South Carolina H 3917: Arlene Burch, Living Legend

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 3917 Text of Previous Version (Feb. 06, 2025) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 3917

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

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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This web page was last updated on February 06, 2025 at 11:03 AM