[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 209 (Thursday, December 10, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S7419]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO MARTHA McSALLY

   Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, in her memoir titled ``Dare to Fly'', 
Senator Martha McSally tells an especially inspiring story from her Air 
Force days as the first American woman to fly in combat. This one 
anecdote reveals the totality of her character.
  In September 2005, a routine mission in the skies over Afghanistan 
suddenly turned into an emergency when a team of U.S. Special Forces 
were trapped in a canyon and under hostile fire. She raced to the scene 
only to discover that virtually all of the high-tech electronics for 
her A-10 Thunderbolt's navigation and weapons systems had failed.
  She had a choice to make: Withdraw, wait for backup, and leave the 
troops in jeopardy, or continue the attack with her skill, 
determination, and courage replacing the malfunctioning technology. She 
made the choice that those of us who have had the honor of working with 
this great leader from Arizona have come to expect.
  The full title of Senator McSally's memoir is ``Dare to Fly: Simple 
Lessons in Never Giving Up.'' From 26 years in the U.S. Air Force, 
achieving the rank of full colonel and becoming not only the first 
woman to fly in combat but also the first to command a fighter 
squadron, to two terms in the House of Representatives, to her service 
in the Senate, she has done a lot in her remarkable life. Giving up is 
one thing she has never done.
  It has been a pleasure to work with Senator McSally on many issues, 
from increasing preventive care and treatment for breast cancer to 
promoting animal welfare. As a champion for the men and women who serve 
our country in uniform, she led the way in creating a nationwide 
Veterans Treatment Court Program to provide our heroes with treatment 
they need to recover from the invisible wounds of war.
  Senator McSally has been a strong advocate for Arizona seniors and a 
dedicated and involved member of the Aging Committee, of which I serve 
as chairman. Together, we worked to protect older adults from criminals 
who sought to rob them of their hard-earned savings and introduced two 
senior fraud bills: the Anti-Spoofing Penalties Modernization Act to 
combat unwanted robocalls and the Stamp Out Elder Abuse Act to support 
community efforts to prevent abuse, exploitation, and neglect.
  Senator McSally's memoir contains another powerful story. When she 
was just 12 years old, her father was stricken by illness and had not 
long to live. He called his young daughter to his bedside and said this 
to her: ``Make me proud.''
  That is another mission this American hero has carried out fully on 
behalf of the people of Arizona and of our Nation. It makes me proud to 
have served with Senator Martha McSally, and I wish her all the best in 
the years to come.

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