; Whereas Hays earned a bachelor’s degree from Teachers College at Columbia University in 1958; Whereas Hays was sworn in as the 13th Chief of the Army Nurse Corps on September 1, 1967; Whereas Hays traveled to Vietnam three times to assess the state of nursing during the Vietnam war, oversaw a drastic increase in the number of nurses deployed overseas, and helped modernize Army nursing practices; Whereas Hays earned a master’s degree from the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, in 1968; Whereas Hays paved a career path for other women in the military by recommending the end to a policy that automatically discharged those who became pregnant; Whereas, on June 11, 1970, Hays was promoted to brigadier general, the first woman in the United States Military to attain the rank of general officer; Whereas Hays recommended the removal of a policy that prevented women with young children from joining the Army Nurse Corps; Whereas Hays worked tirelessly on behalf of Army nurses, relieving nursing shortages, increasing educational opportunities, bettering the status of and gaining greater peer recognition for nurses, enforcing stronger practice standards, and enhancing utilization; Whereas Hays retired in 1971 after more than 29 years of service with many awards and honors, including the Distinguished Service Medal and the Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster; and Whereas Hays’ life and legacy cleared a path for women in the military to obtain high ranks and helped create a stronger force for defending our Nation: Now, therefore, be it