# Understanding the Donut Dollies Congressional Gold Medal Act

This bill honors a group of American women volunteers who served in Vietnam during the war. These women, nicknamed the "Donut Dollies," worked for the Red Cross running recreation and morale programs for American soldiers from 1962 to 1973. The bill's main purpose is to award them a Congressional Gold Medal—one of the highest civilian honors the United States can give—in recognition of their service and sacrifice.

Who were the Donut Dollies? About 627 young women volunteered to work in the Red Cross's Supplemental Recreation Activities Overseas (SRAO) program during the Vietnam War. They traveled constantly by jeep, truck, airplane, and helicopter to visit military bases and frontline positions across Vietnam, bringing entertainment, companionship, and a connection to home for American servicemembers. Military commanders at the time praised their work as "indispensable" to keeping soldier morale high. These women faced real danger—they worked in active war zones, and tragically, three female volunteers died in Vietnam while serving in this program.

What does this bill actually do? Congress will authorize the creation of a gold medal to commemorate all members of the SRAO program. The Treasury Department will design and strike the medal, and it will be displayed at the Smithsonian Institution. The bill also allows the U.S. Mint to create and sell bronze copies of the medal to the public, with any money from those sales going back into the Mint's budget. This is essentially a formal recognition and remembrance of these volunteers' contributions—it doesn't provide direct financial benefits to the women themselves, but rather ensures their historical service is officially acknowledged and preserved for future generations.

Donut Dollies Congressional Gold Medal Act

Donut Dollies Congressional Gold Medal ActThis bill awards a Congressional Gold Medal to members of the Red Cross Supplemental Recreational Activities Overseas (SRAO) program, also known as the Donut Dollies, who served honorably during the Vietnam conflict. The bill also authorizes the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate to make arrangements for presenting the medals.