As a nation we will be celebrating Veterans Day this Saturday, November 11. Give pause that day and reflect on those who have served in the military.
While I cannot say I come from a military family, I support those in the military. My father was given a deferment during WWII because he was a farmer. My husband was drafted during the Vietnam War but was fortunate to serve in Germany attending HAWK missiles.
When our son was draft age, it had been eliminated, but as a grandmother of two teenagers 17 and 18, the fear of the Mideast situation militarily widening is worrisome.
I am dismayed and discouraged at the political polarization that has being bestowed upon the military. The first example is a boycott of promotions by Arkansas Sen. Tommy Tuberville. There are 266 nominations for jobs in the military currently being blocked by Sen. Tuberville.
Tuberville, an Alabama Republican, implemented the hold in February of 2023 to protest Defense Secretary Austin’s response to last year’s Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. This was the landmark ruling that for nearly 50 years guaranteed a fundamental right to abortion. Secretary’s Austin implemented policy allows paid leave and reimburses travel expenses incurred by military personnel who must leave the state where they are assigned because the procedure is banned or otherwise restricted.
Tuberville’s view is that federal money should not be used to cover abortion and anything connected to it. His hold is not absolute, but it slows the usual process in which well-qualified, noncontroversial nominees are approved by the Senate in batches.
Secretary of Defense Austin proclaims, “Those in the military do not get to choose where they serve and deserve access to reproductive care.” Individual rank and pay, and even security are being impacted by this lack of approval.
Iowa’s Sen. Joni Ernst has recently been active publicly on the Senate floor to achieve these approvals. If given the opportunity, please offer her support in this endeavor.
My other concern regarding the political polarization of the military is the looming governmental budget shutdown that will occur on Nov. 17, if the House does not pass a budget bill. The Veterans Administration informed those receiving veteran’s disability benefits the checks will not be issued if there is more than a two-week shutdown. Contact needs to be made with Greene County’s Congressional Representative Zach Nunn. He can be reached by phone at 202-225-5476, or mail to 400 Locust Street, Suite 250, Des Moines, Iowa 50309. Emailing requires providing your email address but is available on the website. Encourage dialogue and cooperation to avoid a governmental shutdown.
If you have a sibling, a partner, a parent, or a child, or know someone who has or is serving in the military, thank them for their service on this Veterans Day.
View From My Window is submitted by Mary Weaver from her farm home near Rippey.
