[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 98 (Wednesday, June 12, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H4443-H4444]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
IN RECOGNITION OF WOMEN'S VETERANS DAY
(Ms. JACKSON LEE asked and was given permission to address the House
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, on June 12, 1948, President Harry S.
Truman signed into law the Women's Armed Services Integration Act,
allowing women to serve as regular members of the military.
In the State of Texas, a bill was sent in to establish Women's
Veterans Day,
[[Page H4444]]
and that bill, in the Senate, was signed into law by the Governor of
the State of Texas.
I am honored to represent over 170,000 distinguished women veterans
in the State of Texas. Moreover, I am proud to work alongside the four
women veterans serving in the 116th Congress, and many more.
On this day, it is imperative that we highlight women's role in the
United States military. There should be no secret that women play an
integral part.
They volunteer for the same reasons as men, but 4.3 percent of women
in the military reported being sexually assaulted. Female veterans are
three to four times more likely than their civilian counterparts to
become homeless and 2.5 times more likely to commit suicide.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Dr. LaShondra Jones for bringing to our
attention honoring women veterans today, and they will be taking part
in many different activities. I am in awe of their invaluable service.
I want to salute them today on the floor of the United States House
of Representatives. This is a wonderful day that we are celebrating
Women's Veterans Day in Texas, but we should celebrate it and honor it
in the United States of America.
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