Senate Recognizes Contributions of Women to Red Cross

On June 21, the Senate approved, by unanimous consent, a resolution commending the efforts of women of the American Red Cross Clubmobiles for their service during World War II.

The measure, sponsored by Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) contains several findings, including:

• Harvey Gibson, the Red Cross Commissioner to Great Britain during the war, conceived of the Clubmobiles in 1942 as a means of providing hot coffee, fresh doughnuts, and a vital connection to home to thousands of servicemen at dozens of airfields, bases, and camps throughout Great Britain during the buildup to D-Day;
• Thousands of young women, from every state in the United States, volunteered to serve in the Clubmobiles, and were chosen after a rigorous interview process in which less than 20 percent of applicants were selected;
• Less than one month after the invasion of Normandy, France in June 1944, 80 Clubmobiles and 320 American Red Cross volunteers crossed the English Channel and began providing coffee, doughnuts, and a friendly smile to servicemen fighting on the front lines;
• The Clubmobile volunteers saw service across Europe in France, Belgium, Italy, Luxembourg, and Germany, and later in the Far East, touching the lives of hundreds of thousands of United States servicemen until victory was achieved;
• Fifty-two women of the American Red Cross, some of whom served on the Clubmobiles, perished during the war as a result of their service; and
• Seventy years have passed since the Clubmobiles were founded, and only a few women who served in the Clubmobiles remain to share their stories.

The resolution honors the Clubmobile women who lost their lives during their service during World War II and “calls upon historians of the Second World War to recognize and describe the service of the Clubmobiles, and to not let this important piece of United States history be lost.”