Sheila Jackson Lee: “As a cosponsor and a senior member of the House of Representatives, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5068, the ``Women…”

“As a cosponsor and a senior member of the House of Representatives, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5068, the ``Women Who Worked on the Home Front World War II Memorial Act,'' which would authorize the establishment of a memorial on federal land in the District of Columbia, commemorating the efforts of the 18 million American women who kept the home front running during World War II. I would like to thank Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton for introducing this important piece of legislation. It is no secret that women are dramatically underrepresented when it comes to our memorials. Despite being instrumental in maintaining the stability of the country during World War II, the women of World War II have not received much recognition for their contributions. This bill would change that by authorizing the Women Who Worked on the Home Front Foundation to establish a memorial to honor these women. The memorial is designed to be interactive and to educate visitors on the crucial roles women played during World War II. For instance, millions of American women took jobs to support their families and the country at large during World War II, forever redefining what ``women's work'' looked like. In fact, more than 10,000 women served behind the scenes of World War II as codebreakers. Women were also trained to fly military aircraft so that male pilots could leave for combat duty overseas.…”