83R23377 JNC-D

By: Reynolds H.R. No. 1803

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, Residents of Texas are gathering at the State Capitol on May 1, 2013, to commemorate Texas Women's Veterans Day, and this occasion provides a fitting opportunity to pay tribute to the immeasurable contributions that women have made as part of our nation's armed forces; and

WHEREAS, Long before they gained regular admission to the military, thousands of women assisted the uniformed branches in a variety of ways; they worked as nurses, water bearers, laundresses, and cooks, sometimes served as spies and saboteurs, and on occasion even took up arms; and

WHEREAS, In 1901, the United States Army broke new ground by creating an actual nurses corps, and the navy followed in 1908; the ranks of these units swelled during World War I, when nearly 23,000 women served as nurses with the American military; the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps enlisted nearly 13,000 additional women as yeomen and reservists and assigned them to duty stateside, to free their male counterparts for combat at sea and abroad; and

WHEREAS, The participation of women in the military surged during World War II, with more than 400,000 filling posts at home and overseas; to more fully utilize their abilities, the army established the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, later known as the Women's Army Corps and commanded with consummate ability by the Texan Oveta Culp Hobby; the army also created the WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots), while the navy organized the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), the Marine Corps established the Marine Corps Women's Reserve, and the Coast Guard created a reserve unit known as the SPARs; in spite of widespread misgivings about their suitability for the work, women proved themselves in an array of assignments, and in 1948 an Act of Congress granted them permanent status in the regular and reserve forces; and

WHEREAS, Barriers to the participation of women in the military continued to fall; legal provisions placing a two percent cap on the number of women serving and a ceiling on the highest grade a woman could achieve were repealed in 1967; by 1972, the various ROTC programs were opened to women, and in 1976 women were admitted to the service academies; they are now eligible to enter nearly all career fields in the armed forces; and

WHEREAS, Today, women make up approximately 15 percent of our nation's military; they account for 7.7 percent of the veteran population, and by 2020 that proportion is expected to reach 10 percent; and

WHEREAS, The Lone Star State is proud to be home to the second largest number of women veterans in the country, and these courageous individuals are deserving of their fellow citizens' deepest gratitude and unfailing support; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 83rd Texas Legislature hereby recognize May 1, 2013, as Texas Women's Veterans Day at the State Capitol in honor of the many women from the Lone Star State who have served this country as members of the military.