[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 122 (Thursday, August 6, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8982-S8983]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          WOMEN'S EQUALITY DAY

  Mrs. McCASKILL. Mr. President, in observance of the upcoming Women's 
Equality Day on August 26, 2009, I wish to pay tribute to the women 
soldiers and civilians of the U.S. Army who serve and defend our great 
country each day--whether in garrison communities here in the United 
States, like at Ft. Leonard Wood in my native Missouri, or on the front 
lines of battle in places like Afghanistan, Iraq, and other places 
around the world.
  Although women did not receive equal treatment or recognition while 
serving in the military during the Civil War or the wars of the 20th 
century, they now serve in many roles and capacities in the Active, 
Guard and Reserve components and perform equally as well as their male 
counterparts. Today's Army fighting women are critical to the success 
of the Army's mission, and their sacrifice on the battlefield 
demonstrates a clear call to duty that transcends any supposed gender 
limitations.
  One such example of this bravery is Silver Star recipient SPC Monica 
Brown, who, when her convoy was attacked while on patrol in 
Afghanistan, disregarded a hail of enemy fire that threatened her own 
life and jumped into action in her role as a medic to pull wounded 
soldiers to safety and render lifesaving aid to them. I also think 
about the heroic actions of SGT Leigh Ann Hester, another Silver Star 
recipient and military police platoon leader. When Sergeant Hester and 
her fellow soldiers were ambushed south of Baghdad, she bravely led her 
unit through an insurgent ``kill zone'' and into a flanking position to 
assault the enemy with fire, killing three insurgents herself.
  These acts of selflessness are also mirrored in the spirit of 
volunteerism and commitment that Army civilian women exhibit as they 
deploy to combat zones wherever the Army needs them. Like their male 
counterparts, these women are serving honorably and selflessly as 
architects, doctors, nurses, lawyers, structural engineers, 
logisticians, and in scores of other occupational specialties. And like 
our military women, they do justice to the millions of women who 
preceded them in history to fight for equal rights for women in 
America.
  As we celebrate the great accomplishments of women in the military on 
Women's Equality Day, it is imperative that our Nation and leaders 
continue to evaluate additional opportunities for military service by 
women. While women have achieved and contributed so much to the Army 
and the overall military mission, some barriers still exist.
  I look forward to a day when more combat aviation and ground 
occupational specialties will be open to women, for instance. I look 
forward to a day when there will be more women in the general officer 
ranks to accompany my good friend GEN Ann Dunwoody, the Army's first 
and only female four-star general in its entire 234-year history. Our 
military and government must never slow its commitment to giving women 
the access to the full range of opportunities that the military has to 
offer. In doing so, I am confident that these few remaining barriers 
will fall.
  I strongly encourage my fellow members to honor Women's Equality Day 
on August 26 by thanking the military and civilian women of the U.S. 
Army and their families of their States for their commitment, bravery 
and unflinching support to our great Nation.

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