[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 17]
[SE]
[Pages 24206-24207]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 72--COMMEMORATING THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF 
 THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE UNITED STATES CADET NURSE CORPS AND VOICING 
 THE APPRECIATION OF CONGRESS REGARDING THE SERVICE OF THE MEMBERS OF 
        THE UNITED STATES CADET NURSE CORPS DURING WORLD WAR II

  Mr. DASCHLE submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions:

                            S. Con. Res. 72

       Whereas the United States experienced an extreme shortage 
     of nurses and medical personnel during World War II, and this 
     shortage was filled in part by the 180,000 women of the 
     United States Cadet Nurse Corps;
       Whereas the United States Cadet Nurse Corps was under the 
     jurisdiction of the Public Health Service, a branch of the 
     uniformed services of the United States;
       Whereas the United States Cadet Nurse Corps was established 
     pursuant to the Act of June 15, 1943 (Chapter 126; 57 Stat. 
     153), commonly known as the Bolton Act in honor of 
     Congresswoman Frances Payne Bolton who introduced the 
     legislation;
       Whereas the members of the United States Cadet Nurse Corps 
     were required to undergo training that involved 12-hour days 
     in hospitals followed by classes, with specific standards for 
     admission into the Corps;
       Whereas the members of the United States Cadet Nurse Corps 
     made a pledge upon entrance into their post to be available 
     for military, governmental, or essential civilian services 
     for the duration of World War II;
       Whereas the members of the United States Cadet Nurse Corps 
     wore uniforms with patches certified by the Secretary of the 
     Army and served under the authority of commissioned officers;
       Whereas members of the United States Cadet Nurse Corps were 
     charged with the reception of sick and wounded members of the 
     Armed Forces and performed other duties in promotion of the 
     public interest in connection with military operations;
       Whereas the United States Cadet Nurse Corps was responsible 
     for saving civilian hospital nursing services by providing 80 
     percent of the nursing staff for civilian hospitals during 
     World War II;
       Whereas some members of the United States Cadet Nurse Corps 
     left their families and served all across the Nation in 
     various hospitals, occasionally substituting for doctors; and
       Whereas the United States Cadet Nurse Corps remains 
     unrecognized as a military organization and its members 
     remain unrecognized as veterans of the United States Army: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) recognizes the members of the United States Cadet Nurse 
     Corps for their patriotism and civic activism in a time of 
     emergency during World War II; and
       (2) honors the 60th Anniversary of the creation of the 
     United States Cadet Nurse Corps.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, today I am submitting a concurrent 
resolution to honor a special group of women who served their Nation 
during World War II, veterans of the Cadet Nurse Corps.
  During World War II, 250,000 nurses were sent to the front lines to 
care for Allied troops. By 1942, there was such a shortage of civilian 
nurses in the United States that many immunizations were cancelled and 
hundreds of clinics were closed. An alarmingly high number of babies 
were being delivered at home, without the assistance of medical 
professionals, and some hospitals were forced to shut wards.
  To alleviate this shortage, nearly 180,000 young women answered the 
call of government recruiters to join the Cadet Nurse Corps. These 
young women staffed domestic hospital wards while the overseas nurses 
cared for wounded troops on the front lines. The Cadet Nurses comprised 
nearly 80 percent of the nursing staff for civilian hospitals during 
World War II, and, without their service, our Nation could not have 
afforded to make such a tremendous commitment to providing medical 
attention to our troops overseas.
  Recently, a number of former Cadet Nurses who trained at St. Luke's 
Hospital in Aberdeen, SD, gathered for a reunion. This year, as you may 
know, marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Cadet 
Nurse Corps. The reunion drew about a dozen former members of the 
Corps, including several who now live out of State.
  Among the participants was Esther Roesch Buechler, and her story 
provides insight into what it was like to serve as a Cadet Nurse.

[[Page 24207]]

  Esther, now 78 years old, grew up in Roscoe, a small community in 
north-central South Dakota. She was born with a number of medical 
problems that have inspired her to help others in need. With great 
support from her father, she was determined to devote her life to 
medical care. Upon her graduation from high school in 1943, Esther 
joined the Cadet Nurse Corps. Assigned to St. Luke's, she recalls long, 
arduous hours at a clinic whose nursing staff had been decimated by the 
war. Later in her training, she was sent to the VA nursing home in Des 
Moines, Iowa, where she treated World War I veterans, as well as new 
veterans from the World War II campaign. Following her Cadet Nurse 
Corps experience, Esther served in various hospitals for nearly 10 
years before she retired to raise her children. And she passed her 
commitment to medical service on to her children--her oldest son 
currently works as a paramedic.
  Cadet Nurses like Esther were an essential part of our military 
force. They were members of the Public Health Service, one of our 
Nation's seven uniformed services. They served under the authority of 
commissioned officers, wearing patches certified by the Secretary of 
the Army. And they treated the injuries of troops returning home from 
the war front. Despite their dedicated service to our Nation, it is 
unfortunate that the Department of Defense has elected to block efforts 
to recognize these women as military veterans.
  During the existence of the Cadet Nurse Corps, more than 124,000 
Cadet Nurses graduated from 1,125 schools operating nurse training 
programs around the country. Without the Cadet Nurses, our battlefield 
medical services, as well as our health care here at home, could not 
have carried on with the same proficiency. For their tremendous service 
to our nation, I salute the Cadet Nurse Corps, and I ask you to join 
with me in supporting this resolution honoring their patriotism.

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