{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-dods-using-themself-in-military-awards-shows-misplaced-priorities", "Cotton: DoD\u2019s Using \u201cThemself\u201d in Military Awards Shows Misplaced Priorities", "2023-09-08", "2023", "2023-09", "Republican", "Senate", "AR", "Tom Cotton", "C001095", "www.cotton.senate.gov", "cotton", "https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "scraper", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE\n\nContact: Caroline Tabler or James Arnold (202) 224-2353\n\nSeptember 8, 2023\n\nCotton: DoD\u2019s Using \u201cThemself\u201d in Military Awards Shows Misplaced Priorities\n\nWashington, D.C. \u2014 Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin criticizing the Department of Defense\u2019s (DoD) decision to use \u201cgender neutral\u201d language in decoration and award citations. Specifically, DoD will incorporate \u201cthemself\u201d instead of \u201chimself\u201d or \u201cherself.\u201d\n\nIn part, Senator Cotton wrote:\n\n\u201cThe Department\u2019s embrace of far-left gender ideology doesn\u2019t merely subvert the English language in ways that would astonish George Orwell. Worse, it exemplifies a Pentagon leadership consumed by the fads of the faculty lounge at a time when the Army can\u2019t hit its recruiting goals, the Navy can\u2019t keep ships out of dry dock, and the Air Force can\u2019t find spare parts for planes.\u201d\n\nFull text of the letter may be found here and below.\n\nSeptember 8, 2023\n\nSecretary Lloyd J. Austin\n\nDepartment of Defense\n\n1000 Defense Pentagon\n\nWashington, DC 22202\n\nDear Mr.[1] Secretary,\n\nI write regarding the Department\u2019s decision to incorporate \u201cgender neutral\u201d language into decoration and award citations. Our military apparently will now use \u201cthemself\u201d\u2014which is not even a word, I hasten to add\u2014instead of \u201chimself\u201d or \u201cherself\u201d to describe heroic or distinguished actions. Here is the absurd model language:\n\n\u201c(Rank) First M. Last, Jr., United States (Military Service), distinguished themself by superior meritorious service in a position of significant responsibility as (position and duty assignment), from (month year) to (month year).\u201d\n\nThe previous guidance simply referred to servicemembers as \u201chimself or herself.\u201d And, I want to stress, this language isn\u2019t referring to unspecified personnel in the abstract or large numbers of troops\u2014it refers to a specific, named person whose \u201cpreferred gender\u201d is presumably known.\n\nOn a related matter, by the way, the Secretary of the Army apparently disagrees with this gender-neutral approach because she\u2014or should I say \u201cxe\u201d to be safe?\u2014continues to man the ramparts against gender-neutral physical-fitness standards required by last year\u2019s defense bill.\n\nThe Department\u2019s embrace of far-left gender ideology doesn\u2019t merely subvert the English language in ways that would astonish George Orwell. Worse, it exemplifies a Pentagon leadership consumed by the fads of the faculty lounge at a time when the Army can\u2019t hit its recruiting goals, the Navy can\u2019t keep ships out of dry dock, and the Air Force can\u2019t find spare parts for planes.\n\nPlease answer the following questions no later than 5:00 p.m. on September 15, 2023:\n\n1. Did you personally approve the inclusion of Change 5 in the Manual of Military Decorations and Awards? If not, when did you first learn of the change?\n\n2. Under this updated guidance, may servicemembers request the use of the male or female pronoun on their award citations and at promotion and retirement ceremonies? How will those requests be treated?\n\n3. What other official documentation within DoD requires gender-neutral language, such as the replacement of \u201chimself\u201d and \u201cherself\u201d with \u201cthemself\u201d?\n\nI also would welcome a reply that this whole episode was just a practical joke, or a decision you immediately reversed when it came to your attention.\n\n[1] If I may be so bold as to assume your \u201cpreferred gender.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:35:26Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.cotton.senate.gov/news/press-releases/cotton-dods-using-themself-in-military-awards-shows-misplaced-priorities"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.040803898125887, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}