the internment hospital. On Anzio, 
nurses dug their foxholes outside their tents and cared for patients 
under German shellfire. Their example bolstered the spirits of the 
soldiers who shared the same tough experience. By war's end, 215 brave 
nurses died for their country.
  Army nurses once again played a major role in support of combat 
troops when President Truman ordered U.S. forces into Korea in June 
1950. Army nurses cared for combat troops during the landing on Inchon; 
the advance across the 38th parallel into North Korea; the amphibious 
landing on the east coast of Korea; the drive toward the Yalu River; 
and the retreat to the 38th parallel. Throughout the Korean war, 540 
Army nurses served on the embattled peninsula.
  Mobility and increased patient acuity characterized service in 
Vietnam. Evacuation by helicopter brought wounded to medical units 
located within minutes flying time of the battlefield. The UH-1H 
helicopter ambulance, nicknamed the ``Dustoff,'' not only transported 
patients from battle locations 50 percent faster than in Korea but also 
provided triage and resuscitative services for casualties. Trauma care 
specialization, as well as shock trauma units, developed from this 
experience. The ``chain of evacuation'' from Vietnam was extraordinary. 
A soldier could be wounded on the battlefield one day and 2 days later 
be in an Army hospital in the continental United States. In Vietnam, of 
the nearly 5,000 Army Nurses who served in 44 hospitals, 8 women made 
the ultimate sacrifice for their Nation.
  During Operation Desert Storm, approximately 2,200 nurses served in 
44 hospitals. Two of every three nurses in the Arabian Gulf were from 
the Army National Guard or Army Reserves. This was the first major 
conflict that DEPMEDS, Deployable Medical Systems, were used. Another 
unique feature was that Army hospital staff coexisted with host nation 
personnel in fixed facilities forming joint national professional 
organizations. Before, during, and after the 100-hour ground war, U.S. 
forces sustained a disease and nonbattle injury rate that was the 
lowest ever recorded in a conflict.
  Recent years have seen Army nurses active throughout the world both 
in armed conflicts and humanitarian endeavors. In 1983, they supported 
combat troops in Grenada; in 1989 in Panama; and in 1991 in the Middle 
East. Since December 1995, Army nurses have been deployed with medical 
units in support of NATO alliance troops in Haiti, Bosnia, Herzegovina, 
and Kosovo. Nurses have continued to serve proudly during relief 
efforts following natural disasters such as Hurricane Mitch in 1998. 
Today, the legacy of these military nurses lives on. Currently, Army 
nurses serve throughout the world in support of multiple overseas 
contingency operations.
  Throughout its history, the Army Nurse Corps has earned the deep 
respect and gratitude of the American people because of its dedication 
to providing the best possible care to our soldiers and their families 
while serving our country in war and peace. Army nurses have 
unselfishly come to the aid of victims of disaster and disease 
throughout the world. Over time, the mission has grown broader. Yet 
there has been one constant--the devotion of the individual nurse in 
providing excellent nursing care.
  Today, as soldiers serve our Nation, defending freedom across the 
globe, they can rest assured, should they get

[[Page S346]]

injured or become ill, an Army nurse will be by their side, as they 
were there by my side during my hour of need.
  Happy 110th anniversary, Army nursing.
  Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, 
the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid on the 
table, there be no intervening action or debate, and any statements 
related to this matter be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 31) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                               S. Res. 31

       Whereas throughout the history of the United States, nurses 
     have served the United States Armed Forces during times of 
     peace and war;
       Whereas the establishment of the United States Army Nurse 
     Corps (referred to in this preamble as the ``Army Nurse 
     Corps''), a permanent nursing corps, was authorized under 
     section 19 of the Act of February 2, 1901 (31 Stat. 753, 
     chapter 192);
       Whereas for the 110 years since its establishment, the Army 
     Nurse Corps has served with distinction at home and abroad;
       Whereas more than 21,000 Army nurses served in World War I, 
     providing care in evacuation, mobile surgical hospitals, and 
     on hospital trains and transport ships;
       Whereas in World War II, more than 57,000 Army nurses 
     served with distinction, including 67 nurses who were 
     captured in the Philippines and held as prisoners of war for 
     3 years before their liberation in February 1945;
       Whereas Army nurses have served with the United States Army 
     in hostilities in Korea, Vietnam, Grenada, Panama, Kuwait, 
     and Somalia;
       Whereas Army nurses have served shoulder to shoulder with 
     the United States Army for more than 9 years in Afghanistan 
     and 7 years in Iraq;
       Whereas as of the date of agreement to this resolution, 
     nurses in the Army Reserve, the Army National Guard, and the 
     Regular Army are deployed in more than 15 countries;
       Whereas the motto of Army nurses, ``Embrace the Past, 
     Engage the Present, Envision the Future'', symbolizes the 
     bond of the Army Nurse Corps to its rich history as well as 
     its commitment to the care of future generations of 
     Americans;
       Whereas Army nurses, who selflessly serve the United 
     States, will continue to serve the United States Army, 
     regardless of the cause, location, or magnitude of future 
     battles; and
       Whereas the Army Nurse Corps is committed to providing 
     quality care to the United States Army during times of peace 
     and war, at any time and in any place: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the valor, commitment, and sacrifice that 
     United States Army Nurse Corps nurses have made throughout 
     the history of the United States;
       (2) commends the United States Army Nurse Corps for 110 
     years of selfless service; and
       (3) calls upon the people of the United States to observe 
     that anniversary with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

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