Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswoman Hilda L. Solis (CA-32) is pleased to announce that the U.S. Senate unanimously approved her bill to name a post office in Covina, California, after Captain Lillian Kinkella Keil, the most decorated female veteran in U.S. military history (H.R. 4053). 

“Today’s approval by the U.S. Senate is one step closer to giving Capt. Keil and her family the recognition she has long deserved,” said Congresswoman Solis. “This bill is just one symbol of the gratitude and admiration we have for the men and women, both past and present, who serve our country and risk their lives by defending our freedoms.”

Capt. Keil, known to many as an “Airborne Florence Nightingale,” was a flight nurse for the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II and the Korean War.  She flew 425 combat evacuation missions, including many in Normandy during the D-Day invasion where she helped evacuate thousands of wounded U.S. troops from the battlefield.  Keil was awarded 19 medals and ribbons for her service. 

Keil was honorably discharged from the military in 1955. Her family moved to Covina in 1958, and she continued working as a nurse in emergency rooms and hospitals. After serving her country, she became an active member of the Veterans of War 8620, the American Legion Post 790, and the Chosin Few Veterans Military Organization.  Captain Keil died of cancer at the age of 88 in June of this year.  As a longtime resident of Covina, Captain Keil was not just a brave and self-sacrificing veteran, but she was a loving wife, a mother and a friend to many who live in the 32nd Congressional District.

The bill has the support of Senators Feinstein and Boxer and all 52 Members of the California Congressional Delegation.  The Mayor of Covina and Covina City Council, Mayor of West Covina, and the West Covina Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8620 support naming the post office after this inspiring hero. 

Today’s Senate passage sends the bill to President Bush’s desk for his signature.