P1 1WHEREAS, Women have proudly served in the Armed Forces
2of the United States (Armed Forces) throughout our nation’s
3history; and
4WHEREAS, Over the past century, women have been gradually
5authorized to serve in more advanced roles in the Armed Forces,
6and, with each milestone, from the 1901 inception of the U.S.
7Army Nurse Corps, to the passage of the Women’s Armed Services
8Integration Act of 1948, making women a permanent part of the
9military, and the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal
10Years 1992 and 1993, repealing laws preventing women from
11flying combat aircrafts, female soldiers have demonstrated their
12bravery, their dedication, and their patriotism; and
13WHEREAS, Despite women’s advancement in the military,
14women have been banned from front-line combat positions, and
15yet, in the past decade
of conflict, the distinction between
16noncombat and combat roles has blurred, as over 300,000 women
17have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan since 2001, where
18152 women in uniform have been killed, including 84 who were
19in hostile action, and approximately 1,000 have been wounded;
20and
P2 1WHEREAS, In recognition of the changing reality of the modern
2battle field as well as the exemplary performance of female
3soldiers, in 2013, the Pentagon lifted the ban on women in combat
4and gave military leaders until the end of 2015 to recommend
5which jobs should remain male only; and
6WHEREAS, As a result, the Army opened up its elite Ranger
7School, the Army’s premier combat leadership course, to female
8soldiers for the first time this year as a pilot program; and
9WHEREAS, 19 female and 380 male soldiers began the course,
10and included within this group were Captain Kristen Griest, a
11military
police platoon leader who has served one tour of duty in
12Afghanistan, and First Lieutenant Shaye Haver, an Apache
13helicopter pilot, both graduates of the United States Military
14Academy at West Point; and
15WHEREAS, The grueling Ranger School identifies and trains
16one of our nation’s elite combat forces, focusing on military skills,
17endurance, and survival techniques, and exposing candidates to
18extreme mental and physical stress; and
19WHEREAS, Although, for the first time, both male and female
20soldiers were part of the Ranger School class, the same standards
21for successful completion of the Ranger School were required of
22all soldiers, regardless of gender; and
23WHEREAS, Captain Griest and First Lieutenant Haver
24successfully completed the Ranger course with 94 other Ranger
25candidates; and
26WHEREAS, On August 21, 2015, Captain Griest and First
27
Lieutenant Haver became the first two female soldiers to graduate
28from the Ranger School paving the way for future generations of
29Army Rangers, and our nation’s other elite combat forces, to finally
30be selected from the ranks of all top soldiers, regardless of gender;
31and
32WHEREAS, Despite this barrier-breaking accomplishment of
33Captain Griest and First Lieutenant Haver, these trailblazers,
34because they are female, are not yet permitted to join Army Ranger
35battalions, or to serve in the infantry or any other special operations
36post, yet both have expressed their desire that the Army end this
37policy; now, therefore, be it
38Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, That the
39Assembly urges the Pentagon to allow Captain Griest, First
40Lieutenant Haver, and any other qualified female soldier to serve
P3 1in the Army Rangers and other combat units of the armed services;
2and be it further
3Resolved, That the Assembly recognizes and honors the
4patriotism, dedication, and perseverance of Captain Griest and
5First Lieutenant Haver and the historic importance of their
6achievement to the advancement of women in the Armed Forces;
7Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
8of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
O
99