HR 354 — A Resolution designating December 3, 2025, as "10th Anniversary of Women In Combat Day" in Pennsylvania.

PRINTER'S NO.   2495

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



              HOUSE RESOLUTION
                 No. 354
                                                 Session of
                                                   2025

     INTRODUCED BY HADDOCK, GUENST, FREEMAN, HILL-EVANS, PIELLI,
        GIRAL, SCHLOSSBERG, VENKAT, KHAN, CERRATO, OTTEN, SANCHEZ,
        STEELE, BOROWSKI, GREEN, K.HARRIS, RIVERA, INGLIS, BRENNAN,
        HOHENSTEIN, PROBST, GALLAGHER, MADDEN, SHUSTERMAN AND CEPEDA-
        FREYTIZ, OCTOBER 21, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON VETERANS AFFAIRS AND EMERGENCY
        PREPAREDNESS, OCTOBER 21, 2025


                                  A RESOLUTION
 1   Designating December 3, 2025, as "10th Anniversary of Women In
 2      Combat Day" in Pennsylvania.
 3         WHEREAS, Women assumed responsibilities in the first battles
 4   of our nation's history, tending to soldiers' injuries and
 5   cooking meals in army camps, decades before they were allowed to
 6   serve in an official capacity; and
 7         WHEREAS, It was not until World War I that women were finally
 8   allowed to serve in the United States military, including
 9   serving in the Army and Navy nurse corps and operating
10   telephones, switchboards and radios; and
11         WHEREAS, Women were enlisted in the ranks of all branches of
12   the military for the first time during World War II, though they
13   were ineligible for promotions to general and flag ranks until
14   1967, and could not command units that included men until 1972;
15   and
16         WHEREAS, President Harry S. Truman codified women's right to
 1   serve in all branches of the armed forces in 1948, followed by
 2   the Integration of Armed Forces Executive Order one month later,
 3   granting Black women that same right; and
 4         WHEREAS, Although women were only allowed to make up 2% of
 5   each branch's ranks, could not command men and could not serve
 6   in combat positions, nearly 120,000 women served in active duty
 7   positions in the Korean War and approximately 11,000 mostly
 8   volunteer women were stationed in Vietnam during the Vietnam
 9   War; and
10         WHEREAS, In February 1988, the Department of Defense adopted
11   the "Risk Rule," a standard by which branches of the armed
12   forces could evaluate the requirements for their positions and
13   decide to exclude women, which remained in effect until 1994;
14   and
15         WHEREAS, During the Gulf War, more than 40,000 women were
16   deployed to combat zones, though they were still not technically
17   allowed to serve in direct combat roles or assignments; and
18         WHEREAS, Army Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester was the first woman to
19   ever receive the Silver Star for direct combat action in 2005;
20   and
21         WHEREAS, In 2012, four servicewomen and the Service Women's
22   Action Network sued the Secretary of Defense to challenge the
23   Department of Defense's discriminatory combat exclusion policy;
24   and
25         WHEREAS, In January 2013, Secretary of Defense Leon E.
26   Panetta announced the end of the direct ground combat exclusion
27   rule for female service members and directed that all positions
28   be opened to qualified women by January 1, 2016, a decision
29   which two-thirds of the United States public supported at the
30   time; and

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 1      WHEREAS, Secretary Panetta directed the military services and
 2   specialty schools to update occupational performance standards
 3   and, within three years, make any recommendations for any roles
 4   that should be exceptions from being open to women; and
 5      WHEREAS, In summer 2015, Shaye Haver and Kristen Griest were
 6   the first female officers to graduate from the Army Ranger
 7   school, though they were not immediately eligible for the
 8   special operations force; and
 9      WHEREAS, In September 2015, each branch of the United States
10   military service had to submit recommendations regarding whether
11   to expand eligibility for certain roles to include women or
12   request exceptions, at which point the Navy and Air Force both
13   confirmed that women would be eligible for all positions; and
14      WHEREAS, On December 3, 2015, Defense Secretary Ash Carter
15   announced that all combat roles would be open to women, creating
16   new opportunities to fill 220,000 roles, the remaining 10% of
17   military positions that were previously only available to men,
18   including roles as Army Rangers and Green Berets, Navy SEALs,
19   Marine Corps infantry and Air Force parajumpers; and
20      WHEREAS, Approximately 3,800 women currently serve in
21   frontline Army combat roles, nearly 700 serve in Marine Corps
22   combat roles, and around 730 women serve in the Naval submarine
23   force; and
24      WHEREAS, The Department of Defense made improvements for
25   women's conditions in the armed forces over time, including in
26   1975 by allowing service members to remain in the military after
27   becoming pregnant; and
28      WHEREAS, The revision of policies over time has allowed the
29   branches of the armed forces to recruit, train and promote the
30   most highly skilled and qualified service members through their

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1   ranks, regardless of sex; therefore be it
2      RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate
3   December 3, 2025, as "10th Anniversary of Women In Combat Day"
4   in Pennsylvania.




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