McCollum Supports Army's Opposition to Republican Effort to Ban Women from Military Missions
McCollum Supports Army's Opposition to Republican Effort to Ban Women from Military Missions
Friday, May 13, 2005
McCollum Commends Courage, Competence and Commitment of Female Troops
St. Paul, MN-Congresswoman Betty McCollum (MN-04) voiced her strong opposition to denying women the right to serve in military missions in Iraq and Afghanistan in response to a Republican amendment passed by a party-line vote in a House Armed Services subcommittee. The measure places a "prohibition of assignment of female members of the Army to forward support companies." The ban "includes any Army unit of company size" that "provides combat support or combat service support to a direct ground combat battalion."
"Women are serving with courage, competence and commitment in the Iraq and Afghanistan war zones, just like their male comrades," said McCollum. "For Congress to tell female soldiers they are now incapable of performing their current mission-the very duties they are performing brilliantly everyday in Iraq and Afghanistan-is outrageous, out of touch with reality and blatantly unpatriotic. Republicans on the Armed Services Committee are attacking the morale and cohesiveness that our troops, women and men, rely on to keep each other alive."
Women make up approximately 20 percent of the U.S. troops in Iraq. Currently 189 Minnesota National Guard women are serving in Iraq. More than 60,000 women have been deployed overseas in support of the war in Iraq since December 2002.
"The entire country of Iraq is a combat zone. By attempting to ban women from combat, Republicans are in effect calling for the immediate evacuation of 25,000 or more female soldiers - they are completely out of touch with reality," said McCollum.
In a letter to House leaders yesterday, General Richard A. Codey, Vice Chief of Staff of the Army wrote, "The proposed amendment will cause confusion in the ranks, and will send the wrong signal to the brave young men and women fighting the Global War on Terrorism. This is not the time to create such confusion."
On May 11, the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Personnel voted 9-7 in favor of the amendment, including: John McHugh (R-NY), Tom Davis (R-VA), John Kline (R-MN), Thelma Drake (R-VA), K. Michael Conaway (R-TX), Jim Saxton (R-NJ), Walter Jones (R-NC), Jim Ryun (R-KS), Robin Hayes (R-NC).
http://mccollum.house.gov/index.asp?Type=B_PR&SEC={F48C5ABB-F54E-4941-A054-09B0424987DC}&DE={4EB72975-760D-41E8-878A-01EFC24A637C}