Lawmaker Amends Must-Pass Military Authorization to Encourage Renaming Bases After Female Soldiers

Statement

Congresswoman Norma J. Torres (CA-35) passed a provision in the must-pass FY21 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) encouraging the Department of Defense (DoD) to consider female soldiers who have served with valor as candidates for renaming military bases. The amendment comes amidst a national effort to rename bases that honor Confederate generals and would mark a historic shift for the United States, which has ten Army bases named after Confederate generals, but none named after women. The provision expands language already in the NDAA urging DoD to consider minority service members to include women as well.

Rep. Torres released the following statement:

"The sacrifices women make on the battlefield are every bit as worthy of honor as those of men," Rep. Torres said. "As our nation rights one wrong by removing Confederate names from our bases, we should right another one by paying due respect to female military heroes. I thank my colleagues from the Women's Caucus for joining me today to include this provision in our defense authorization for 2021, and I look forward to future negotiations with the Senate to ensure it remains in the final bill we pass into law."

Even before women were allowed to officially join the military as full, permanent members of the Armed Services, they risked their lives to serve this country alongside men as medics and spies. Harriet Tubman, for instance, led an armed battalion in the Civil War, freeing 700 enslaved people. Her actions have yet to see the same recognition that Confederate generals have.

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