[Sigaba]

Today marks Martha Raye's birthday (27 August 1916).*

One can view footage of her voicing her support for members of the American armed forces serving overseas here.

In 1991, in concurrent resolutions, the House of Representatives (on 19 March 1991) and the Senate (on 18 September 1991) expressed Congress's sense that Ms. Raye should be awarded the Medal of Freedom. The text of the Senate's resolution follows.

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the President should award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Martha Raye.

Whereas Martha Raye, born Margaret Yvonne Theresa Reed of Butte, Montana, and known affectionately by our Vietnam veterans as `Colonel Maggie', has been a source of comfort, inspiration, and joy for 3 generations of American servicemen and women at war;

Whereas during World War II Martha Raye entertained our troops as a USO trouper at many disparate fronts, including Pearl Harbor, North Africa, Europe, the South Pacific, and continued such service even after being stricken with yellow fever;

Whereas during the Korean war Martha Raye was with our troops, entertaining them and administering to our wounded, even though she had her own weekly television show for much of that time;

Whereas during the Vietnam War Martha Raye devoted 3 to 6 months of each year to be with our young men and women in Vietnam, providing them with respite and relief from the terrible stress and isolation of war, and visiting, without entourage, the most remote camps and outposts, often at great personal risk;

Whereas Martha Raye was twice wounded while visiting troops in Vietnam and received 2 Purple Hearts;

Whereas during her many stays with our troops in Vietnam Martha Raye continually found herself under enemy fire, and she showed herself to possess considerable nursing skills by administering to the wounded, whether they were American or Vietnamese, soldier or civilian;

Whereas Martha Raye delivered countless letters from our troops in Vietnam to their families back home and from families to their sons and daughters in the field, including hand-delivering almost 300 letters in 1969;

Whereas Martha Raye offered the hospitality of her own home in California as a temporary home to scores of GI's on their return from Vietnam;

Whereas during the Vietnam War Martha Raye was `adopted' by the elite United States Special Forces and `commissioned' as an honorary lieutenant colonel, the first and possibly only woman ever authorized to wear the prized Green Beret, and the Green Beret she was given is presently on display at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Museum, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina;

Whereas during the Vietnam War Martha Raye was also adopted by the elite United States Marines and `commissioned' as an honorary colonel;

Whereas Martha Raye, despite her show business persona, jealously guards her privacy and scrupulously avoided media coverage while in Vietnam, causing the public to be unaware of the full extent of her commitment to our servicemen and women and her sacrifice of her career and personal life on their behalf; and

Whereas Martha Raye is truly both an unsung hero and a national treasure: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that--

(1) the President should award the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Martha Raye in honor of her meritorious service to the United States; and

(2) the Secretary of the Senate shall transmit a copy of this resolution to Martha Raye.**

On 2 November 1993, the White House announced that Maggie Raye would receive the medal.***

Video of Maggie Raye receiving the Medal of Freedom can be viewed here. Please note that the comments posted below the video are unmediated and, at times, uncivil.

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* Source is here.
** This is the text of the Senate's version of the resolution, available here. The House of Representatives version is available here. The legislative history of the concurrent resolution is available here.
*** Source is here.