Resolutions Passed in 2000

Assignment of Women to Submarines

WHEREAS, the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services has called for the assignment of females to submarines; and

WHEREAS, the immediate past Chief of Naval Operations has opposed the assignment of women to submarines; and

WHEREAS, ship alterations to accommodate women would require the removal of operational equipment, thereby reducing fighting effectiveness; and

WHEREAS, the assignment of women would have a devastating effect upon the morale of crews and their families and upon the readiness of the force to meet national defense requirements;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Military Order of the World Wars, in National Convention, St. Louis, Missouri, 2-6 August 2000, urges the President to support the immediate past Chief of Naval Operations on this issue and asks Congress to preserve its right to set policy on the assignment of women to submarines.

Military Recruiters in High Schools

WHEREAS, numerous high schools are denying military recruiters access to students, thereby preventing young people from receiving training in citizenship, discipline, and information about education and training incentives offered by the armed forces; and

WHEREAS, denial of access undermines our national defense by making it more difficult to recruit the young Americans necessary to maintain the readiness of the armed forces;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Military Order of the World Wars, in National Convention, St. Louis, Missouri, 2-6 August 2000, supports federal legislation that encourages high schools to allow access to military recruiters and eliminate federal education assistance funds to any high school that denies access.

The Pledge of Allegiance For Military Officers

WHEREAS, learning and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance is an important ingredient to patriotic education; and

WHEREAS, civilians are called upon to say the Pledge of Allegiance while holding their right hand over their heart; and

WHEREAS, current military protocol is that officers in uniform stand at attention and remain silent during the Pledge of Allegiance;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Military Order of the World Wars, in National Convention, St. Louis, Missouri, 2-6 August 2000, calls upon the military services to revise their protocol and require officers in uniform to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

Security of Nuclear Programs

WHEREAS, atomic secrets obtained by David Greenglass, a Los Alamos atomic research employee, and sold by Ethel and Julius Rosenberg enabled the Soviet Union to develop nuclear weapons to restrain the United States while the Soviet Union sponsored aggression by North Korea; and

WHEREAS, history makes it clear that inadequate security for our nuclear programs presents significant risks from foreign power and demands the strictest enforcement; and

WHEREAS, our nation’s security has been damaged once again by two critically significant security breaches within the past year at the Los Alamos nuclear research laboratory;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Military Order of the World Wars, in National Convention, St. Louis, Missouri, 2-6 August 2000, urges Congress to revisit and enact the necessary laws to safeguard our nuclear programs.

Trade With The People's Republic of China

WHEREAS, the People’s Republic of China seeks to establish permanent normal trade relations with the United States and become a member of the World Trade Organization; and

WHEREAS, the People’s Republic of China continues to increase tensions and threaten the stability of East Asia by its actions; and

WHEREAS, a year-by-year trade review permits our government to closely monitor our relationship with the People’s Republic of China ;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Military Order of the World Wars, in National Convention, St. Louis , Missouri , 2-6 August 2000, is opposed to granting permanent trade relations with the People’s Republic of China .

UN Convention on the Protection of Peacekeepers

WHEREAS, the Order has been generally supportive of the United Nations over the years; and

WHEREAS, our armed forces are presently deployed throughout the world; and

WHEREAS, the United Nations has developed a “Convention on the Protection of Peacekeepers”;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Military Order of the World Wars, in National Convention, St. Louis, Missouri, 2-6 August 2000, urges the President to sign and Congress to ratify the “UN Convention on the Protection of Peacekeepers” and urge all other nations to do the same.

The Armed Forces Retirement Homes

WHEREAS, the Armed Forces Retirement Home (AFRH) system was created in 1991 when Congress merged the US Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Home (USSAH) and the US Naval Home (USNH) in Gulfport, Mississippi, opening up both Homes to all Services; and

WHEAREAS, the AFRH system, which is available to all retired enlisted and warrant officer personnel, has been supported by a trust fund resourced by 50 cents a month withheld from active duty enlisted and warrant officer paychecks, fines and forfeitures from military disciplinary actions, resident fees and interest income; and

WHEAREAS, downsizing of the Armed Forces has resulted in a 39 percent decrease in AFRH system income which, if not supplemented and restored, will require both Homes to close their doors by about year 2004;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Military Order of the World Wars, in Convention, Tacoma , WA , 28 July - 1 August 1999 , urges Congress to support and fund measures including Congressional appropriations to provide for the long-term viability of the United States Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Home and the United States Naval Home.

Homosexuality in the Armed Forces

WHEREAS, the primary purpose of the military is to provide for the national defense;  and

WHEREAS, experience confirms that the presence of avowed homosexuals and lesbians within the military undermines morale and discipline to the detriment of combat readiness;  and

WHEREAS, given that the armed forces must act in loco parentis for the young men and women entrusted to their care, many parents would discourage their sons and daughters from joining an armed service which is forced to accommodate the homosexual and lesbian lifestyles;  and

WHEREAS, the Congress, in enacting P.L. 103-160, established policy to codify and restate most of the elements of the long-standing policy excluding homosexuals from the military;  and

WHEREAS, Department of Defense directives and guidelines reflect unacceptable deviations from the law passed by Congress;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the General Staff of the Military Order of the World Wars, in session in Huntsville , Alabama , 26-29 January 2000, urges Congress to take steps necessary to ensure that the Department of Defense complies with the law as stated in P.L. 103-160.

Retention of the Vieques Island Weapons Range for Naval Readiness

WHEREAS, the land comprising the Vieques Island Weapons Range,  owned by the U. S. Navy, is the only training range in the Atlantic Area where the Navy and Marine Corps can conduct combined live-fire exercises with air, surface, and subsurface units;  and

WHEREAS, the Government of Puerto Rico has demanded closure of the Vieques Weapons Range ; and

WHEREAS, the Navy has worked with the government of Puerto Rico to enhance economic opportunities to preserve and protect the island’s ecological/environmental status, and reduced live-fire operations;  and

WHEREAS, a presidential panel has recommended that the military be allowed to resume live firing on Navy property on Vieques Island, but that the range be shut down in five years;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the General Staff of the Military Order of the World Wars, in session in Huntsville, Alabama, 26-29 January 2000, urges the President and the Congress to ensure the continued use of the Vieques Island Range as vital to the readiness of naval task groups, until the Navy develops a suitable alternative site for conducting live-fire combined arms training.