{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-collins-king-and-daines-lead-senators-in-introducing-legislation-to-honor-wwii-cadet-nurses", "Warren, Collins, King, and Daines Lead Senators in Introducing Legislation to Honor WWII Cadet Nurses", "2018-12-07", "2018", "2018-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Elizabeth Warren", "W000817", "www.warren.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "December 07, 2018\n\t\t\t Warren, Collins, King, and Daines Lead Senators in Introducing Legislation to Honor WWII Cadet Nurses \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n        \n\t\t\t\t Bipartisan, Bicameral Legislation Unveiled on National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t Bill\r\nText | One-Pager Washington, DC - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren\r\n(D-Mass.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Angus King (I-ME), and Steve Daines (R-MT)\r\nintroduced the U.S Cadet Nurse Corps Service Recognition Act, a bill to honor\r\nwomen who served in the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps during WWII with honorary\r\nveteran status. The bill, which comes on National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day,\r\nwould recognize former Cadet Nurses' service to our country and provide them\r\nwith honorable discharges, ribbon and medal privileges, and burial privileges.\r\nThe bill will be introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by\r\nCongresswoman Cheri Bustos (D-IL) and Congressman Greg Gianforte (R-MT).  \"Cadet Nurses served our country bravely in World War II, and they deserve\r\nour utmost thanks and respect. When our country needed them most, they stepped\r\nup to answer the call of duty,\" said Senator Warren.\r\n\"Honoring veterans is not a partisan issue; it's something we are all\r\ncalled to do as Americans. I'm proud to introduce the U.S Cadet Nurse Corps Service Recognition Act to ensure that Cadet Nurses who served in World War II receive\r\nthe recognition they deserve.\" \"Whether in a hospital or overseas on a military base, nurses work on the\r\nfront lines of patient care in a wide variety of health care settings and serve\r\nas critically important advocates for patients and their families,\" said\r\nSenator Collins. \"The U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps played a vital role\r\nin WWII, addressing a critical shortage of nurses during the War and providing\r\nwomen with an expedited nursing education in exchange for their healthcare\r\nservices. U.S. Cadet Nurses worked tirelessly to keep America's healthcare\r\nsystem strong, and many went on to work in military hospitals caring for our\r\ninjured troops. I am proud to cosponsor this meaningful bill, and I encourage\r\nmy colleagues to join us in honoring U.S. Cadet Nurses.\" \"On this day in 1941, the attack on Pearl Harbor shocked the nation and\r\nbrought the United States into World War II,\" said Senator King.\r\n\"Seventy-seven years later, it is still important to remember the\r\ncontributions of all Americans who answered the call to serve - including the\r\nCadet Nurses, who saved lives, healed the injured, and in so many ways, helped\r\nsave our nation.\" \"The ladies of the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps served our nation with\r\ndistinction at the height of World War II. It is fitting that on the 77th\r\nanniversary of Pearl Harbor, we pause to remember the contributions of these\r\nbrave women, and take this step to preserve their proud legacy,\" said\r\nSenator Daines. \"Serving our veterans is one of my highest\r\npriorities, and I will continue to fight to ensure all of those who serve our\r\ncountry are treated with the respect and honor they deserve.\" Senators Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Robert Menendez\r\n(D-NJ) joined the bipartisan group in recognizing the service of the U.S. Cadet\r\nNurse Corps.  \"Our Cadet Nurses in World War II answered the call of duty and helped the\r\nUnited States save the world. We should honor them as we honor all of our veterans\r\n- with gratitude and respect,\" said Senator Markey.\r\n\"The Nurse Corps Service Recognition Act would ensure that the Cadet\r\nNurses who served with patriotism and bravery receive the recognition they\r\ndeeply deserve.\"  \r\n   \r\n\"The nurses who sacrificed in World War II served their country and earned\r\nour eternal gratitude,\" said Senator Murphy. \"This\r\nbill rights a wrong, and grants recognition to the Nurse Corps members who\r\nsaved soldiers' lives and helped them return home.\" \"When our nation needed nurses and medical professionals during World War\r\nII, the women of the Cadet Nurse Corps answered the call and gave of themselves\r\nto serve their country,\" said Senator Menendez. \"It\r\nis our responsibility to give them the honor and recognition they earned and\r\ndeserve for their service and sacrifice to this great nation.\"  \r\n    \r\nIn the midst of WWII, a severe shortage of trained nurses threatened the\r\nnation's ability to meet domestic and military medical needs. In response,\r\nCongress established the Cadet Nurse Corps, an integrated, uniformed service of\r\nthe Public Health Administration, in 1943. The Cadet Nurse Corps provided young\r\nwomen with expedited nursing education in exchange for \"service in\r\nessential nursing for the duration of the war.\" In total, nearly 120,000\r\nwomen completed the Corps' rigorous training. Cadet Nurses served in military\r\nhospitals, VA hospitals, private hospitals, public health agencies, and public\r\nhospitals. In 1944, the Federal Security Agency identified \"national\r\nrecognition for rendering a vital war service\" as a privilege of service\r\nin the Corps.  Cadet Nurse Elizabeth \"Betty\" Beecher was one of those 120,000 women.\r\nShe trained to become a Cadet Nurse in Boston, Massachusetts, then served as a\r\nnurse at a Staten Island, N.Y., marine hospital near the end of WWII. \"We\r\nprevented a total collapse of the health care system,\" she said. \"Had\r\nwe not stepped up and volunteered and enlisted in the Corps, I'm afraid the\r\ncountry would have been demoralized and our boys would have come home to a sick\r\ncountry.\"  The U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps Service Recognition Act would: \r\n Provide Cadet Nurses with veteran's status, with an\r\n     honorable discharge from service where merited;\r\n  \r\n Provide Cadet Nurses with burial benefits from the\r\n     Department of Veterans Affairs; and\r\n  \r\n Allow the Secretary of Defense to provide honorably\r\n     discharged Cadet Nurses with a service medal.\r\n The bill has been endorsed by the American Nurses Association, the American\r\nAssociation of Colleges of Nursing, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the American Organization of Nurse Executives. ###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.warren.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/warren-collins-king-and-daines-lead-senators-in-introducing-legislation-to-honor-wwii-cadet-nurses"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5276670455932617, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}