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April 29, 2026
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Download official Senate Record PDFReturn to issue contextSENATE RESOLUTION 705—COMMENDING THE “DONUT DOLLIES” FOR THEIR PATRIOTIC SERVICE AND STEADFAST SUPPORT OF UNITED STATES SERVICEMEMBERS IN COMBAT AND HONORING THEIR EXTRAORDINARY CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE MORALE
AND WELL-BEING OF UNITED STATES SERVICEMEMBERS DURING WARTIME
Mr. TILLIS (for himself, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Boozman, and Mr. Coons) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:
S. Res. 705
Whereas, in 1917, during World War I, young women of the
Salvation Army known as the “Doughnut Lassies” served near
the front lines, providing hot coffee, doughnuts, and comfort
to United States servicemembers, inspiring the later creation
of National Doughnut Day in their honor;
Whereas, during World War II, the American Red Cross
organized the Clubmobile program, staffed by courageous women
affectionately called “Donut Dollies”, who traveled across
war zones in Europe, North Africa, and the Pacific serving
coffee and doughnuts, offering conversation, and boosting the
morale of servicemembers;
Whereas, during the Korean War, the American Red Cross
continued to deploy Donut Dollies to recreation centers,
service clubs, and forward operating bases, organizing
activities and providing personal support to servicemembers
enduring the harsh conditions of war;
Whereas, from 1965 to 1972, the American Red Cross operated
the Supplemental Recreation Activities Overseas (referred to
in this preamble as “SRAO”) program in the Republic of
Vietnam, deploying more than 600 young women, most recent
college graduates, to remote bases, fire support locations,
and hospitals to provide refreshments, morale, and recreation
activities to United States servicemembers;
Whereas the Donut Dollies often traveled by helicopter or
convoy into active combat zones, facing mortar fire, sniper
threats, and the dangers of war in order to deliver games,
conversation, and a sense of home;
Whereas, based on Red Cross estimates—
(1) at the height of the war, over 300,000 servicemembers
per month benefitted from SRAO services; and
(2) the Donut Dollies traveled 27,000 miles by jeep, truck,
airplane, and helicopter every month;
Whereas, at the height of the war, over 100 Red Cross
workers were operating 17 SRAO units throughout Vietnam;
Whereas military commanders expressed high praise for the
Red Cross volunteers, calling the services of the
organization “indispensable” and “prime factors” in their
efforts to maintain the high morale of their men and to look
after their welfare;
Whereas, writing to Red Cross national headquarters in
1968, General William Westmoreland, then commander of the
United States forces in Southeast Asia, stated, “Serving our
men on the battlefields here in Vietnam, the American Red
Cross is a hotline to the folks back home, an oasis in the
heat of battle, and a comfort during hospitalization.”;
Whereas the Donut Dollies not only uplifted the spirits of
tens of thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines,
but also bore emotional burdens from hearing the fears and
losses of those they served, many of whom did not return;
Whereas the Red Cross volunteers shared with military
personnel the hardship and privation of life in a war zone
and were subject to the dangers of war;
Whereas many staff were injured, and 5 American Red Cross
workers died in-country, including 3 women, Hannah E. Crews,
Virginia E. Kirsch, and Lucinda J. Richter, all of whom were
members of the SRAO program;
Whereas the Donut Dollies, who volunteered to be sent to
the frontlines to support servicemembers, were themselves
exposed to enemy attack, thereby displaying courage and
resilience; and
Whereas the legacy of the Donut Dollies continues to be
honored by veterans who remember their visits as a light in
the darkest days of war, and the extraordinary efforts of
these volunteers throughout the extent of involvement of the
United States in the Vietnam conflict is deserving of
official recognition: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate—
(1) commends the Donut Dollies for their patriotic service
to the United States and steadfast dedication to the morale
and welfare of United States servicemembers in combat;
(2) recognizes the service of the Salvation Army Doughnut
Lassies in World War I, who inspired future generations of
Donut Dollies;
(3) honors the Donut Dollies of World War II, the Korean
War, and especially those of the Supplemental Recreation
Activities Overseas program in the Vietnam War for their
courage, resilience, and lasting impact on the lives of those
they served; and
(4) urges that the story of the Donut Dollies be preserved
and shared as an enduring testament to the spirit of the
United States during wartime service.