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Martha McSally

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Col Martha McSally United States Air Force
Born1966 (age 57–58)
Warwick, Rhode Island
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branch United States Air Force
Years of service1988–2010
RankColonel
Commands held354th Fighter Squadron
Battles/warsOperation Southern Watch
Operation Allied Force
Operation Enduring Freedom

Martha McSally is a retired United States Air Force colonel and US Congressional candidate. She was the first American woman to fly in combat since the 1991 lifting of the prohibition of women in combat, flying the A-10 over Iraq and Kuwait.[1] McSally is also the first woman to command a USAF fighter squadron, the 354th Fighter Squadron (354 FS) based at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. After her military career, McSally won the 2012 Republican nomination for Arizona's 2nd congressional district.

McSally with an A-10 Thunderbolt II

Military career

McSally graduated from St. Mary Academy - Bay View and then the United States Air Force Academy in 1988. She earned a Master's degree from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. She earned her wings at Laughlin AFB, Texas and was initially assigned as a First Assignment Instructor Pilot (FAIP) in the T-37. She was selected for Lead-in Fighter Training (LIFT) in 1993, completed the Replacement Training Unit for the A-10 Thunderbolt II, was assigned to an operational A-10 squadron and was deployed to Kuwait in January 1995. During that deployment, she flew combat patrol over Iraq under Operation Southern Watch, enforcing the no-fly zone. In 2000, she reported to Joint Task Force Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for a temporary assignment in support of Operation Southern Watch. In July 2004, she took command of the A-10 equipped 354th Fighter Squadron, and was subsequently deployed to Afghanistan under Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, where she employed weapons in combat for the first time. In 2005, McSally and her squadron were awarded the David C. Shilling Award, given by the Air Force Association for the best aerospace contribution to national defense.

Lawsuit (McSally vs. Rumsfeld)

McSally was represented by the Rutherford Institute in her successful 2001 lawsuit against the Department of Defense, challenging the military policy that required US and UK servicewomen stationed in Saudi Arabia to wear the body-covering abaya when traveling off base in the country.[2][3] It should be noted that at the time she was the highest ranking female fighter pilot in the Air Force. McSally's suit alleged that "the regulations required her to send the message that she believes women are subservient to men.".[4] In addition to the issue of religious garb, McSally noted that policies also included other requirements:

In a "60 Minutes" interview broadcast on CBS on Jan. 20, she described the discrimination she experienced under the policy: "I have to sit in the back and at all times I must be escorted by a male . . . [who], when questioned, is supposed to claim me as his wife," she said. "I can fly a single-seat aircraft in enemy territory, but [in Saudi Arabia] I can't drive a vehicle."[4]

During this process, she was granted audience with several high level officials to include two secretaries of defense, atypical of a service member of her rank and position, especially in light of her public protest. General Tommy Franks, head of the US Central Command, announced in 2002 that women would no longer be required to wear the abaya, although they would be "encouraged" to do so as a show of respect for local customs.[5] Commenting on the change, Central Command spokesman Colonel Rick Thomas said it was not made because of McSally's lawsuit, but had already been "under review" before the lawsuit was filed. News reports noted that McSally had been fighting for a change in the policy for seven years, and had filed the lawsuit after she had been threatened with a court martial if she did not comply and wear the abaya.[6] Critics of the policy noted that while female military personnel had been required to wear the abaya, the situation was not the same for "women diplomats" assigned to the US Embassy in Riyadh, who were actually encouraged not to wear the abaya when they were involved in official business, "because they are representing the United States." Embassy officials stated that "in their personal time, embassy employees can choose how to dress." According to these US officials, "the Saudi government does not require non-Muslim women to wear a dark robe known as an abaya.... The official guidance, issued by the Saudi Embassy in Washington, says that foreigners should dress conservatively but they are not required to wear the robe."[7] It is very common that the Department of State and Department of Defense have different rules for their personnel. For example, US DoD military, civilians, and contractors are prohibited from drinking alcohol (one of the many restrictions under General Order #1) while stationed in Afghanistan while US Embassy personnel are under no such restriction.

