A house RESOLUTION

 

TO honor Arlene G. Burch of horry county for her outstanding service as a member of the U.S. Navy during THE KOREAN WAR and to congratulate her on being named a Living Legend by the Military Women's Memorial in Washington, D.C.

 

Whereas, the South Carolina House of Representatives is pleased to learn that Arlene G. Burch of Horry County has been selected to receive special Living Legend recognition by the Military Women's Memorial (MWM), located at the ceremonial entrance to Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.; and

 

Whereas, the MWM is the only national memorial that honors, and tells the stories of, women who have served our nation in the U.S. Armed Forces, whether in the past or present. It contains innovative and interactive exhibits, world-class collections (books, documents, periodicals, and memorabilia provided by women who have registered their service), and engaging programs and traveling exhibits. Through the exhibits and individual member registrations, the memorial honors the commitment, contributions, and experiences of these women from the Revolutionary War forward to today. In addition, women who served during periods of conflict in associated service organizations, such as the Red Cross, USO, and U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps, are honored; and

 

Whereas, the Military Women's Memorial has a special Living Legend recognition program to honor its most senior members. Any member who reaches 100 years of age automatically qualifies for the Living Legend recognition, and other senior women may be nominated. Each Living Legend is presented with a proclamation certificate, a personal letter from the MWM president, and a presentation print of her MWM profile page; and

 

Whereas, now 98 years young, Arlene G. Burch joined the U.S. Navy in 1950 at the age of 23 and served the Navy as a member of the WAVES during the Korean War. A Petty Officer Third Class Teleman, she performed a variety of communications duties: operating and maintaining teletype equipment and radios; encoding and decoding message traffic; sending to, and receiving messages from, naval stations at sea and ashore worldwide; providing meteorological support and recordkeeping; and handling postal duties; and

 

Whereas, for her training, Arlene attended twelve weeks of boot camp at the Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois, followed by sixteen weeks of technical training at the Norfolk Naval Station in Virginia, to become a Teleman. She took courses in meteorology, electronics, teletype equipment use and maintenance, cryptology, Morse code, and more and graduated second in her class. Arlene recalls studying Morse code to the point that when her barracks radiator clanged in the night, she thought it was sending a message!; and

 

Whereas, upon graduation, Arlene was assigned to "Main Navy," the headquarters building for the U.S. Navy in Washington, D.C. (That building was demolished in 1970, and the space now holds Constitution Gardens and the Vietnam Memorial.) She served as a Petty Officer Third Class Teleman until meeting her husband, Roy, a personnel specialist who also served in the Navy. Ready to start a family, Arlene elected to end her naval service in 1953. Now, therefore,

 

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

 

That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, honor Arlene G. Burch of Horry County for her outstanding service as a member of the U.S. Navy during the Korean War and congratulate her on being named a Living Legend by the Military Women's Memorial in Washington, D.C.

 

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Arlene G. Burch.

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