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H. R. No. 38 As Introduced
A RESOLUTION
Representatives Pillich, Fedor, Williams,
Antonio, Beck, Boyd, Clyde, Driehaus, Fende, Foley, Garland, Hagan, R., Heard, Johnson, Letson, Lundy, Murray, Phillips, Ramos, Reece, Rosenberger, Ruhl, Sears, Slesnick, Stinziano, Yuko
To memorialize the President of the United States,
the Secretary of Defense, and the United States
Congress to end the ban on women serving in combat
and to make other provisions regarding the
training, equipment, and assignment policy for
women in the armed services.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
| WHEREAS, Women served the United States Army during the
American Revolution, nursing the ill and wounded, mending
clothing, and cooking for the troops, and have served the United
States armed forces in some capacity during every military
conflict in the nation's history; and |
| WHEREAS, An estimated 1,500 women served during the
Spanish-American War, 35,000 served during World War I, 400,000
served during World War II, 1,000 served during the Korean
conflict, 7,500 served in the Vietnam theater, 41,000 served in
the Desert Storm theatre, and more than 225,000 have served in
Iraq and Afghanistan; and |
| WHEREAS, Over 213,800 women currently serve on active duty in
the United States armed forces, comprising 14.5 per cent of total
active duty United States forces; and |
| WHEREAS, Over 72,100 women currently serve in the Reserve or
National Guard, comprising 15.2 per cent of total United States
reserve and guard forces; and |
| WHEREAS, Over 60,700 Ohio women serve in the United States
armed forces today; and |
| WHEREAS, Women are an intrinsic and necessary part of the
United States armed services; and |
| WHEREAS, The Department of Defense Advisory Committee on
Women in the Services has reported that service members have been
concerned that the combat training received by female service
members prior to Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring
Freedom was of inadequate length and used poor methods; and |
| WHEREAS, Military leaders often consider a service member's
capabilities over gender when assigning personnel; and |
| WHEREAS, Equipment provided to women in theater operations
has been reported at times to be inadequate, outdated, improperly
sized, and poor in quality; and |
| WHEREAS, Department of Defense policy prohibits women from
being assigned to any unit smaller than a brigade whose primary
mission is to direct combat on the ground; and |
| WHEREAS, Combat assignment restrictions exclude women from
serving in approximately 10 per cent of Marine Corps and Army
occupational specialties; and |
| WHEREAS, Combat assignment restrictions act as a barrier to
promotion and advancement of women; and |
| WHEREAS, The armed services have skirted the combat
assignment restrictions by attaching women to combat units without
formally recognizing their assignment; and |
| WHEREAS, Women veterans have difficulty getting treatment for
post traumatic stress disorder because they have not been formally
assigned to a combat unit and have difficulty proving that they
have been in combat; and |
| WHEREAS, Women have been involved in numerous fire fights in
the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters, 110 women have been killed in
Iraq and 24 women have been killed in Afghanistan, and women will
continue to be drawn into combat situations; and |
| WHEREAS, The current combat assignment restriction does not
reflect the many sacrifices and contributions of women who are or
have been serving in the two most recent United States wars; now
therefore be it |
| RESOLVED, That we, the members of the Ohio House of
Representatives of the 129th General Assembly of the State of
Ohio, urge the President of the United States, the Secretary of
Defense, and the United States Congress to lift the ban on women
serving in combat, lift the ban which prohibits women from being
assigned to any unit smaller than a brigade whose primary mission
is to direct combat on the ground, continue the physical fitness
requirements of men in combat and require women in combat to
adhere to those same requirements, provide women members of the
armed services adequate, sufficient, and practical combat training
before deployment into theater, issue sufficient quantities of
equipment to female service members in sizes that are fit for
practical use by them, research and develop equipment designed
specifically for use by women, and recraft the military assignment
policy to conform to the nature of warfare today; and be it
further |
| RESOLVED, That the Clerk of the House of Representatives
transmit duly authenticated copies of this resolution to the
President of the United States, the Secretary of Defense, the
Speaker and Clerk of the United States House of Representatives,
the President Pro Tempore and Secretary of the United States
Senate, the members of the Ohio Congressional delegation, and the
news media of Ohio. |
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