Eventually Congress "approved legislation that prohibited anyone in the military from requiring or encouraging servicewomen to put on abayas in Saudi Arabia or to use taxpayers’ money to buy them."[8]

Retirement

McSally has continued to speak out against Apartheid in Saudi Arabia.[9][10] Col. Martha McSally retired from active duty 6 May 2010. As of March 2011, she worked as a professor at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.[11]

2012 U.S. House campaigns

Main articles: Arizona's 8th congressional district special election, 2012 and United States House of Representatives elections in Arizona, 2012 § District 2

On February 9, 2012, McSally announced her candidacy for the special election for Arizona's 8th congressional district vacancy created by the resignation of Gabrielle Giffords. She was an unsuccessful candidate in the Republican nomination for the special election, losing to Jesse Kelly.[12]

McSally won the Republican nomination for the regular election in the second congressional district, and faces Democratic nominee incumbent U.S. Congressman Ron Barber and Libertarian nominee Anthony Powell in the November 2012 election.[13] She has been endorsed by the National Federation of Independent Businesses, U.S. Chamber, National Association of Wholesalers, of Commerce, National Association of Home Builders and Associated Builders and Contractors. [14]

If elected, she has vowed to vote in favor of repealing the Affordable Care Act. [15] She also supports local control for education.[16][17]

References

  1. ^ Air Force Lt. Col. Martha McSally - US Department of Defense Official Website
  2. ^ Valorie Vojdik [1] "Duke Journal of Gender Law and Policy", 9 Duke J. of Gender L. & Pol'y 261, 2002.
  3. ^ John E. Mulligan, Female pilot sues US, alleging bias, Providence Journal Bulletin, Dec. 5, 2001, at A01
  4. ^ a b www.now.org, retrieved July 16, 2011.
  5. ^ www.armytimes.com, retrieved July 16, 2011.
  6. ^ www.seattlepi.com, retrieved July 16, 2011.
  7. ^ www.usatoday.com, retrieved July 18, 2011.
  8. ^ themoderatevoice.com, retrieved July 16, 2011.
  9. ^ Christina Cheakalos et al., Dress Blues; Fighter pilot Martha McSally battles to liberate US servicewomen in Saudi Arabia from a confining cloak, People Magazine interview, Feb. 11, 2002, at 71.
  10. ^ Martha McSally [2] "Should our uniform adapt to their culture?", march 24, 2011.
  11. ^ McSally, Martha, "Should US uniform adapt to Muslim Culture?", Washington Post, reprinted in the Japan Times, 2 March 2011, p. 12.
  12. ^ McCombs, Brady (9 February 2012). "1st Female AF Air Combat Vet in Run for Congress". Arizona Daily Star. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
  13. ^ "Former Giffords aide beats back primary challenge". KNXV-TV. AP. August 29, 2012.
  14. ^ My Commitment: Solutions to Get People Working Again.” Inside Tucson Business, n.d. http://www.insidetucsonbusiness.com/opinion/columnists/guest_opinion/my-commitment-solutions-to-get-people-working-again/article_7dcfdfee-1964-11e2-a253-0019bb2963f4.html
  15. ^ ref>Candidate : Martha McSally.” Arizona Daily Star, n.d. http://azstarnet.com/elections/party/republican/martha-mcsally/candidate_07be44fa-784a-11e1-9191-0019bb2963f4.html
  16. ^ ref>Candidate : Martha McSally.” Arizona Daily Star, n.d. http://azstarnet.com/elections/party/republican/martha-mcsally/candidate_07be44fa-784a-11e1-9191-0019bb2963f4.html
  17. ^ Question from Ron Barber to McSally.” Arizona Daily Star, n.d. http://azstarnet.com/news/opinion/question-from-ron-barber-to-mcsally/article_6de8cda1-7db7-5dec-84c7-231edb7eba46.html

SeniorWomen.com articles by author David Westheimer (Von Ryan's Express and My Sweet Charlie) and reserve Air Force Lieutenant Colonel: Women in Blue [3]; Women in Blue: Round II [4]; More Martha [5]

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