[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 84 (Wednesday, May 21, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1003-E1004]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         HONORING WOMEN IN THE ARMED FORCES AND FEMALE VETERANS

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON-LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 20, 2008

  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to support this 
legislation that honors the sacrifice and courage of women in our armed 
forces. I would like to thank my fellow Women's Caucus member and the 
gentle lady from California, Congresswoman Susan Davis for introducing 
this legislation.
  This legislation could not be more timely. Last week we failed to 
pass the Iraq/Afghanistan Supplemental Appropriations bill. This 
failure was not due to our feelings for our men and women in the armed 
forces but goes to the heart of where we stand with this ill-begotten 
war.
  No matter how we voted last week, I believe that all of us, on both 
sides of the aisle, strongly support our men and women who are in 
harm's way. At this point I truly believe that only diplomacy and 
global cooperation can ease the tensions in Iraq and Afghanistan.
  This resolution brings us back to focusing on the actual men and 
women in our armed forces. This is right where the focus should be.
  With over 185,000 women having been deployed in support of Operation 
Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and other missions since 
2001 and nearly 350,000 women serving in the Armed Forces make up 
almost 15 percent of active duty personnel and over 17 percent of the 
National Guard reserve forces--it is time we celebrate what women are 
doing in the armed forces.
  Women have been aiding the U.S. war effort for years. With 34,000 
women serving in World War 1, 400,000 serving in World War II, 120,000 
serving in the Korean War, and well over 7,000 served in the Vietnam 
War--women were clearly serving in our Nation's military well before 
our current missions.
  I chose to celebrate one of our heroic daughters of Texas, Specialist 
Monica L. Brown of the United States Army with House Concurrent 
Resolution 320 for her efforts earlier this year.
  Spec. Brown was the first woman in Afghanistan and only the second 
female soldier since World War II to receive the Silver Star, the 
Nation's third-highest medal for valor. This solider from Lake Jackson, 
Texas is only 19 years old.
  On April 25, 2007, Specialist Brown was part of a four-vehicle convoy 
patrolling near Jani Kheil in the eastern province of Paktia on April 
25, 2007, when a bomb struck one of the Humvees.
  When Spec. Brown saw her fellow soldiers were injured, she grabbed 
her aid bag and started running toward the burning vehicle as 
insurgents opened fire. All five wounded soldiers from her platoon 
scrambled out. Under this commotion, she assessed her patients and 
moved them to a safer location because they were still receiving 
incoming fire.
  The Pentagon's official policy is to prohibit women from serving in 
front-line combat roles in the infantry, armor or artillery, but 
the nature of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, with no real front 
lines, has seen women soldiers take part in close-quarters combat more 
than previous conflicts.

  According to the Army four Army nurses in World War II were the first 
women to receive the Silver Star, though three nurses serving in World 
War I were awarded the medal posthumously in 2007. Sgt. Leigh Ann 
Hester, of Nashville, Tenn., was the first to receive the Silver Star 
in 2005 along with two fellow male soldiers for her gallantry during an 
insurgent ambush on a convoy in Iraq.
  The Army has stated that Spec. Brown's ``bravery, unselfish actions 
and medical aid rendered under fire saved the lives of her comrades and 
represents the finest traditions of heroism in combat.''
  This legislation is not about condoning the wars in Afghanistan or in 
Iraq. This legislation is about us supporting and honoring our troops.
  It is about this Nation's children fighting for the rights of all of 
us in places we do not dare to go, under environments we cannot fully 
appreciate from this comfortable position.
  Spec. Brown reminds us that our youth are fighting in this war, our 
mothers and daughters are fighting in this war, and they deserve to be 
recognized for their achievements.
  However, we not only recognize the sacrifice and courage of Spec. 
Brown, or even just the brave acts of her fellow soldiers, marines, and 
airmen. We must also recognize the

[[Page E1004]]

families of our military. Spec. Brown's grandmother said she was the 
proudest grandmother in all of Lake Jackson, Texas, when she learned of 
her granddaughter's heroism.
  We should all be as proud of our young men and women as Spec. Brown's 
grandmother. In being proud of them, we are not condoning the 
Administration, we are recognizing their efforts and their belief in 
what they have been tasked to do.
  We sit in these chambers and discuss the idea of war, and the 
economic costs to the Nation. However, our men and women in Afghanistan 
and Iraq are dealing with the realities of war every day. Their 
families are also dealing with it every day, as they have to move 
forward without their loved ones.
  I am proud of Specialist Monica L. Brown, Texas is proud of Monica L. 
Brown, and this country should be proud of all the Specialist Brown's 
and all the women like her who have fought the equality war at home and 
the fight for freedom abroad.
  Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join Representative Susan 
Davis and myself in recognizing our women in the armed forces.

                          ____________________