Today, October 27th, 2021, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-02) spoke on the floor of the House of Representatives to recognize Private First Class Taylor Patterson.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a veteran to recognize an amazing achievement of a fellow servicewoman in Iowa.
Last month, Private First Class Taylor Patterson, a student at Iowa State University, became the first female enlisted infantry soldier in the Iowa National Guard after being the first Iowa woman to complete the rigorous 22-week training program at Fort Benning, Georgia.
Five years ago, the U.S. Army began to allow women to serve in combat positions given that they can pass the same base physical requirement for all combat personnel. Through determination and the support of her family and team at Fort Benning, Private First Class Patterson blazed a trail for generations of Iowa women.
For over 183 years, the Iowa National Guard have been an excellent example of service above self by always answering their call to duty. Whether it is assisting communities in disaster relief efforts like we saw with last year’s derecho in Iowa or being deployed to Afghanistan this year to aid in the refugee crisis, Iowa’s National Guard has always gone above and beyond in their service to our state and country.
Congratulations Private First Class Patterson for your service and for being a trailblazer for women everywhere.
Thank you, I yield back my time.
Original source can be found here
