[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 189 (Wednesday, October 27, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H5935-H5936]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   PRIVATE FIRST CLASS TAYLOR PATTERSON BLAZES A TRAIL FOR IOWA WOMEN

  (Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. MILLER-MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a veteran to 
recognize an amazing achievement of a fellow servicewoman in Iowa.
  Last month, Private First Class Taylor Patterson, a student at Iowa 
State University, became the first female enlisted infantry soldier in 
the Iowa National Guard after being the first Iowa woman to complete 
the rigorous 22-week training program at Fort Benning, Georgia.
  Five years ago, the United States Army began to allow women to serve 
in combat positions given that they can pass the same base physical 
requirement for all combat personnel. Through determination and the 
support of her family and team at Fort Benning, Private First Class 
Patterson blazed a trail for generations of Iowa women.
  For over 183 years, the Iowa National Guard has been an excellent 
example of service above self by always answering their call to duty. 
Whether it is assisting communities in disaster relief efforts, like we 
saw with last year's derecho in Iowa, or being deployed to Afghanistan 
this year to aid in the refugee crisis, Iowa's National Guard has 
always gone above and beyond in their service to our State and our 
country.
  Congratulations to Private First Class Patterson for her service and 
for being a trailblazer for women everywhere.

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