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They lost limbs in battle, led guards, and survived several combat tours.
Now, some female veterans and service members are slamming President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for comments he made about women’s ability to fight on the front lines.
“I don’t even know how to express my disgust,” said a current U.S. Army colonel who spoke to NBC News on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.
In a podcast released last week, former Fox News host Hegseth said the military “should not have women in combat roles” and that “men are more qualified for those roles.” ” he said.
“It doesn’t make us more capable, it doesn’t make us more deadly, it doesn’t make the fight more complicated,” Hegseth said on “The Sean Ryan Show.”
He emphasized on another podcast in June that women are “life givers, not life takers.”
“They could be medics, helicopter pilots, things like that,” Hegseth said on “The Ben Shapiro Show.” “But they create all sorts of variables and complications that have nothing to do with being anti-women and have nothing to do with having the most effective military.”
During more than 20 years of service and three deployments, the Army colonel, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said his gender does not prevent him from taking his own life if necessary.
“I am trained the same way. I take the same oath. I will carry out the orders given to me just like the men,” she said.
The combat arms official said if the U.S. changes policy, it would be “shameful” and detrimental to recruitment and retention efforts.
“There are enough problems already,” she said, citing sexual harassment and assault as key examples. “We see how if such a policy were to change, it would undermine a lot of possibilities for who serves and who continues to serve. It’s like taking back our ability to vote. .”
The Pentagon opened all combat roles to women for the first time in 2016, reflecting changing attitudes toward gender-based barriers within the military.
Then-Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said, “Our future military must continue to benefit from the best that America has to offer.” “This includes women.”
This historic policy shift opened up some of the 220,000 roles previously reserved for men, including some special operations forces and infantry positions.
President-elect Donald Trump visited the White House on Wednesday to meet with President Joe Biden ahead of Trump’s inauguration.
This allows qualified and qualified women to drive tanks, issue orders, lead infantry into combat, and serve as Army Rangers, Green Berets, Navy SEALs, Marine infantry, and Air Force parajumpers. Approved.
It’s unclear what changes Hegseth will make. He sternly told Shapiro that female soldiers “shouldn’t be in my infantry battalion.”
According to the Department of Defense, women currently make up more than 17% of the military’s active duty personnel. According to official data, the number of military personnel decreased by 2.7% in 2022 compared to the previous year, but the proportion of women in the military gradually increased.
Rory Manning, with the nonprofit Service Women’s Action Network, said hundreds of people proved their worth and heroism during the nation’s longest war.
“They’ve been doing the same thing for 20 years in Iraq and Afghanistan,” said Manning, a retired Navy captain who served for more than 25 years. “We know they can do it.”
Manning said more than 300,000 women served in Iraq and Afghanistan. At least 179 people were killed and more than 1,000 injured during various operations, according to federal data on casualties.
A 2015 report by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service found that more than 9,000 women received the Army Combat Action Badge for “actively engaging or engaging the enemy.” They were awarded the Silver Star, the third highest military decoration, for their “brave actions,” the report said.
Manning said 383 additional women have received the Purple Heart, the nation’s oldest military award recognizing sacrifice and heroism.
Alison Jaslow, an Iraq War veteran who heads the nonprofit Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Association, said not only do women serve in combat for long periods of time, but “many of them are tougher than many of their men.” ” he said.
In Iraq, Jaslow led a security unit in a convoy that was regularly subjected to small-arms fire. She said the convoy was also hit by a roadside bomb. But she pointed to the strength of the women who have completed the Army Ranger School, one of the most rigorous combat training courses in the world.
“These women deserve a secretary of defense who recognizes that reality,” Jaslow said.
In a statement announcing his selection on Tuesday, President Trump described Hegseth as “tough, intelligent, and a true believer in America First.”
Days later, it was revealed that Hegseth was being investigated for “alleged sexual assault” at a California hotel where she hosted a Republican women’s rally in 2017, but she was not charged with any crime. Police announced Friday.
Trump’s communications director, Stephen Chan, said in a statement that Hegseth “categorically denies all accusations” and that Trump is “nominating an excellent and eminently qualified candidate to serve in his administration.”
President Trump’s transition team did not immediately comment on the backlash from female veterans and service members.
Hegseth, 44, is a former Army National Guard infantry officer who served on tours in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. If confirmed to join Trump’s second Cabinet, he would be sixth in line to become president.
Purple Heart recipient Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) said in a statement that the selection is “dangerous, plain and simple.”
Here are five things you should know about Steven Chan.
Duckworth, a former Army National Guard member, was one of the first women in the Army to serve in combat duty during Operation Iraqi Freedom. She lost both legs and part of her right arm in 2004 when a rocket-propelled grenade hit her helicopter.
“Where do you think I lost my leg? In a bar fight? I’m sure I was in a fight when it happened,” she told CNN. “The fact that he thinks he can keep women within some kind of imaginary boundary only shows how out of touch he is with the nature of modern warfare. That’s not how wars are fought today.”
Retired Army Lt. Col. Raquel Darden, a former Army paratrooper, decries the blanket ban on women from serving in combat positions, saying the military instead imposes high rates on men and women who serve in such roles. He said standards should be set and enforced.
“Why not cast such a wide net and say women shouldn’t be in combat? We’re already there,” she said.
Corky Siemasko contributed.
This article first appeared on NBCNews.com. Read more from NBC News here:
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